Avoid Getting a Rash from Poison Ivy, Oak, or Sumac
Teach your child to know what poison ivy, oak, and sumac look like. Tell your child to avoid them.
Use an over-the-counter lotion (IvyBlock). This blocks skin contact with the sap. Use it like the label tells you to.
Do the following steps within 6 hours of contact with poison ivy, oak, or sumac:
1. Take off all clothes and shoes that have touched the plant.
2. Wash your child’s skin and scrub under fingernails with soap and water to clean off the plant oil.
3. Rub the skin with alcohol. Then rinse it with water. Or use an over-the-counter product, like Tecnu®. It takes off the plant oil.
Avoid Getting
Lyme Disease
When your child is in the fields or woods, have him or her wear long pants and long-sleeved shirts and tuck pant bottoms into his or her socks. (Light colored, tightly woven clothes are best.)
When your child comes back from the woods, look for and take off any ticks you find on your child’s skin:
1. Use tweezers (fine-tipped, if available) to grab the tick as close to the skin as you can.
2. Pull upward with steady, even pressure. Don’t twist or jerk the tick because this can cause the mouth parts to break off and remain in the skin. Try not to crush the tick. Juices from the tick can spread the infection.
3. After you remove the tick, wash the bite area and your hands with soap and water. Then put rubbing alcohol on the bite area.
4. Put an ice pack over the bite area to help lower the pain.
5. Save one tick in a closed jar with alcohol. Ask your child’s doctor if he or she would like to see it.
Skin rashes in children
What to Do
Call 9-1-1 if your child also has signs of a severe allergic response:
• Problems breathing or swallowing.
• Severe swelling all over. Or the face, lips, tongue and/or throat swell.
{Note: If your child has emergency medicine, such as an EpiPen, give it as prescribed. Give it before you call 9-1-1!}
For hives without a severe allergic response, See Doctor if hives are severe or come back.
Self-Care
• Have your child avoid things he or she is allergic to.
• If OK with the doctor, give an over-the-counter antihistamine, as advised.
• Use warm (not hot) showers or baths. Add baking soda or an oatmeal bath product to bath water. Put calamine lotion or a cold compress on itchy skin.
• Have your child wear clothes that fit loosely.
Get medical care fast!
Do the things the doctor tells you to do.
Get medical care fast!
Do the things the doctor tells you to do.
See Doctor.
Do the things the doctor tells you to do.
Self-Care
• Give medicine prescribed by the doctor. Make sure your child takes all of the medicine.
• For fever, give your child acetaminophen of ibuprofen. Make sure to give the right kind and dose for your child’s weight.
• Have your child drink plenty of fluids.
• If rash itches, trim their fingernails short so skin isn’t damaged through scratching.
What to Do
See Doctor.
Do the things the doctor tells you to do.
See Doctor.
Do the things the doctor tells you to do.
Self-Care
• Wash clothing and bedding in hot water and detergent.
See Doctor if the rash is on the scalp or in many places on the skin.
Do the things the doctor tells you to do.
See Doctor if self-care tips don’t bring relief, if blisters are larger than 1 inch across, or if a red streak runs from the infection.
Self-Care
• Clean the area with soap and warm water at least 3 times a day.
• After each washing, put an antibiotic ointment on the sore and cover it with a bandage.
See Doctor if high fever causes a seizure.
Self-Care
• Give your child acetaminophen for fever.
• Apply cool, wet washcloths or take baths with tepid (not cold) water.
See Doctor if there are signs of infection: Red streaks, fever, pus, or the redness, swelling, or pain gets worse.
Self-Care
• Keep your child away from what caused the rash. Don’t scratch it.
• Have your child bathe in cool or warm (not hot) water. Add an oatmeal product to the water. Pat the skin dry. Put calamine lotion or an over-the-counter hydrocortisone cream on the skin.
• If OK with the doctor, give an over-the-counter antihistamine, as advised.
See Doctor if Self-Care Tips don’t bring relief or if there are signs of infection: Red streaks, fever, pus, or the redness, swelling, or pain gets worse.
Self-Care
• Keep your child from scratching the skin.
• Have your child bathe in lukewarm (not hot) water. Use a mild soap or no soap at all. Don’t bathe too often. Use a light, nongreasy, unscented lotion on the skin after it is washed and patted dry. Don’t use ones with alcohol.
• Have your child avoid foods, chemicals, cosmetics, etc. that make the eczema worse.
What to Do
See Doctor if there are blisters or small red patches outside the diaper area, such as the chest.
Self-Care
• Change diapers as soon as they are wet. Wash the area with warm water. Keep the skin dry.
• Don’t use throwaway wipes.
• Apply diaper cream or ointment containing zinc oxide or petroleum to the skin.
• Don’t use plastic or rubber pants until the rash is gone.
See Doctor if self-care tips don’t bring relief or if there are signs of infection: Fever or pus or if the redness, swelling, or pain gets worse.
Self-Care
• Keep from scratching affected areas.
• Use cool, wet compresses, or give cool or lukewarm baths for 10 minutes as often as needed. Add 1/4 cup (4 tablespoons) of baking soda per tub.
• Give your child acetaminophen for fever.
• If itching is very bad, give an over-the-counter antihistamine as advised by your child’s doctor.
Call Doctor right away to be sure the problem is measles. Do the things the doctor tells you to do. Let the child’s school and local health department know if it is measles. It is usually okay for your child to go back to school about 7 to 10 days after the rash and fever go away.
Self-Care
• Have your child rest until the fever and rash go away.
• Give lots of liquids to your child.
• Give your child acetaminophen for fever.
• Have your child avoid lights, TV, reading, etc. while their eyes are sensitive to lights.
Self-Care
• The rash usually goes away 7 to 10 days without treatment.
• Have your child rest and keep cool. They should avoid hot or even warm baths or showers.
Self-Care
• For large rashes, have your child bathe in cool water without soap every couple of hours. For small rashes, apply a cool, wet washcloth several times a day. Let your skin air dry.
• Apply calamine lotion to very itchy spots. Don’t use ointments and creams that can block sweat gland pores.
• Have your child stay in a cool, dry place.
Self-Care
• Apply baby oil to the scalp to soften the hard crusts. Then use an antidandruff shampoo. Massage the scalp with a soft brush or washcloth for 5 minutes. Be sure to wash all of the oil out. Do this 2 to 3 times a week.
Signs & Symptoms
Red or pink, raised areas on the skin that itch. These can change shape. They can fade and then come back anywhere on the body.
Deep red or purple spots that don’t fade when you press a glass against it. Other signs:
• Stiff neck
• High fever
• Very bad headache
• Vomiting or nausea
• Acts very sluggish or strange
• Seizure
Pink to red rash on the arms, legs, and palms of the hands. The rash may start near the wrists and ankles. It gets darker in color and spreads. It can bleed. Other symptoms:
• Fever and chills
• Headache
• Confusion
It looks like sunburn. It feels rough or bumpy like sandpaper. The rash starts as tiny red bumps on the neck, chest and stomach. It can spread all over. It can be redder in the armpits, and groin. Other symptoms:
• Fever
• Sore, red throat. The tongue looks like a strawberry
• Swollen neck glands
• Nausea and vomiting. Body aches. Headache.
• After the rash is gone, skin on the tips of the fingers and toes begins to peel.
Signs & Symptoms
The rash is round or oval and has raised edges with pale centers and is called a bulls-eye rash. It fades after a few days. (The rash comes 3 days to 2 weeks after the bite.) Other signs:
• Fever
• Joint pain later on
Tiny red pimples that itch really bad. Common sites are between the fingers; on the wrists, elbows, and armpits; and along the belt line. Wavy lines in the skin up to an inch long may also be seen.
Red and itchy, scaly patches on the skin or scalp. These are round with distinct edges that grow outward as the rash spreads. Moist areas in the folds of the skin (under the breasts or in the groin area). Bald spots may appear on the scalp.
In infants, pus-filled blisters and red skin. In older kids, golden crusts on red sores. The rash is on the arms, legs, face, and around the nose first. Then it is on most of body. Other signs:
• Fever (sometimes)
• Itching (sometimes)
Flat, rosy red rash on the chest and stomach. A high fever occurs 2 to 4 days before the rash. The child feels only mildly ill when the fever is present.
Dry, red, itchy patches of skin. Blisters may drain and then crust over.
Patches of skin that are dry, red, scaly, blistered, and swollen. Sometimes the skin looks thick, discolored, or oozes fluid and crusts over.
Signs & Symptoms
Small patches of rough, red skin and tiny pimples on the buttocks, thighs, and/or genitals. This hurts, but doesn’t itch.
Flat, red spots that become raised and look like small pimples. Then they turn into small blisters that break and crust over. Other symptoms:
• Fatigue and mild fever occur 24 hours before rash appears.
• Itching may be very bad.
Blotchy, red rash that starts on the face and spreads to the rest of the body. The rash lasts about 7 days. These signs come before the rash:
• Fever
• Runny nose
• Sneezing
• Eyes look red and are sensitive to light
• Blue-white spots in the mouth
Red rash that usually starts on the face. It looks like the child’s cheeks have been slapped. Then a lacy red rash shows up on the chest, back, stomach, arms and legs. Cold-like symptoms may also be present before the rash appears.
Rash with small red pimples, pink blotchy skin, and itching. Common sites are between skin folds (armpits, under the breasts, the groin).
Scaly, crusty rash in newborns. It starts behind the ears and spreads to the scalp.
What It Could Be
An allergic response is the usual cause.
Meningitis infection.*
Rocky mountain spotted fever. This shows up 1 to 4 days after a bite from an American dog tick or rocky mountain wood tick.
Scarlet fever. This is a bacterial infection*
What It Could Be
Lyme disease. This is caused by a deer tick bite.
Scabies. This is caused by skin parasites called itch mites.*
Ringworm. This is from a fungal infection*. This can be passed from person to person, pets, or contact with an object that has the fungus on it.
Impetigo. This is caused by a bacterial infection.*
Roseola. This is caused by the Herpes type-6 virus.*
Contact dermatitis. This is from direct contact with something that bothered the skin. Examples are cleaning items, cosmetics, and metals in jewelry. Poison ivy, oak, and sumac cause this type of rash.
Eczema (atopic dermatitis). This problem tends to run in families. It is common in persons with asthma or allergies. Contact with irritants may worsen eczema.
What It Could Be
Diaper rash. This is often related to wet diapers, skin sensitivity, and chafing.
Chickenpox. This is caused by the varicella-zoster virus.*
Chickenpox vaccines prevent chickenpox.
Measles. This is caused by a virus.*
MMR vaccines prevent measles.
Fifth Disease. This is caused by the Human parvovirus B19.*
Heat rash. This happens when the skin sweats too much.
Cradle cap. Hormones that pass through the placenta before birth causes this.
