My 23 month old daughter has been breaking out in hives the last couple of days, no specific cause. They don't happen in response to any particular trigger. She had a low grade fever over the weekend, and about two weeks ago we possibly came into contact with some sort of poison oak, sumac or ivy. Does anyone else or their kids get random hives? What is your cause? Thank you!
Thank you for all of your responses! She was still getting random hives yesterday, so I called her pediatrician's office. They said it could be viral, allergies, the poison ivy/oak/sumac still roaming around in her system or lots of other things. Benadryl clears them right up, so other than being a little bit itchy, she is not bothered by them. I will just continue to monitor her for any changes. Again, thank you for the responses. We have just never seen hives on her before, so I needed some advice from people who had been there.
My 2 year old went through something similar last year. It was actually a virus...it played out over a week or so and then disappeared. I took him to the doctor, and they said it was just his reaction to a virus. Hope that helps.
Actually, a fever followed by hives or a rash a few days later sounds like a virus. Viral rashes often don't itch, but hives itch like crazy.
We have had random hives before though, and just kept on top of them with Benadryl and/or Zyrtec (check with your doc on dosing, of course, if you need to medicate). Topical creams might help a little, but the oral medicine keeps them at bay longer, which is especially helpful at night, when the itch is so bad it wakes you up.
You definitely want to pay close attention to what could trigger hives though. Allergic reactions to food triggers -- peanuts, strawberries, eggs, shell fish, etc. -- can get worse with each subsequent exposure.
If there's a chance it could be a food trigger, I'd keep an antihistamine on hand for quick response the next time.
My son did that at about 18 months .... turned out he had the measles .....
K.,
I don't know if this is happening with your daughter or not; but recently (over the past 3 years) I will get itchy ALL over, get hives, and one time my throat even started to close up! I was on my way to the ER when something told me to take Benedryl.
About 1/2 hour after the Benedryl, everything started to clear up!
I have no idea what causes it - I am not eating anything different or using different soaps - nothing. It just happens.
I would talk to her doctor about it and make sure you have Benedryl on hand!
My 3yr old did that about a month ago and the dr couldn't figure it out either he said it was the end of a virus. We just gave him benedryl and it went away after a few days but it was really strange, sometimes he would wake up with them and others he wouldn't get them until the end of the day. I wrote it down what he was doing and what time of day but there never was a pattern and then they just didn't come back. And no one else got them.
Back in the spring, my 4 year old got a rash/hive that moved around his body over a two day period with a low grade fever. It started on his face at daycare but cleared up before I picked him up. That night he had them on his arms. I gave him Benedryl that night and they went away. Later the next day he had them all over his legs. I took him to the doctor but they had gone down by the time we got there. She told me we would probably never know what caused them and to keep giving benedryl. The next day his fever spiked to 102 so I took him to urgent care. He was then diagnosed with the flu. Viral is a very good possibility.
I would say only a doctor would know, but in my case, she didn't even know until other signs appeared.
Good luck.
That happened to my daughter at about that age and I freaked out. I rushed her to emergency care where I'm pretty sure they thought I was crazy. They gave her some benedryl and assured me she would be fine. I never knew what caused it, but it happend one or two other times and hasn't happened in the twenty years since. Weird, eh? I don't suppose that is very helpful, is it? It happened to me one time too. Never knew what caused it, but the benedryl helped.
Hives that occur for no reason are generally because of a condition called Chronic Uticaria (uticaria is the medical term for hives). My son and husband both get them. It is a diagnosis given to both of them by an allergist. When school started last month my son had them every day for 2 weeks and then 2 times a week until December. We had to bring a note to school so that they would not freak out that he was having an allergic reaction. My husband will get them any time that he does not get enough sleep. If it is hives zyrtec will clear it right up.
I also agree though that fever followed by rash is most commonly a viral rash and not hives. Google Roseola. Typically it comes with a high fever but it doesn't have to.
Doctors will tell you that allergies (other than food) do not show up until your child is 3 years old. I don't know that I agree with that but it is what they say. If you are certain that it is not a viral rash and she continues to get unexplained hives I would take her to the allergist. He or She will be able to point you in the right direction. If you need any more info just shoot me a note.
I used to get them when I spent a lot of time in the sun. My dermatologist even said I was allergic to the sun! He prescribed a cream (that didn't help much) and told me to stay inside. That was many years ago, and it hasn't happened again.
Our almost five year old breaks out fairly regularly. Benedryl is our friend. We never go on a trip without it. I use the liquid and give her 1/4-1/2 tsp durning the day and 1/2-1 tsp if it is bed time. She is big for her age and can take up to 1 tsp per weight, but when I dont want her to collapse into a drug induced haze, I cut the dose way back. There is also a cream benedryl that I keep in my purse for on the go breakouts. It doesnt work as well as the liquid, but it is a quick fix until we can get home.
K.,
Hives can come and go for quite awhile after a virus, but.....for a child so young it never hurts to at least call and speak to a nurse at your pediatrician's office. You don't necessarily have to go in.
Hives don't occur randomly. She is allergic to something. I recommend that you take her to an allergist immediately. Hives can be life threatening. Also have your husband keep a food log to keep track of what she's eating to see if it's a particular food that triggers it. Poison ivy and such do not cause hives. They cause a skin rash that looks similar to a burn and can bubble up and blister. Check WebMD to look at pictures of poison ivy/oak etc. skin conditions, as well as to educate yourself more about hives/allergic reactions. Good luck!
Funny that I should come across your request today. My (almost) 21 month old also breaks out in hives. In fact she has three right now - 2 on her forehead and one on her arm. I thought they were mosiquito bites until I picked her up from day care. Huge red hives. This tends to happen about every 4-5 months. Still do not have a clue what triggers it. I put some Benadryl cream and give then give her Children's Benadryl. Everytime I have taken her to the Urgent Care place I am told the same thing - probably something airborne.
H.
