My Son Possible Rash to Formula

my only thought is that it either is the formula try switching to a soy based formula or it could be a yeast infection rash around the mouth just because they are always so damp around there, especially after bottles. I haven't given birth yet, but I had it when I was a baby and a couple of my friends babies have too

This happened to my son when we switched him to cow's milk. He would get a red chapped type of rash on his cheeks. At first we thought it was from his pacifier, but when he stopped taking the pacifier because of the rash we realized it was the milk. I would first speak with your pediatrician, then possibly switch him to another brand or soy.

I won't say that that's not a possibility but it could be lots of other things. It's not uncommon for them to develop baby acne at this age. It could be a sensitivity to a number of other things like cologne or aftershave, laundry detergent on your clothes. If it's a persistent rash and it seems to bug him, call your pediatrician and ask for a recommendation.
GOod luck

It could be a lot of things but I would really keep an eye on him after you try the formula again and I would try it in the morning or afternoon so you can watch him carefully. When my son was 6 weeks old I gave him some formula to make sure he would take it in case he needed it when I was going back to work. The first time his face was a little red but I thought it might be from something else. The second time he had a little more formula and he was covered head to toe in hives within an hour. We rushed him to urgent care and had him tested and he actually has a pretty severe allergy to cow's milk. I'm still nursing him but I've had to completely elimiate dairy from my diet and he gets soy formula when we need to supplement. Maybe your soon is just having a reation to that particular brand of formula. It could also just be from dry skin or maybe saliva if he is drooling a lot. Have you recently started using new lotion, soap, or detergent for yourself or him? That could cause it too. Hopefully you will get it figured out and it won't be a big deal. Good luck!

sounds like an allegic reaction, my DD had the same thing if she ate speghetti or pizza sauce, from about age 1-3, she outgrew it and is fine now, talk to your ped, or switch formula brands.

Have you considered the possibility it might be slight eczema? In any event, since the source seems to be a mystery, take your son to the pediatrician for a professional opinion and evaluation.

Our son didn't have a rash, but had dry patches on his cheeks that came and went. For the first three months, we too, were breastfeeding every meal but the last one (formula).

Check with your pediatrician. Our son had other spots on his body that we were certain was ringworm, and it was eczema. The rash cleared up quickly and without problem using Eucerin on the face and a prescription salve elsewhere.

My daughter (who is now 3) had a similar reaction when switching from breastmilk to formula. I was careful to wash her face after eating and burping using mild soap and water. This seemed to help alot. She continues to have sensitive skin even today. I recently was turned onto the "JASON" line of products (I found them at Wild Oats but have been told they have them at Mustard Seed and Whole Foods too). They are labled as organic and do not contain some of the drying ingredients that some regular soaps(even baby/mild versions)have. I'm not sure if they are appropriate for a 1 month old, so the old saying "check with the pediatrician" may apply. Good Luck!

Trust your instincts, T.!!!! You are right on the money. This sounds exactly like our son. You are astute to suspect the formula as it is very, very likely to be the formula - cow's milk based and soy based formulas contain the TOP TWO most allergic substances for infants (dairy and soy!).

It could be that he's reacting to any/all dairy or soy he's getting (whether via formula only or by both formula and your breastmilk, esp if you had antibiotics during or after his birth which affects the lining of your stomach). But to truly test, your *best* bet is to take him off the formula for at least 7 days to see if his eczema improves (24 hours won't tell you much - you'd need at least 5-7 days). Here's an excellent article on feeding sensitivities in babies - this talks about breastfeeding but absolutely applies to formula feeding as well:
http://www.kellymom.com/babyconcerns/food-sensitivity.html
http://www.wondertime.go.com/learning/article/interview-c...

Also, if you're worried about not "topping him off" with formula for a week... make sure you put him to the breast as he shows you his hunger (aka not on a schedule you impose) and your supply should increase to meet his needs. Thus far, when you are giving your son formula to "top him off" this only makes sure that your supply won't keep up with his demand --> your body will make as much milk as your son tells it to make. If you feed him a bottle, your body doesn't know that your son is eating and to make more food for him.

Again, if you decided to remove the formula for a week to test whether this is the cause of his eczema, remember to put him to the breast whenever you see early signs of hunger so that your body will get the signal and will increase your supply to keep up with his demand (which will be A LOT at this young age, birth to 12 weeks is a HUGE time of growth and therefore very, very frequent breastfeeding).

I see that you're returning to work soon - is your work allow its employees smoke breaks? If so, they should allow you breaks to pump breastmilk for your baby. You'll save a lot of money by continuing to nurse, and even more if your son is allergic to dairy/soy (very common in infants these days!) as the hypoallergenic formulas are ridiculously expensive. A nice, double electric breastpump (like a Medela Pump-in-Style or an Ameda Purely Yours) runs from $200-350 brand new and *will* save you HUNDREDS of dollars in formula costs (formula over time will cost *much* more than $300!!!).

Even if you are not interested in pumping while at work, you can absolutely breastfeed while at home and this will still save you $$$. While some babies transition to formula without any problems, many babies DO have problems and just really, truly need their mothers' breastmilk (don't do as well on any substitute).

I wish you much determination in doing this detective work to find the SOURCE of your son's eczema - no cream will cure it, only removing the irritant (whether it's the formula or pet hair from the family cat) will truly resolve his discomfort. Best of luck! Having been there myself with my own son, I can only say it is *very* worth it. I eliminated all dairy and soy from my diet when my son was 5 weeks old because his face was full of angry, red, dry, scaly eczema (via my breastmilk, and I was shocked - didn't have this with my 1st!). Within 7 days of my being dairy free, my son was a new person, comfortable, slept well, clear skin, no eczema. It was so gratifying to see the change and that was extremely motivating for me in terms of changing my diet (removing all dairy and soy). We were off of dairy for over 14 months, only recently reintroducing it into my diet and my (now toddler) son's diet to see if he'd outgrown his allergy/sensitivity. Just trust your gut... mother's intuition is so powerful!!!

Did you change anything else recently? Have him outside more that it could be heat related? Laundry detergent in your clothes? Lotions on you, or daughter or your husband? It could be the formula, but just make sure you haven't changed anything else recently. Have you washed his sheets in something different than you hand been? Or maybe put new ones on the bed that hadn't been washed somehow? Just some things to goge the memory of sorts. If you still think it is the formula I would suggest calling the peditrican before changing forumulas.

Yes, sounds like it could be a good possibility. Try to switch brands and see if you get the same reaction. The same happened with my son, who is now 7 months. Turned out he has a dairy allergy. Once we started supplementing my breastfeeding with Soy, rather than regular formula, his rashes cleared up!

Good luck and pat yourself on the back for noticing the rash this soon - plenty of time to fix it.

The easiest thing right now would be trying no formula for 24 hours, if the rash is still there it is probably baby acne which is very common at 4 weeks. If the rash stays away it is probably an allergy. (allergy rashes usually show up in the diaper area also) Baby acne can take awhile to clear up. Peds don't recommend putting anything on it, just let nature take it's course. Good Luck, don't jump to the conclusion it is the formula too fast, no need to make supplementing any more difficult!