Printable View
A 12 month old boy I care for gets bad heat rash. He is fine if we go outside early in the morning but anytime after the sun is out he breaks out badly. I've tried keeping him in the shade or in the pool but he still gets it.
I can tell it's very uncomfortable for him- he scratches a lot:(
Is there anything I can try to do to prevent it? I don't want to see him suffer but would like to have the other children out in the afternoon.
Hmmm - not sure if there is a cream like Aveno or something that might help ... I hear ya cause I would not want to be staying inside when it is nice enough to be outside :(
I only do morning outside time. We are out from approx 8:30-10:30. I have mostly early pick ups starting at 3 and all are gone by 4:15, so after lunch it's nap then home. Maybe try just going outside in the morning when it's cooler. Then stay inside in the afternoon.
There are children that are actually allergic to the sun and it makes their skin do funny blotchy things. Are you using sun screen when out in the morning or just the afternoon. Also some kids just sweat more so he needs to be wearing a 100% cotton shirt a size too big so it is very loose and allows air to circulate - no socks or runningshoes so he can let heat out of his feet. Probably does better with no hat so the sweat can evaporate. When you say afternoon - how late in the day are you going out. 3:30 or later is less intense than mid afternoon. He may do well with a breeze on him even if it means using a fan. It will be the excessive sweating that is causing the heat rash so he needs to be kept/blown dry as much as possible. Wash down frequently and lots to drink as he is dehydrating just sitting there in the shade with the degree of sweating.
This will likely be his first summer with sun screen so that is a good place to start. Maybe a different brand. Test what he is like outside without sunscreen as in how long does he go before the rash starts or 10 mintues whichever comes first.
I was thinking along the lines of playfelt when I read your post. I was wondering if he is allergic to grass or something outside? Get the parents to get him to the doctor to try to find the answers and maybe have some tests done. The reason my mind went to allergies is because of your description. One of my grandchildren is allergic to strawberries and we found out because when he ate some he was covered with rashes and itching and scratched himself form head to toe.
He has an allergy test booked :D so hopefully we can get some answers from that.
I wonder if it really is heat rash though because he doesn't sweat excessively. I get him to wear loose fitting cotton clothing and he does wear sunscreen. I will talk to his parents about trying another brand. He does get bad eczema as well...
I'm definitely going to try later in the afternoon as well. So far we've only been able to make it outside until 10:30am.
His parents know about it and still bring him out themselves- they don't seem to worried.
Something else that crossed my mind when you said he doesn't sweat much is that babies don't sweat and maybe his sweat pores haven't fully developed yet? Maybe get the Mom to ask the doctor about this.
This is exactly the reason that I take my daycare children outside as early as possible, as soon as they all arrive, usually by 9 and get back in the house by 11-11:30 before it gets too hot. I don't take them back out in the afternoon, especially in high humidity. I think 2 - 2 1/2 hours per day outside, plus eating & sleeping time is enough for our routine. Hopefully their parents are taking them outside in the evening to get more fresh air.