Teething Rash Solutions
When Should I Call A Doctor?
What Is A Teething Rash?
In addition to swollen gums, fussiness, sleeplessness, and refusal to eat, babies can get a rash from teething around their mouth, neck, or chest. This rash may be a result of teething, known as a teething rash, drool rash, or teething diaper rash. During teething, new teeth can stimulate excess saliva leading to a drooly baby. In the saliva, there is a digestive enzyme that can lead to irritated skin. When a baby’s drool dries on their cheeks, neck, or chest it can irritate the skin and cause a rash that consists of red splotches and bumps and can also be foul-smelling.
It is common for a teething rash to reappear more than once. In fact, they can occur at any time during teething and may continue into toddlerhood. It is easy to mistake a teething rash on the face for other skin rashes such as eczema or a yeast infection. For this reason, it is necessary to consult a medical professional to officially diagnose your child’s rash.
Teething Rash Solutions
There are several at-home methods parents can use to treat and prevent their baby’s teething rash, such as:
- Keep your baby dry by continuously wiping excess drool from their skin and change them out of wet clothes when necessary.
- Create a protective barrier on the irritated areas by using a thin coat of a lubricants and/or creams such as petroleum jelly or Aquaphor on their baby’s irritated skin.
- Apply petroleum jelly as a preventative measure before a rash develops.
- Apply lanolin ointment on the irritated skin to prevent the rash from worsening. Lanolin is a cream ointment made from the wax in sheep’s wool and is often used to moisturize and heal dried skin.
- Apply coconut oil, which is anti-fungal, anti-microbial, and an effective, natural way to create a protective barrier to combat irritated skin.
- Keep baby clean by using a mild, unscented baby wash at bath time, followed by an unscented moisturizer on dry skin. Do not scrub too hard when bathing the irritated area as that can worsen the rash.
When Should I Call A Doctor?
In most cases a teething rash is minor and will go away with routine treatment at home. However, if the rash is not improving or is red, cracked or painful you should contact your baby’s doctor. If necessary, a doctor can order prescription-strength creams that will heal the rash and relieve pain faster.