Almost all young parents in the first year of a child's life are faced with many issues related to the health of the baby. Red cheeks in infants cause anxiety and anxiety. Parents are trying to rid their child of unpleasant symptoms. But you need to find out the cause and treat also the very background of redness. You should not neglect visiting a pediatrician in order to dispel your doubts, not to harm the baby and try to rid him of health problems as soon as possible. The causes of the red cheeks of the baby can be different - from the most harmless to very serious. Let's try to figure them out together.
Red cheeks in infants: causes
So, let's start with the reasons. Consider the most common basis for such manifestations on the skin as the red cheeks of a child. The main reasons: improper nutrition of the mother, if the baby is breast-fed; the effects of cold and wind on the skin of the baby; overheat; skin irritation; diathesis (food allergy); allergy to a medicine, detergent, or other substances; increase in body temperature; teething; pneumonia. Whatever the reason, you do not need to ignore the redness on the cheeks - this is a signal that something is wrong in the child's body. And what exactly - you need to find out, since you may need emergency qualified medical help.
Feeding a lactating mom and red baby cheeks
Of course, if a mother breastfeeds her baby, then, having seen the red cheeks of the baby, she will first of all think that her own diet caused the baby's skin rashes. Mom begins to sort out what she ate lately. And the pediatrician, when dealing with a similar problem, hurries to ask a question about nutrition. Indeed, often allergies in infants can be caused by juices, cow’s milk, cocoa, citrus fruits, fruits, berries, vegetables of red and orange colors (for example, carrots, pomegranates, strawberries), nuts, honey, sweets, chocolate, foods with dyes, preservatives. Sometimes it is worth revising the diet of a nursing woman - and after a few days the redness disappears along with the anxieties of the parents. But not always so simple.
Red cheeks after a walk
Walking is a simple and enjoyable activity. However, sometimes they turn out to be not very pleasant consequences, especially in the winter season, when frost and wind even cause problems for adults, let alone the delicate skin of the baby. Here, returning after another winter walk, mom notices the child's red cheeks in the evening.
The baby may have a simple chapping of the skin of the cheeks, and there may be overheating from wrapping in warm clothes, a blanket. Therefore, it is important for parents to dress the baby according to the weather, especially in the winter season, to avoid both light clothing and wraps. When overheating, the baby needs to change clothes and give him a little drink. Going with the baby to the street, you need to grease his cheeks and nose with cream. If the cause of redness of the skin on the face was in the cold, from the walk the baby will return with pink cheeks.
Dr. Komarovsky on the red cheeks of infants
Why are there red cheeks in infants? Komarovsky, a well-known and respected doctor, answering this question, says that children of the first year of life eat not as much as they need, but as much as they fit in, which is basically normal, because it is so laid down by nature. And if a child eats less food, then it will be digested normally, and cheeks will turn red from a larger volume. For example, the eaten volume of food contains 20 g of protein, and the child needs 18 g. These extra 2 g of protein can cause redness, as they are not absorbed by the body, but cause an allergic food reaction. Parents in a situation where due to a lack of enzymes there is a food allergy and red cheeks appear in the baby, Komarovsky advises just to have patience, wait a while - the baby will grow up, there will be more enzymes, and the problems will disappear. And the cheeks can be lubricated with cream or ointment to remove redness. But to visit a pediatrician in this case is a must. Dr. Komarovsky does not recommend giving drugs containing enzymes, since the more they will enter the child's body in the form of drugs, the less he will develop his substances. If the baby is active, cheerful and cheerful, he does not need to help overcome this insufficiency. You just need to adjust the volume and concentration of the food eaten by the baby with reddening of the cheeks.
Diathesis: causes and consequences
Does the baby have red cheeks? Another reason is diathesis. Strictly speaking, there is no such disease as diathesis. This word means a predisposition to allergies and inflammation, mainly to a special reaction of the body to food products in the form of redness on the skin, including red cheeks. Why does this predisposition arise? Firstly, heredity. If someone in the family also had diathesis or metabolic diseases, then you should not be surprised. Secondly, the period of gestation is of great importance for the health of the child. If during pregnancy a woman smokes, drinks alcohol or eats improperly, and her diet consists of products with a lot of allergens, a condition called “diathesis” in a baby is highly likely. Weight gain during pregnancy, severe and prolonged toxicosis, the use of medications that are contraindicated for pregnant women are all risk factors for the appearance of diathesis. And in the end, we see red cheeks in the baby. What to do? Just watch, relieve symptoms, or identify an allergen? The danger of diathesis is that, along with reddening of the cheeks, digestion can be impaired in the baby and, as a result, muscle tone is reduced. This means that the baby will develop more slowly than his peers. If you do not identify the cause of diathesis, this condition can develop into a real disease - from dermatitis to bronchial asthma.
Prevention of diathesis. How to identify an allergen
Everyone knows that it is better to prevent disease than to treat it. This also applies to diathesis. Of course, if mom has milk and it is enough, there is no need to rush with complementary foods in order to avoid the same allergy. Well, if the baby has already grown to the age when something new is introduced into the diet, you need to try not to give the baby food that mother shouldn’t take when breastfeeding, namely: red vegetables and fruits, some types of berries (e.g. strawberries), sweets. Even cookies must choose lean. The red cheeks of the baby, who began to introduce complementary foods, may indicate that some component is not suitable for the baby. In order not to remember, not to puzzle - what kind of product has been introduced into the child’s diet recently, it is necessary to keep a diary from the very beginning. Mom writes in it when, what and how much she gave the baby, what kind of reaction from the child’s body was to the new complementary foods. With such a diary, it will be very simple to calculate and exclude the allergen from the menu. If such records were not kept, you will have to cancel the products in turn or all kinds of complementary foods at once and look at the reaction from the baby’s skin. But in infants, red cheeks are a symptom that will not pass immediately. You have to wait a few days. Complementary foods should be administered gradually, one component at a time, and not more often than after two weeks. By the way, it will not hurt mom to keep a diary of her diet for the same purpose - to track allergens for babies.
How to help the baby with redness of the cheeks
So that the rough red cheeks of the baby do not cause him or his parents any trouble, you need to add decoctions of herbs: string, chamomile, dandelion while bathing in the bath with water. You can add a decoction of oak bark, calamus, mountain ash. It is necessary to make bathing more frequent and discard any washcloths. In extreme cases, you can use baby soap. After bathing, lubricate the baby’s cheeks with cream or ointment designed to eliminate problems with the baby’s skin. It is necessary to ensure that the baby does not scratch his cheeks and does not bring infection into the wounds. Baby things are best washed with soap and soda to avoid skin irritation from the powder.
Possible allergens for babies
Having sorted out all the food that she had eaten recently, following the way the child was dressed for a walk, remembering how and how much the baby was fed, the mother still sees the red cheeks of the baby. Causes? What to do? First of all, do not give in to emotions. It’s better to calm down and think - maybe recently started using a new washing powder? Or bought a new bedding for a baby, a bright toy? Perhaps an animal appeared in the house or acquired a houseplant? An allergic reaction in the form of reddening of the cheeks can be on the composition of the washing powder, and on the fabric, and on the dyes, and on the pets, and on the plants.
Drug allergy
With medications prescribed by your doctor, everything is easier. At first, the idea usually arises that the red cheeks in the baby are a reaction to some components of the medicine. It is enough to cancel the drug and watch the skin of the baby. If the whole thing was in the medicine, then after the drug is discontinued, the cheeks will return to their normal color after a few days. And the pediatrician will replace the medicine with another if necessary.
Harmless causes of reddening of the cheeks in children
You can understand why a baby has red cheeks if you measure his temperature. Perhaps the reason is precisely this. The fact is that in children of the first year of life, thermoregulation has not yet been fully formed. It is enough to dress the baby a little warmer or not to moisten the air in the room, and the baby's cheeks turn red, his body temperature rises. In addition to such a symptom, it is noted that in some babies, with swollen, reddened, hard gums, the skin of the face also turns red. Redness of the cheeks and the area around the mouth may indicate that the baby will soon have a new tooth.
A dangerous cause of red cheeks in a baby
But there is a reason for the appearance of such a symptom is far from harmless - pneumonia. Does the baby have red cheeks? Symptoms of pneumonia just include redness of the cheeks, pallor of the lips and tip of the nose, as well as an increase in body temperature, cough, sometimes to vomiting, decreased or lack of appetite, lethargy, heavy, rapid breathing. The fact is that children with whom they walk a little and who are even wrapped up at home have enough temperature difference when changing clothes, airing the room to get pneumonia. And here you already need to get medical help as soon as possible. Inflammation of the lungs is a good reason to call a doctor immediately.
For whatever reason, the baby's cheeks are not reddened, you need to carefully monitor his condition and, if necessary or in doubt, seek the advice of a doctor. Indeed, each parent has one huge desire - to see a healthy glow on the cheeks of his child.