Does My Baby's Rash Mean He Has a Food Allergy?

Food allergies will often cause a rash on your baby's skin that is very noticeable. From diaper rash to an upper body rash there are many different types of rashes that are caused by food allergies. While it is not always easy to tell if your baby's rash is food allergy related there are some steps that you can take to determine where the rash is coming from and with your pediatrician's help you should be able to determine if it is food allergy related.

When Did the Rash Show Up? The time in which your baby's rash shows up could play a key role in determining if it is related to a food allergy. If you have recently introduced a new food into your baby's diet and he suddenly shows a rash then it is likely that he is allergic to the new food. Also, pediatricians and the Food Allergy Network say that food allergy related rashes could show up as much as 24 hours after the food is eaten so you should pay close attention to the time frame in which the rash develops.

Does the Rash Go Away and When? If you have introduced a new food and noticed a new rash, try not feeding that food for at least a week following the disappearance of the rash. Then reintroduce the food to determine if the baby develops a new rash. This is a true sign of a food allergy if the baby develops another rash after eating the same food.

How Much Food Causes the Rash? Sometimes it will be necessary to monitor the amount of food that your baby eats to determine if the rash is food allergy related. Some babies can tolerate a small amount of a food without showing any signs of allergy but when given a larger amount of the same food the allergy signs become prevalent. Doctors recommend that you keep a diet diary for one week to determine if a rash is in fact a food allergy. Write down the amounts of everything your child eats or drinks and also note if and when any rashes occur to help weed out the possibility of any other foods causing the rash.

Did You Change Detergents? I once changed my laundry detergent at the same time that I fed my daughter carrots for the first time. She developed a rash that I immediately thought was related to the carrots but yet it didn't go away for a week. I later realized that it was the laundry detergent that was causing the rash on her skin and not the carrots. In determining if your baby's rash is from a food allergy you should play close attention to all aspects of what has changed in your baby's routine over the days leading up to the rash.