Red Bumps on Baby: Causes, Symptoms, Treatment, Prognosis, Prevention

Red bumps are very common for the newborn babies to get acne on their face or red rash on their bodies. It takes place either due to some infection or due to the sensitive skin getting adapted to the environment. The rash or red bumps in babies are not very serious and goes on its own or requires very mild form of treatment.

The red pimples or rash, which develops on the skin of the newborn baby are called as Red bumps. The following are the common types of red bumps or skin rashes observed in the babies:

• Baby Acne: These are small pimples, which develop on the face of the baby. They arise within first few weeks of birth and get cleared within few months.
• Erythema Toxicum: Most babies develop rash or bumps with a ring of redness, which are filled with fluid. These are harmless and can appear on any part of the body. They go away on their own and do not require any treatment.
• Milaria/Heat Rash/Prickly Heat Rash: Babies can get prickly heat rash due to the high environmental temperature or when they are dressed in the warm clothes. It is the result of blocked sweat glands and causes itching of the skin. It is also called as Milaria.
• Diaper Rash/Nappy Rash: It is red colored bump or rash, which develops on the baby’s bottom or genitals. It is caused when babies wear wet diapers for a long time. Diaper rash is mostly caused due to fungal infection and less commonly by bacterial infection. At times, it can be a skin condition too.
• Eczema (Atopic Dermatitis): It is long term condition in which the skin becomes red, itchy, dry and gets cracked. It occurs on the face, scalp, bends of legs and body of the babies. It worsens with the cold weather. Eczema occurs due to heredity conditions or allergic reactions.
• Hand, Foot and Mouth Disease: It is viral disease, which occurs as blisters on the palms of the hands and soles of the feet of babies. It also leads to ulcers in the mouth. The symptoms of this illness go away on its own.
• Petechiae: These are tiny red bumps or dots on the new-born baby’s skin. These are caused due to small amounts of blood which has leaked into the skin. These happen due to the trauma experienced by the child while being squeezed through the birth canal and they disappear within one to two weeks.
• Hives (Urticaria): It is a red itchy rash or a red bump on baby skin. It is caused due to allergic reaction, which releases histamine. It can occur due to drinking of milk on babies. This type of red bump on baby is short-lived.
• Slapped Cheek Syndrome: It causes a bright red bump pr rash on both cheeks of the baby and fever. It is a mild condition caused by viral infection. This type of red bump of the baby gets treated on its own.
• Other Rashes on Babies: The other rashes in young children occur due to viral infections, which include byroseola, erythema, measles, rubella and chicken pox.

The reason for all types of red bumps on baby is not known. While for some types of red bump on baby the cause is known such as:

• Irritation (as in case of diapers)
• Bacterial, fungal or viral infection
• Some allergen
• Heredity which causes eczema.

• Red rash on the body
• Itchy skin
• Cysts.

The presence of red bumps in the babies is not a serious concern. Most of these go away on its own and do not require any treatment. However, when red bumps on baby are caused due to bacterial infections, then a proper diagnosis and treatment is required. Overall, the prognosis of red bumps on babies is good.

The doctor performs physical examination to check the nature of the red rash and advises the necessary treatment accordingly.

Most of the red bumps on baby do not require any treatment and are self-healed. While mild treatment is required in some cases as follows:

• In case of baby acne, washing the face with mild soap and applying moisturizer will be helpful.
• Powder is applied to soothe the red bumps on baby caused due to heat.
• To relieve eczema, skin moisturizers, gentle soaps, humidified air and creams are applied.
• Red bump on baby caused due to diaper rash can be healed with gentle washing of the area with mild soap and water. Skin moisturizer, barrier creams such as zinc, petroleum jelly, vitamin A and D ointment work great to heal them. In case of fungus infection, anti-fungal cream is applied.
• Hives are treated with anti-histamines.
• Anti-itching cream should be applied to prevent the babies from getting irritated due to the red bumps.

The occurrence of rash in some cases cannot be prevented hence precaution needs to be taken that it does not reoccur.

• The baby should be dressed in light clothing and provided with good aeration to prevent the prickly heat rash.
• To prevent diaper rash, babies should be kept as dry as possible. Use of plastic diapers or pants should be avoided. Diapers should be frequently changed.
• One needs to take care of baby’s skin while taking them out in sun, while bathing and while oil massaging. Since the skin is very sensitive excessive sun heat or hot bath can cause damage and lead to reddening of the skin.

The red bumps on babies are not of major concern since most of these appear for few days and undergo self-healing; while some of these require mild medication. Although one cannot prevent them from occurring in all cases, precautions can be taken to avoid their reoccurrence.