The Thirteen Month Rashies
Wow. She’s thirteen months now. Not really a “baby” any more, though I call her that all the time. I also call her “silly bear” and “snuggle bear” and “cranky bear”… but hardly ever “Baby Bug”… funny how that works. But she’s still Baby Bug. She’ll always be Baby Bug. My little Bug.
So I got her these pink skull and cross bones pajamas the other day, thinking she’d be a “hardcore rock n’ roll” baby but then when I put them on her… I kinda got the creeps. I thought bad thoughts like, what if she died in these pajamas and the death symbol was some kind of evil omen?!! What am I doing with my child? Trying to make some kind of scary movie poster?
Then I got over it and decided they were cute anyway. Cute in a scary pirate kinda way. Arrrrg!
Thirteen months rocks. I love this stage. I love every stage better than the rest. She’s just so much fun now. Every day she amazes me by being smart. I love a smart baby. She’s still not walking yet but she’s taken a few steps. She stands up all the time. In fact, standing up isn’t so exciting any more. I’ll turn around and there she is, standing up again. All the time standing up. We still clap and say “Yaaaaay,” but standing up is old hat.
It’s funny, the other day I was at the beach with my cousin and her four month old. I held him for a minute and I felt so awkward. He wiggled so differently than I remember Baby Bug ever wiggling. I tried to comfort him the way I comfort Baby Bug but my movements were all wrong and backwards. He didn’t cry but I could tell he just wanted his mama.
It’s amazing to me how babies and mothers grow up together. I learned how to take care of Baby Bug on the fly and she learned that the way I take care of her is the right way for her. We move together so seamlessly. She knows when I rock her, it’s time to go to sleep. She knows when we go to the beach, I’ll play with her in the sand. When I pick her up and run down the shore, she laughs with the same glee I feel inside. I’m probably not putting this in words properly but I never realized how perfectly this motherhood thing works until I was run over by it. I’m hopelessly in love with my Baby Bug.
Even if she is Miss Rashy McRashy Face. Look at that face. It’s a face only a mother could love. She drools all the time and the moisture makes her skin break out and peel. It’s horrible and red all the time. I asked the doctor about it, worried that she had some kind of yeast infection, but the doctor said it was normal and nothing to worry about. She said it’s just due to moisture and until her face is dry, it won’t go away. So the rash comes and goes and some days I’m horrified by it. Other days I just ignore it. She’s still adorable to me. I don’t even mind kissing her rashy McRashy face.
She also has some kind of itchy rash on the back of her neck. What’s with all the skin problems? How am I going to enter her into any kind of beauty/talent contest if she keeps breaking out in red spots? Don’t worry, I’m not entering her into any contests but I have had a few people ask me if I was going to. My answer is “no”. For now anyway. Maybe someday I might be tempted. But between the clogged tear duct that makes her one eye cry all the time and the rashy face and the hand always behind her head itching the back of her neck…she’d be horrible in a photo shoot. Unless of course the photographer is me and in that case there is no problem.
I took these rashy pictures so I could show the doctor what it looked like. (Because invariably, on the day we actually go to the doctor, her skin clears up and there seems to be no problem.) But I actually had a hard time getting the redness to show up on camera. It’s way worse in real life. I guess it’s a blessing that it doesn’t show up that bad in pictures. I’d be super bummed if it caused me to stop taking pictures and giant patches of her life went by unrecorded.
20 Comments
OMSH
Josephine, do you ever put any type of barrier cream on it? Something breathable, but still offers a sort of barrier. Maybe then it can dry up sooner.
But again – when teething … the face is a mess with drool and pimply rashyness. We had one that went in and out of that too. We also have one that has the dryest of dry scalps. We can only wash her hair every 3rd day or it will just peel. Not dandruff – not flakey … peely.
Yes, I know you wanted to know that.
josephine
I haven’t. The doctor said I could try that too… but I never remember to do it when it’s dry, mostly because it’s never ever dry! I try to dry it with a cloth first but I worry that I might seal in some invisible moisture with the barrier cream… that happened to me with diaper rash cream, it ended up making it worse. But maybe I should try it anyway. The rash looks like it would be painful even though she never ever complains about it.
Jill
My kiddos used pacifiers and it seemed to make it way worse. I get the kind of pacifiers that have open areas to let the skin breathe. The kind in the pic baby bug has keep it wet. Try MAM brand with the big openings. These seem to help let the area dry and it does help a lot. I agree also with OMSH, I’d dry it good and put on some good ol’ butt cream.
I could find too many good pics but here’s one I found….
http://img.kelkoo.com/dk/medium/479/909/0038478561304107697996812748390600909479.jpg
I believe they’re called MAM Air or another thing I see them called is “Breathable”.
Hope this helps!
Gretchen
One word:
Aquaphor.
Eralynn
I absolutely adore the picture in the second slideshow…the one where your faces are super clsoe together…it jsut makes me smile. good shot :)
Alescia
Hi Josephine,
I am a student midwife and have recently come across many babies with rashes (mostly on the face but also on chest and back). I have found (and my colleagues agree and it’s what they recommend) that COMFREY OINTMENT (it is all natural) works WONDERS!!! Give it a try its fantastic. You can find it any natural health food store (some grocery stores carry in their organic section).
MamaBear
Kikki had that on her face too. For a couple of months all of her photos are with bright red cheeks, it got worse when she had a pacififier.
The doc said to try a cream. So I have a routine now that before we go to bed, I give her a bath or just wash her face, wipe and let it dry out while we’re getting ready for bed. I then put cream on her face and voila! It went away the next day!!!!! What a difference. I used the Aveeno one that’s a 24 hr moisture barrier for babies, just once a day and not even every day. HUGE DIFFERENCE! Good luck.
Lin
Rash or no rash, she’s a beauty!
Adela
The Aquaphor cream (not lotion) works wonders. My daughter’s rash was gone in one day. My daughter’s cheeks also get very red and dry (eczema) and I use either cortizone or Gentle Naturals Eczema cream (depending on the severity). That might work for her neck. Good luck.
Jennifer
I have a rashy baby too :( For months she had this red blistery looking circle on her chest that I thought would leave a scar for sure. I ended up using neosporin and it finally went away. I agree that the Aquaphor would be a great moisture barrier. There is so much drooling going on over here. Where does all that drool come from?
I didn’t get a chance to comment on your ER post. Sorry you guys had such a rough time of it. I hate going to the ER, I couldn’t imagine being there with one of my kids. I’m glad that BB is OK.
Jennifer
BTW, my husband wants a pair of those pj’s for our baby :P
Gramma
All my babies developed rashes when teething…not just on the chin, but a diaper rash on their bottoms too.
josephine
Aquaphor it is! I have a sample, I’ll try it tonight. Thanks everybody!
Kim
“… until I was run over by it.” I cannot tell you how much I loved that sentence. It’s so true. You worded that perfectly and I think it’s a pretty accurate description. It’s amazing how specifically the two bond, someone else can do the exact same thing for the baby and it just isn’t good enough. I kinda love it. And Baby Bug is adorable! The pajamas are so cute.
Amy
those pajamas are absolutely adorable! i want to buy some for my best friends baby girl…not sure if she will be in to the whole skull and cross bones like me…I LOVE THEM! and must know where you got them?
C. Flicken
Your baby is absolutely adorable!
aunt kathy
Check for allergies. Heidi was like that and it turned out she had allergies to milk products, citris, peanuts, wheat, eggs and I can’t remember what else. She had eczema all over her cheeks, chin and scalp. Catch it right away because she can get an infection from it festering. Not to scare you but H ended up with strep and staff on her scalp along with the exzema/cradle cap (the clinic doctors couldn’t make up their mind). It may run in the family. By the way, she grew out of it eventually and only occasionally has a problem and now has beautiful skin and wonderful hair.
Bethany
Lanolin (like Lansinoh, the stuff that can be used to help sore nipples in breastfeeding) might also be something to try, because it’s nontoxic, and it usually works really well at sealing out moisture.
Oopsy Daisy
Hey, my granddaughter has that SAME tee shirt (from Target) except hers says “Everyone loves a blue eyed girl”. Aren’t they just the cutest tees? And I love that sleeper with the skull and crossbones.
It is so hard to believe that Baby Bug is 13 months old already and that she is walking around. Time flies too fast. And speaking of flying, the hubster and I are flying tomorrow so with any luck I’ll be sitting in Sprinkles tomorrow afternoon eating a chocolate cupcake! Hurray!
BeachMama
Your love for Baby Bug shines through in your words and in your photos. I have felt the same holding other peoples babies, awkward and silly. But, never once did/do I feel strange holding J. It’s funny how it works with your own kids.
Hope the rash clears quickly. I was going to suggest a little bit of penaten cream, but the other suggestions look good too. I find the penaten clears things up overnight pretty much.