Good evening, Dr Ketch.

Please, I want to know what is causing rashes on my 7 months old baby.  I haven’t changed her cream and bath soap, yet I see rashes. Sometimes, it’s on one of her hands, another time it’s on her forehead; later it would be on her nose or below her eye. It’s so embarrassing. Please advice me on what to use and what is causing it because she isn’t taking any formulae, only breast milk and normal food once in a while, biscuit and tea sometimes too.

Rashes in your baby could be due to different things and so it’s difficult to say what it is over the net 😀 Sorry, this medium has its limitations 😉

Starting with common things, it may very well be heat rashes. If you’re of the school of thought that believes children should be all covered up in warm clothes even what it’s hot, then, this may be the cause of the rashes. To prevent this, ensure that you dress your baby in light clothes when the weather is hot and vice versa. Trust me, they have the same ability to feel hot or cold…just like you :O

Then, it could be due to eczema. This can arise from the soaps and bubble baths et al that you are using.  It could also be due to rough fabrics or allergy to foods. To prevent this, choose mild baby products that are not perfumed, be gentle when drying baby after a bath…just pat dry.

It could also be due to fungal or bacterial infections. You need to take your baby in to see the paediatrician so that a proper diagnosis can be made and then proper treatment started.

Now, about your baby’s feeding, by 7 months, your baby should be eating normal food more than once in a while. It should be very regular now, though breastfeeding should still be continued. Start off weaning by introducing some cereal (iron fortified cereals) shop bought or home-made. Start small and scale up. As he tolerates this, then introduce pureed fruits and veggies. Be sure to use cooking methods that preserve nutrients the best like steaming.

Be sure that your baby gets iron rich foods like beans, meat and spinach too. This is because at this weaning stage, the baby’s natural store of iron starts reducing significantly.

I know that a lot of mothers, after a little while, start giving instant noodles and this essentially becomes the mainstay of the baby’s diet. Remember, that while this may be convenient, it may not be the very best in terms of nutrition for your growing baby. It is also at this stage that you start modeling the right eating behavior and habits for your baby.

For more on weaning, please click on the links below:

https://chatwithdrketch.com/2014/04/16/daily-health-tips-my-baby-hates-fruits/

https://chatwithdrketch.com/2014/02/27/daily-health-tips-i-think-my-daughter-is-small-for-her-age/

Have an awesome evening 😀