What is Drool Rash?

When a baby enters their teething stage starting at around 3 months old, drooling becomes very common. Drooling may even begin before teething happens, and it can last until the baby reaches a year and a half. Saliva constantly falls on the baby’s mouth, chin, and body which can often lead to red bumps or patches, dry skin, and irritation known as drool rash. This often appears because the saliva lingers for a long period of time which results in an irritating reaction. A drool rash can also occur when eating or using pacifiers.

 

Drool rashes often appear when babies have their teeth come in because their salivary glands are constantly developing during this period. Babies can drool excessively that makes it hard to control even if they aren’t getting teeth. 

 

Drool rashes are not contagious and do not have any serious medical conditions. However, if your child experiences any symptoms of a fever, not wanting to eat, or difficulty breathing, consult with your doctor. If the drool rash doesn’t seem to heal or calm down, also reach out.

 

Symptoms:

Drool rashes generally appear on the face, neck, and chest area. It can also appear under the chin and on the cheek. Small, red patches of tiny bumps that look irritating is a good sign. Also look for skin that is dry and chapped. A baby’s skin is sensitive, so sensitivity and symptoms may vary. As saliva stays on, the worse it can get.

 

Drool Rash or Eczema?

Both drool rashes and eczema have similar symptoms, and it can initially be confusing to differentiate between the two. They are both different forms of contact dermatitis that most commonly affects infants. The easiest way to determine if a rash is a drool rash is if your baby is cutting new teeth. As babies drool more during this time period, more skin irritation especially in the mouth area occurs. With eczema, it is usually an immune response or through genetics. In addition to bumpy red patches, your baby can also have blistered and itchy skin anywhere on the body. It is also not as simple to determine the trigger as it is with drool rash. 

 

Prevention:

Mothers hate to see their baby in any pain or discomfort. Prevent drool rash by limiting how much saliva stays on a baby’s mouth. Have a soft burp cloth handy to wipe away any immediate drool from your baby’s mouth during teething, meals, and naps. Make sure the cloth is dry, clean, and to pat gently to safely remove saliva without irritating the skin even more. Provide extra protection by giving your baby a bib to catch the saliva falling down to their shirt. Change your baby’s clothes if it gets too wet, and rethink the time allocation for teething toys and pacifiers to limit saliva staying on their skin.

 

Treatment:

The best thing about treating a drool rash is that it can be from home! The most effective way to treat drool rash is to avoid further contact of the saliva and skin. Keeping your baby’s skin clean and dry is the best way to immediately treat the inflammation. Here are some other techniques:

• Give your baby a bib to avoid saliva trickling down to the chest. 

• Pat dry and wash your baby’s face gently multiple times a day.

• Avoid any physical rubbing to limit more irritation.

• Apply an effective therapy healing cream (see our recommendations) to the dry skin.

• Ultimately find what brings your baby the most comfort.

 

When to see a Pediatrician:

Try to treat and heal your baby’s drool rash before consulting the doctor. If symptoms include fevers, lack of appetite, difficulty breathing or severe rashes and blisters, reach out as soon as possible. It is also best to reach out if the rash does not fully heal within 1 week.

 

Check out our blog to learn more about drool rash and our recommended products to treat your child’s condition.