What if a baby gets red blotches on the face when drinking formula?

Here are three possible reasons and what to do next.

blotches on baby's face when drinking formulaPin

Mom’s Question:

When my 7-month-old drinks formula from a bottle, he develops red blotches around his eyes, ears, and head. They come on slowly and then cover his face/head. When he’s done, they go away. He’s been on the same formula for 3 months now. What could be the problem?

Kate


Blotches on Baby’s Face When Feeding: Suckling Or From Allergy?

The Nipple Hole is Too Small

It is possible that there is nothing to worry about here! There is a simple solution to this problem. Your baby might be getting those blotches because he/she is sucking too hard on the bottle nipple. To fix this, change to a nipple with a bigger hole. The spots shouldn’t happen anymore once you switch nipples.

Cow’s Milk Allergy

Another and more serious possibility is that the blotches continue to show up and don’t go away. This would be a sign of an allergic reaction, and since your baby is on formula, the most probable reason in such a case is milk protein allergy (if your baby is on regular formula.) In this case, call your dr for the next step. You will most likely have to switch to a hypoallergenic formula or one based on another type of protein, such as soy (although many babies with cow’s milk allergy are also allergic to soy.

You can read about the symptoms of milk protein allergy here.

Red Blotches When Crying

You don’t mention that your baby is upset at all when feeding, but I thought I should also mention an odd phenomenon that one of my children experienced. When she cried as a baby, she developed red blotches on her forehead and around her eyes. A short while after the crying stopped, the blotches disappeared. I have tried to find any research references for this but failed. It is not a rash but simply blotches… I have seen in some parenting forums that other babies get the same kind of skin reactions when crying, but no explanations. 

I just wanted to mention it.

However, you mention no crying and no other issues with your baby, such as tummy pain or other symptoms of milk protein allergy, so I would bet on the nipple hole. :-)

I hope this helps,

Paula

Read Next

Hey parents, who else has experienced red blotches on your baby’s face? In what situations? Please, share!

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This Post Has 7 Comments

  1. Ruth

    Same with my 5 month old but she has been on the same hypoallergenic formula for 4 months and never had an issue. Now she get a blotchy patches around the eyes when she drinks.. it’s so strange.

  2. Rox

    My baby is getting the same thing I have changed the hole it’s not working, have you seemed to work out the problem yet – cause I have no idea what to do?

  3. Linda

    Hi there,

    My 5.5-month-old also experienced the same thing. I was exclusively nursing until last week. He would develop the “rash” around his mouth and eyes. I took him to the dr today and was told it was eczema and that dairy products possibly triggered it. I noticed he would have an episode each time I ate dairy or eggs. We started him on soy, and the same thing occurred. Md told us to switch to gentle ease if that doesn’t work; he may need a hypoallergenic formula. I hope, in your case, it is the nipple and not eczema/allergy. I will also try changing the nipple and hope for the best! Good Luck to you and your baby!

  4. Flora

    My son would always get red blotches all over his forehead and face from crying. He’s almost 3 now and still gets it but not as bad… doesn’t seem to cause any problems though. They just disappear again after ten minutes or so.

  5. Evija

    I, too, have the same thing with my daughter. She is 5 months, and this has been going on for as long as I can remember. I never really thought much of it. She is nursing; I also nursed my son, he is 17 months now, but this never occurred with him. I just would like to know if there could be an issue. Thanks

  6. Celia

    This happens to my 5-month-old, but I nurse. It happens every time I nurse him. Need advice

  7. Kate

    Thanks, Paula! I thought the nipple hole might be the problem. I’ll try it.