On Sunday during Mara’s nap, she came downstairs and told me that her leg was “really hurting.” When I looked at it, I saw hives over most of her thigh and noticed they were on her face as well.
I didn’t say anything about her face–she was already scratching her leg–but by the time I took her to show Daniel, hives were appearing on her arm too.
Since I had no Children’s Benadryl on hand, Mara and I left right away for Target, where we pulled several children’s antihistimine products off the shelf and took them over to the pharmacy to discuss our options.
Mara is in that awkward age 2-5 range, where you aren’t supposed to use Children’s Benadryl without consulting the pediatrician. The pharmacist wouldn’t tell me what the dose would be for someone her age, unless our doctor prescribed it.
We did find a generic Children’s Zyrtec with dosage information for ages 2 – 5. But the pharmacist said for treating hives, Benadryl would definitely be preferred over Zyrtec.
So my find of the day was Benadryl Extra Strength Itch Stopping Gel! The pharmacist said this gel should do for us what the Benadryl is supposed to do, and Mara could take the Zyrtec orally, just to be safe.
While we were talking to the pharmacist, rashes begin covering both her arms, all around both her ankles,with patches on her face, stomach and back. As always, Mara wanted to call somebody: “Let’s call Grandma B. and tell her I have rashes all over my body!”
When I saw how the rashes were spreading, I put the gel on her and gave her the Zyrtec right there in the Allergy Relief aisle at Target. I needed to do some shopping, so we did. I got groceries, some toiletries, and a new pink hat which absolutely Mara loved. I hoped the hat would distract her from scratching her hives, and it did.
“Let’s go back to the pharmacy and show them my new hat!” she exclaimed with a huge smile.
As we shopped, her hives began to disappear, and gradually, within an hour or two, her skin was completely normal again.
With my husband and me both coming from families that suffer from allergies, I know all the questions to ask:
- Did she eat something new? Anything new? Today? Yesterday?
- Did we use a new laundry detergent? a new soap/shampoo? Buy a new blanket? new clothes?
- Has she been exposed to a new pet? or animal dander which is unfamiliar to her?
- Was she outside? Possibly exposed to a new tree/grass pollen? or other allergen?
We asked all the questions and can’t come up with any reason for the hives. I’m not worried. I had my share of hives and miscellaneous allergic reactions as a child.
But I’m glad I’ve added this Benadryl Extra Strength Itch Stopping Gel to our Medicine Cabinet! It Works for Me! And you just never know when you might need it!
the gel sounds helpful! we have also had some allergy stuff and were prescribed benadryl so if you ever want to give her the liquid kind, her and o would prob be the same dose!!! just let me know!
The dosing for Benedryl in a kiddo her age is weight based, so if the kiddos are about the same size the dose would probably be the same. If I were you, I would talk to your pediatrician about it, just to confirm her dose. While the anti-itch stuff is good, allergic reactions can get worse with exposure and it would be a good idea to have the med on hand and know what to give just in case she ever really had trouble, esp with a family history of allergic reactions.
Thanks, Kristy! Now I’m remembering when that happened to Owen too!
That’s a good point, Kallie. I’ll try to call her pediatrician tomorrow. (And how cool is it to have a pediatric nurse commenting on my blog?!?!) We miss you Kallie!! But it looks like married life is treating you well. 🙂
FYI…
My daughter suffers from severe food allergies and always carries an Epipen and oral Benedryl. Our pediatrician told us not to use Benedryl cream/gel on rashes or hives. He said using the cream/gel could cause the oral Benedryl to be ineffective in an emergency situation.
Whew! Glad that was taken care of! Was that Mara’s first time to get hives?