You cringe. You haven’t been out of the house in days. Why? Because your picture perfect baby looks like a miniature teenager—complete with red and white pimples, blotchy skin, and scaly scalp. Help! What’s wrong with my baby?

Rashes are very common in newborns, and are rarely cause for concern. Usually the baby is fine (despite his or her appearance) but the parents are a wreck. Fortunately, most rashes are short-lived and leave little or no evidence behind.

The most common skin rashes occur during a baby’s first month. Symptoms include mottling or discoloration of the skin, redness, pimple-like lesions (red and/or white), pustules, and white scale—and frequently result in doctor visits—so many that the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP)  has written an article (complete with pictures!) entitled, Newborn Skin: Part I. Common Rashes. Part II focuses on birth marks and will be the subject of a later post on baby gooroo®. So stay tuned.

The AAFP article provides detailed information on signs, symptoms, and treatment for the most common rashes. Most rashes can be easily diagnosed based on their distinctive appearance. The take home message for parents: Patience is a virtue!