Baby Red Under Eyes: Is It Normal?

Wondering what you should do if your baby has a rash, red skin, or irritations under the eyes?

This helpful guide has you covered, with everything from the potential causes to some tips and remedies to deal with the situation. Note that the causes, symptoms, and illnesses listed here are not exhaustive.

While this article is for educational purposes and offers advice to deal with redness on the skin of babies, you should always consult a doctor or medical professional for more health information before attempting to treat your children.

If you found this article about dealing with babies having red under eyes useful, you might enjoy reading this post about [babies waking up too early] or this one about what to do when your [baby climbs out of its crib].

‍

What Causes Red Under Eyes In Babies?

Babies have particularly sensitive skin, especially around their eyes. Therefore, it is not rare for that area to get irritated or reddened.

There are many reasons which could explain why your baby has red under eyes; below are just some of the possible causes.

Allergies: Your baby could be allergic to something in their food like cow's milk, eggs, or wheat for example. Alternatively, it could be seasonal allergies such as pollen or perhaps a sensitivity to dust. Allergy rashes are patches of dry skin which are generally scaly and itchy, and your child may have puffy and bloodshot eyes as a result.

Environmental Pollution: Something in your baby's environment could be causing these irritations, such as pollution, cigarette smoke, or dust. Similar to allergies, you may be able to see blood vessels in the white of your child's eyes if they are irritated by pollution.

Cleaning And Hygiene Products: Products used around the house or for your baby's care could be the cause of allergies; think diaper cream, sunscreen, shampoo, laundry detergents, or any other products that might come into contact with your baby's eyes.

Bacteria: Bacteria can infiltrate your baby's eyes and cause him to start rubbing them, creating red rashes around them. This is called cellulitis and can occur everywhere on the baby's body. As well as red bumps under eyes, symptoms of these infections include rashes on the skin around the eyes and eyelids, sometimes releasing pus.

Dry Skin: The skin around your baby's eyes may be simply dehydrated, as babies' skin cells produce much less oil than adults'. This usually changes as your baby grows older, but sometimes it develops into eczema. This issue is also strongly affected by what type of detergent you use, for example.

Blocked Tear Ducts: Most babies are born with fully formed tear ducts that can absorb tears from their eyes into the nose, but sometimes they are blocked at birth.

This means your baby's face will be streaming with tears even when it is not crying, and it can lead to redness, puffy eyes, and irritation of the skin around the eyes.

The issue should sort itself naturally within a few weeks of birth as the tear ducts fully develop, but if you are ever concerned please seek help from a medical professional.

Pink Eye: Even babies can get conjunctivitis, an eye infection otherwise known as pink eye, which is an eye infection of the outer part of the eyeball. Symptoms include a bloodshot eye which generally looks very red, puffy eyelids, frequent rubbing, and inflamed skin around the eyes. To treat pink eye in babies, refer to a doctor for help.

What about dark circles under a baby's eyes? What causes bags under eyes?

It is completely normal for a baby to have dark circles under the eyes similar to that of an adult. Dark circles are caused by the skin under our eyes being so thin that blood vessels are more visible, which means our skin in that area looks darker than the rest of our face.

Your baby may have more apparent dark circles if he has lighter skin, or if you or members of the family have prominent dark circles, as they can be hereditary. Tiredness and lack of sleep, allergies, or bacterial infections such as sinusitis can cause the dark circles under a baby's eyes to stand out more.

In conclusion, dark circles under a baby's eyes are caused by thin skin making blood vessels more visible, and should not be cause for alarm.

When Should I Be Concerned?

Rashes under the eyes are a very common issue in babies as they have such sensitive skin, so it's difficult to know when to get worried.

Most of the time red under eyes in children is nothing to worry about, but if your child has a high fever, is feeling very ill or drowsy, struggles with his vision, or if a rash is very close to their eyes and doesn't subside after a few days, you should consult a medical professional.

Red under the eye may be a result of eye infections called cellulitis, which when occurring around the eyes are called periorbital cellulitis. This condition can lead to orbital cellulitis if the infection spreads to the fat and muscle around the eyes, which in turn can cause permanent loss of vision.

To treat cellulitis, a doctor will prescribe antibiotics, sometimes to be administered intravenously.

In some serious cases, treating orbital cellulitis requires surgery. If you suspect your child might be suffering from an infection such as cellulitis, seek out treatment from a medical professional early on.

Sometimes, blocked tear ducts evolve into conjunctivitis, which is an infection of the outer part of the eye. This can be treated with prescription eye drops and generally passes within a few days.

In rare cases, a rash around eyes and on the bridge of the nose in babies can be a sign of lupus, a serious autoimmune disease for which you should seek treatment from a doctor immediately.

If you have any concerns about these conditions and your baby has been exhibiting redness under the eyes for several days or severe discomfort and lack of sleep, seek medical advice from a professional.

What Can I Do About It?

There are some things you can do to try to identify the cause of the redness under the eye and alleviate your child's discomfort.

Testing For An Allergy: This can be recommended even for small babies to determine which substances they might be sensitive to.

Changing Formula Or Diet: If you suspect your child is allergic to an ingredient in their diet, you should switch them out to see if the redness subsides. This could involve switching cow's milk to a non-dairy alternative, for example.

Buying An Air Filter: You could place an air filter in your child's room to purify it. Alternatively, make sure the room is properly aired out and dusted regularly.

Substitute Shampoos And Products: If you suspect your child might be allergic to a household or hygiene product used, substitute them to test whether the redness subsides.

Exercise Good Hygiene: Frequently wash your hands, especially when you are playing with your baby or cooking for it. This avoids contact with bacteria and potential infection.

Dressing Habits: Never dress your baby without having washed its skin first. Additionally, use non-synthetic clothes made out of cotton and wash them with sensitive detergent, using very little product and rinsing well with clean water.

Treating Blocked Tear Ducts: If it is the case that your baby has blocked tear ducts, clean away their excess tears using gauze and sterilized water (water that has been boiled and then cooled to kill bacteria to avoid infection).

This issue generally passes naturally in a few weeks, but if it persists or your child is in a lot of pain, seek help from a doctor or a health professional.

If you found this article helpful about redness under the eye of babies, then why not take a look at what to do if your [baby is fussy while nursing] or if your [baby hates tummy time] too?