Is the Rash Around Your Child’s Mouth From a Food Allergy?

A rash around a child’s mouth is not usually not due to food allergies. It is usually due to skin irritation, viruses, or bacterial infections.

However, the rash around your child’s mouth might be due to a food allergy. Common foods that cause allergic reactions around the mouth include eggs, peanuts, milk, shellfish, and certain fruits. You may notice swelling, reddish skin, and hives. Your child may also feel itchy. They may experience more severe symptoms that would need immediate medical care.

Knowing when a food allergy causes your child’s mouth rash can help you get the care your child needs.

Food allergies around the mouth can develop immediately after your child eats a food they’re allergic to. However, symptoms can sometimes take up to two hours to develop.

Symptoms may include:

• Itchy, reddish areas that may be raised
• Swelling and tingling in, on, or around their mouth
• Hives (raised, itchy welts) near the mouth

Your child may also experience food allergy symptoms in other parts of their body, including:

• Stomachaches
• Stomach issues, like nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea
• Hives all over the body
• Hoarse voice
• Wheezing
• Swelling of other areas of the face, including your eyelids and tongue
• Itchy throat and mouth, as well as other areas of the face and skin
• Feeling faint
• Runny or stuffy nose
• Anaphylaxis, a severe allergic reaction that can cause trouble swallowing and breathing

Any food can cause an allergic reaction that causes a mouth rash. However, certain foods are more likely to cause allergic reactions in children. These include:

• Dairy milk
• Eggs
• Peanuts
• Wheat
• Soy
• Tree nuts (pecans, cashews, pistachios, walnuts)
• Fish
• Shellfish
• Sesame

In rare cases, certain preservatives, dyes, and thickeners can cause this allergic reaction.

Some children may also experience an oral allergy, meaning they’ll only have allergy symptoms inside their mouth, including a rash, swelling, and itching. Fruits like apples, pineapples, melons, and certain vegetables typically cause oral allergies. Some people may have more severe symptoms, including anaphylaxis.

You can’t know if your child’s mouth rash is caused by a food allergy or something else unless a healthcare provider evaluates your child. One sign that the rash is from a food allergy is that symptoms appear within two hours of your child eating a certain food. Your child may also have other symptoms, including itching and hives, nausea, vomiting, or diarrhea. They won’t have a fever.

If you suspect your child has a food allergy rash, seek medical care rather than trying to diagnose it yourself. Consider contacting a pediatrician (a doctor specializing in infant, children, and adolescent health) or an allergist (a doctor specializing in diagnosing and treating allergies).

A healthcare provider can examine the rash, understand how and when it developed, and potentially perform diagnostic tests to determine the cause. Taking a picture of the rash can be helpful in case it changes before you see your provider.

Other Causes

Rashes in children—including around the mouth—are common. They are more likely to be caused by something other than a food allergy. Here are some other potential causes of a rash around the mouth:

Acidic Foods

Acidic food is a common cause of rashes around the mouth in children, especially in very young children, such as babies and toddlers.

Acidic foods include citrus fruits like oranges and lemons, berries, and tomatoes. The acid content of these foods irritates your child’s skin, causing redness that can look like a rash.

Viruses and Bacterial Infections

Certain viral or bacterial infections may cause multiple symptoms around the mouth, including a rash. These infections include:

• Hand, foot, and mouth disease, which also has symptoms like fever and congestion
• Impetigo, which involves reddish, blister-like sores
• Roseola, which starts with a high fever and can cause a rash around the mouth and all over the body
• Fifth disease, which causes bright red cheeks and flu-like symptoms
• Scarlet fever, which is a rash all over the body that develops after a strep throat infection

Skin Conditions

Many common skin conditions can cause rashes around the mouth in children. Eczema, which looks like red, patchy, scaly areas of skin, and contact dermatitis are among the most common. Contact dermatitis is a rash caused by touching an irritating substance, like certain soaps, skin-care products, or medications.

Environmental Causes

Environmental causes of skin rashes around your mouth may include:

Contact a healthcare provider whenever your child develops a new rash. It’s important for them to examine your child and diagnose the cause. They can tell you whether treatment is necessary.

Seek immediate emergency medical care if your child shows signs of a severe allergic reaction. Severe symptoms may include:

Most food allergy treatments involve strictly avoiding foods that cause an allergic reaction. This can include trying dietary substitutions. For example, if your child is allergic to dairy, you may try offering them soy or other non-dairy milk alternatives.

Other food allergy treatments include:

• Desensitization: Introduce your child to very small amounts of the food they’re allergic to to encourage greater tolerance. This should only be done under the strict care of an allergist.
• Antihistamines: These medications, such as Benadryl (diphenhydramine), can relieve mild food allergies. Do not use antihistamines for severe food allergies that require using an EpiPen, as this can delay necessary treatment and be life-threatening.
• Epipens: If your child has a severe food allergy, you’ll need to learn to use an Epipen injectable epinephrine (an EpiPen) and carry it around at all times. This can help relieve some symptoms if your child accidentally comes in contact with an allergen. Unless your allergist advises otherwise, seek immediate medical care after using an EpiPen for additional treatment.

It’s not always possible to prevent food allergies, and they’re rarely curable. Some children eventually outgrow their food allergies. Some less severe food allergies, such as ones that only involve a rash around the mouth, may not need treatment.

The best way to prevent an allergic reaction to the food your child is allergic to is to strictly avoid it. Tips for avoiding foods your child is allergic to:

• Read food labels carefully, and avoid foods without food labels
• Avoid foods that say they “may contain” the allergen or that mention possible risks
• Read labels for non-food items as well, as they sometimes contain food products your child could be allergic to
• Speak to restaurant staff and clearly explain your child’s allergies
• Plan ahead with alternative foods and snacks if you aren’t sure your child can completely avoid foods they’re allergic to while traveling
• Educate your child about their allergy and how to avoid consuming foods they are allergic to

It’s common for children to get rashes around their mouths. In some cases, these rashes come from food allergies. However, they’re more likely to come from infections, skin irritation, skin conditions, and acidic foods.

Regardless of the cause, you should take any new rash your child has seriously and reach out to their pediatrician for an appointment. If your child experiences a mouth rash and other severe allergy symptoms, seek emergency medical care.