I'm shocked that a school system is allowed to use spray sunscreen on children. Bad stuff, especially for kids and horrendous for those with breathing difficulties of any kind.

Hazards of spray sunscreen

My son has had a similar "rash". It was hives. We gave him Benedryl until after all symptoms were gone. It took quite a while.

Years ago, when my children were in school, the permission slips for class trips had a box you could check that gave permission for the teachers to use sunscreen or insect repellent on your child. You also had the option to provide your own brand if your child was sensitive to Brand XXX or to choose no product be put on your child at all. They were very concerned about any potential reactions or lawsuits.

The sun screen was probably the reason he needed his inhaler. I have asthma and would find it very difficult to have to walk somewhere if i were in need of my inhaler. And hurry? No.

Rhizo. Thats right which is why I stated...aerosol . And less than a half hour later Chip needed his rescue. Now he would most likely have needed it anyway considering he was walking a good distance and much of the zoo is on an upward slant. Besides the fact its bad around people it also can't be good for the animals. I say shame on the teacher for using the aerosol. It may even be posted on the **don't** list at the zoo. I'll have to look when we get there. And yes we will go eventually. Its only an hour away and the cheapest place to take kids around here. For instance a Grandparents pass costs 115$ that allows both grandparents and as many grandkids 18 years and under in for an entire year. Its a great price. And your allowed to take your own food and beverages. I am hoping I find the sunscreen did cause the reaction otherwise I have a problem in if its safe to take Chip to the zoo.

Moonie this is why I'm going into the school Tuesday in my boots. I have never raised my voice, made threats, or used profanity with any one from the school and I won't this time either but I will voice my displeasure and will insist on a new plan to be put in place concerning Chip and asthma. And I will insist it be followed.

Even your doctor is not 100% sure what caused this problem. But I would specially state to the school that he is not to be sprayed with anything. He is old enough to speak up and remind the teacher while she is creating this toxic cloud.

This is a pic of a sun allergy rash. https://www.google.ca/search?q=sun+allergy+rash&rlz=1C1CHBF_enCA773CA773&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwi-n4TDqKbbAhWj7IMKHaMpBcsQ_AUICigB&biw=1536&bih=759#imgrc=3UXHtbZ4swoegM:

At the school I used to teach at, the kids brought in their own sunscreen for this reason. I'm surprised they only sprayed the arms. The face and back of the neck area are very prone to burning.

I dislike aerosol sunscreens. It can't be good to breathe that stuff in. I imagine it coats the lungs. When the kids brought the spray, I would spray some on my hands and then apply it to minimize the inhalation.

My skin looks like that after sun exposure sometimes, even with sunscreen. I have very fair, delicate skin. Redness and tiny little blisters. It goes away fairly quickly.

Looks like prickly heat to me. I get it with or without sunscreen. Very itchy, with tiny raised red bumps. I also have eczema and it's definitely not that.

"ER said its a strange rash in how it stops at his short line and sleeve line. "

You took the kid to an emergency room for a rash?

Emergency docs aren't trained nor experienced in dealing with such things. If this continues, please take the kid to a pediatrician or dermatologist.

Did you think I could find a dermatologist on a weekend that just so happened to have a cancellation and could see the child. And yes I did take him to the ER/URGI CARE unit for a rash. I'm the child's acting parent and I make the decisions I believe is in his best interest.

Just the fact that it stops at his clothing lines, tells me it was a contact allergic reaction to something that got on his skin but the clothing kept it off of the skin. As someone else said, could even have been from the sun. Strongly suspect that spray on sun screen though, that stuff is full of chemicals.

I agree Arkansas ...I am going to test the brand the teacher used once I find out what it is and after I talk to his Ped.

Something similar happened to my son many years ago when he was about 12-13 (he's now 48!). It happened on a weekend so, yes, Elmer, we DID go to the ER at UCLA. He was far too miserable to wait until calling on Mon and bring told they could see him in a week or two.

At the same time, he was having some serious orthopedic problems, and the doctor on call thought that this might be a form of Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis - very scary thought. MANY tests done, hours waiting. Not JRA. Another young resident came in and sat down with my son and asked him to go through his entire school day (this appeared during the night on Friday night/Sat am). She wanted DETAILS! After about 5 minutes, the problem was solved. DS went to a school that was on a hillside and the hillside was covered with poison oak. DS had previously had very violent allergic reactions to poison ivy, as had his father and his sister. Oak and ivy are the same allergen. Now DS knew to NEVER go off the sidewalks into the poison oak at his school. What he didn't know was not to play with the Golden Retriever who had the run of the school grounds! He did, rubbing his arms, legs also being touched, and got poison oak from the oils on the dog's coat. A shot of prednisone, and some oral pred and he was on his way to being okay.

It's hard to tell from the photo, but could it possibly be PI? I assume that there might well be a petting zoo and that the animals might have gotten into PI that was growing nearby. It's certainly worth looking into.

I'm pretty sure it's not eczema. I had it throughout my entire childhood and it looked nothing like this.

A rash isn't an emergency. If you have a different view, we can disagree.

Patients with non-life threatening conditions clog ERs. That's why those with real problems aren't treated as quickly as they should be. I think more than an effort is made to treat the urgencies with urgency, I'm not questioning that. But the few times I or a family member has had an ER experience, there were too many people there who really needed just an office appointment and not even urgent care.

Maybe mdln can speak to this, I believe she's an ER doc in a large city.

ER/URGI CARE that's where we went. The two are combined in a local hospital here. but I would have gone even if it was only an ER. I'm not allowing my kid to itch like crazy and its a long weekend. I spoke with the nurse on call at his Peds office first and than I followed her advice. I am sure we didn't hold up any emergency like heart patients ect as a ER is not set up first come first serve.

I did the right thing for this child under the circumstances.

You really dislike it when someone has an opinion that differs from yours.

Excuse ME!!! I do!!! And you get that from what...from me explaining why I took a child to a ER/URGI CARE . Thats showing I dislike opinions...ROFLMBO

Mama, you did the right thing. The ER is not just for Level 1 trauma. He would have been miserable until you could call Tues and no guarantee he'd be seen that day. Intense itching is horrible.

Anglo Thank You. I do feel I did the right thing not to mention I followed the advice of Chips Pediatric nurse. I wasn't about to let this child suffer for 4 days nor would any lovong and caring person do so.

As for Elmer suggesting Mdln speaking on this I'm fairly certain no doctor would tell a parent not to go to an ER if their child was suffering and the doctors offices were closed and most certainly no doctor would advise anyone ignore advice from the Peds nurse.

And the other comment...that did not surprise me one bit. I'm still ROFLMBO

Just for the record.....I am not saying what you did was wrong. Enjoy your ROFLMBO.

Did you try Benadryl first and it didn't work? It sounds like that's what's working best to stop the itching. Is it prescription strength?

Yes, this child needed to go to urgent care/ER because asthmatics have a higher risk of anaphylaxis combined with children often can't communicate their symptoms as clearly. Mama you might want to suggest that he has access to an epi-pen at all times also.

In my years of working at a hospital with an ER there were often patients that could have waited but it's a different situation when it comes to a child.

Chi the doctor gave him an oral steroid and benadryl 25mg while still in the hospital along with a script for both. The stetoid is once daily the benadryl every 6 hours. Between these and the frequent tepid oatmeal baths he's been staying comfortable. The itch has calmed down a lot. I have the AC cranked so the house is nice and cool. I notice about an hour before he can take benadryl he starts getting uncomfortable so that's when he goes in the tub. Course I'm close by even though he's a big boy now as he is still is a B-O-Y LOL. I found him sled riding in the tub earlier. Sitting at the top back and sliding down. yes he got a lecture.

I really appreciate all of you good folks chiming in with your advise and suggestions. I decided to postpone our cookout and sports we would have done tomorrow until next weekend. Its very hot 90+ deg here and very humid besides doctor advised keep him indoors as the more warm he gets the more he will itch. Last night I ask the boys what they would love for dinner today and Chip ask for stuffed cabbage...Tim agreed so I made 60..they are baking still. I'll of course freeze for other meals. This had nothing to do with the subject except I felt bad about the weekend plans and wanted to please the boys.

Elmer, I use to feel the same way until some friends convinced me to go to urgent care (my doctor didn't have hours on Fridays.) The doctor said it was a good thing I listened to them because I had cellulitis. The sooner treated the better. Also, if it is because of an allergic reaction, he could go into anaphylactic shock. I wouldn't want to wait until the throat starts closing up to react. So sometimes the simplest thing can be very serious. Better safe than sorry.

Raye Thank You. ...I was actually thinking about how an allergic reaction like what Chip may be experiencing could be worse next time. He will see his Ped on Tuesday after school, of course if he still has a rash I can't send him to school without a letter from his Ped. Right now there's no improvement on the rash itself.

Thank You all!

I get a similar contact dermatitis from any chemical sunscreen, including those designed as hypoallergenic for babies. Only mineral/physical sunscreens won't cause a reaction. The sunscreen would be my first thought based on years of personal experience and misery with sunscreen.

Maybe there are a couple of things going on. He may have both an allergic reaction to the sunscreen (the red watery eyes), and heat rash.

I have no medical experience, but I did have a bad experience with Eucerin lotion a couple of years ago. I had to buy some lotion while on vacation & couldn’t find a small tube of my usual brand, so I bought a tube of unscented Eucerin. We were hiking a good bit and one night I noticed a rash on the inside of my legs. I always apply lotion on my legs and arms after a shower. After a couple of days I sent a photo to my DD who is a nurse practitioner in the ER. She immediately knew it was heat rash (can be called prickly heat in more advanced, itchy stages). I immediately stopped using the lotion. I think it was a combination of the lotion, sweat, and perhaps friction with the hiking pants, but I’ve never had a problem since.

edited to add, yes, ER docs and CRNPs are definitely trained to diagnose and treat such.

This morning Chip said the itch has calmed down...not as itchy. Rash isn't as red.. it now looks the color of his flesh but is still there. I will speak to the teacher tomorrow and find out the brand of sunscreen. I'll talk to the ped about doing a test with the sunscreen to see if that's what's caused this. He may tell me not to do it in which case I won't. I do think it would be helpful to pinpoint what caused the reaction if possiable. But this is probably where Chip could benefit seeing an Allergist. What would you say to the teacher about using aerosol around asthmatics or should I reserve my comments to a higher up at the school?

I would speak to the Principal, making an appointment if necessary.

Thanks Elizabeth. That was my first thought but the school strongly encourages parents to go to the teacher first with teacher/student issues. I just didn't want the teacher to feel like I'm blaming her for this possiable allergic reaction as its not really her fault if Chip is allergic to the sunscreen. I did already email her a few days ago so she is already aware of the situation. I just didn't mention about aerosol which I definitely need to go to the Principal about so he can put a stop to future use of that. Thanks Elizabeth.

I make it a point to meet with school personnel - nurses/teachers at the start of the school year re my son's asthma / allergies. Mp, I think at 9 your son is old enough to speak up for himself (you can't always be with him) when a teacher pulls out an aerosol or any product that is unsafe for his condition.

I just talked with him again he said the teacher and nurse had all the
kids line up next to each other with their arms held out while they
walked down the line spraying everyone's arms.

I have another BEEF to hash out with the school on Tuesday...Chips my
asthmatic. ..he needed his puffer at the zoo so the nurse WALKED him to
the first aid office where she left the puffer. Ya made a asthmatic
walk while fighting to breath.

Totally unacceptable and life threatening. This never should have happened in the first place.

Bobbi, at 9 he sure can speak for himself but he's never been exposed to aerosol cans so hadn't a clue. He knows now.

Not sure how to deal with the walk to the puffer. ..this isn't the first time he's had to walk to get to his resuue inhaler. I addressed this more than once in the past two years. Sigh. This is a seperate issue than the rash or aerosol and I will solve it once and for all.

IMO they really shouldn't be using the same sunscreen on everyone. The students should bring their own and only those who forget should get the default spray, and that warning should be given to parents on the permission slips. Too many allergies out there.

FYI

Do they still use printed/signed permission slips in school? ( It has been a long time since I had a school age child LOL ) If so, I would write on the bottom that it is NOT permissible to apply any sunscreen or insect repellent on my child due to severe allergies and he must be able to step away from any over-spay if these products are being applied to others. He must also have immediate access to his inhaler. Be sure to sign or initial that paragraph at the bottom also and print the word COPY very clearly on the top of the document so they know you have kept a copy of this statement. They will know the are on notice.

I would also have a letter on file with the school stating the same.

We have a letter on file stating Chips rescue inhaler must be kept at all times within a few steps of where he's at including the bus at all times while in the custody of the school. . This letter was drafted up and signed by his Pulmonary doctor at Children's hospital. Another letter written by his Ped was also given to the school. This was prompted do to Chip having to walk from his class to the other side of the school to the nurses office when he needed his inhaler. The school will not allow his inhaler to remain in the classroom saying the teacher is not a nurse and can not be responsible for administering medications. No one expects the teacher to administer the inhaler. Chip is quite educated in doing this himself. By the time school begins in the fall I will win this argument.

Bobbi I will read your link soon as I get another moment. Thank You.

IMHO, any school trip that has children with an EPI or Rescue Inhaler should have a nurse on the trip. They can carry the meds & administer immediately. A substitute nurse can be brought in to cover the school or trip.

Elizabeth yes all school trips must have a parental signed permission slip. Good idea.

I'm thinking of chaperoning field trips. Tim had a trip to Pittsburgh last week...letter was sent home explaining about packing a lunch and everything in lunch had to be disposable including the bag it was in...fine. we were told only to send in a lunch nothing else, no phones, cameras, water bottles ect. ...ok fine. Were told its an extended trip...bus pulled out at 9.15am and returned to school at 7.45pm.....IN all that time the kids had one drink..whatever parents packed in the lunch. So these kids spent 11 hours in 88deg temps with one small drink. Never again. If I'm not there my kid won't be going. I will not deny the kids the school field trips but I will be there from now on.

By the way the schools excuse about the kids not being offered water....someone threw up in the water fountain. But I know for a fact this museum has Gatorade and water in different locations....there's no fountain its little paper cups with trash cans next to the machines. Tim said they were roped off. I called the museum and was told the drinks are never in service for school field trips. But there was bottled water offered for a fee. someone should have bought the kids water and more than once. I wonder if any other parents were angry about this. Too bad the PTO meetings are over for the year.

I believe most schools don't have full time nurses these days. At best, districts may have a few nurses who cover a number of schools on a rotating basis. And for ones that do have a permanent nurse, I'm not sure it makes sense to send that nurse on a trip with one class and leave no one at the school for the rest of the kids. Maybe on a trip, the teacher needs to be responsible and carry whatever medicines the school has in its possession for those particular kids? Though, it's not like the teacher doesn't have enough to do. Medical needs of particular kids, which are very important, are just one of a number of intractable problems schools have to deal with. I'm sympathetic, many are no-win situations.

My elementary school has a full time nurse along with a aid. Theres always a nurse at the elementary school. The nurse does go on the field trips. There was grades k thru 2'nd on the zoo trip. There has to be a nurse along to administer meds.. some kids need injections that a teacher can't do.

I just filled out a district form for a field trip for DD, and in our district, there is a section on the permission slip that details any medicines/medical/ or special needs. If Chip's district/school doesn't have that, maybe they need to update those forms? Enough kids have issues that need to be monitored these days, that it doesn't make sense to send them on a field trip without that information and supplies being handled responsibly by adults.

That's unacceptable about the water situation :(

If the nurse goes on the field trips, why doesn't s/he carry the children's (Chip's) medications?

Olychick. You would think carrying the inhalers wouldn't be too strenuous a task

I have a meeting at the school next week about Chips rescue inhaler. Good.....gives me time to have the doctors draft letters which I must have. When I'm done Chip will have access to his rescue within a arms length away...his pocket hopefully.

Sunscreen was Coppertone Baby Aerosol. AND the teacher was not allowed to put sunscreen on any child. There were 5 kids in this group as they are split up in smaller groups. 3 children were treated for itchy rash the following day with Chip being one of them. At first when the school told me this I thought than surely it was caused from something else but none of the children from the other groups got a rash as far as the school knows.

I spoke with the ped doctor today. He returned my call within a hour. We spoke about doing a test with the sunscreen...he said i can't tell you to do it but if it was my kid I would want to know if the sunscreen caused it and I'd put a small pea sized amount between the shoulder blades where the child won't scratch it open. He said if I decide to do this wait until school is over and do it on a Monday so he will be in the office.

So the teacher wasn't even permitted to put sunscreen on the kids. But I know the teacher was only trying to be helpful . Bet she won't do it again.

So what do you all think considering 3 out of 5 kids got a rash?

Sunscreen is a common allergen and more probably "fragrance" is the culprit. If either of those items gets on my skin I have a reaction also.

Children tend to be more sensitive. I used to volunteer with preschool at church and one teacher put a fragrance dispenser in their room. If it was removed and the room aired out no problems. If it was left in the room at least a quarter of the children would vomit and several had asthma attacks within the first hour of using that room.

Jeez! I am so tired of people wanting to argue on forums. How can a kid with a rash cause people to start making nasty remarks??? MYOB. Never once did she ask anyone;s opinion about the ER/urgent care. There's a couple of you that just sit on your computer and look for a way to argue. Get a life! I am thinking maybe if we all ignore those couple of people's comments, then they get no reward for wanting to argue and insult.

Sunscreens have an expiration date on them. After that time, they may be ineffective, the chemicals may have altered or the fragrance may fall apart. The contents may have been contaminated or the spray tip dirty.

If Chip does not have a 504 for his asthma already, consider discussing one with the school. Children who suffer from allergies especially food allergies have one in my school district if parents request it. Directives and procedures like location of the inhaler can be spelled out in a 504 plan. As a teacher, I have planned and chaperoned many field trips. A teacher is designated to be in charge of the meds. The kids who require the meds are mixed in her group.

Happy what would happen if a child needed an insulin injection in your group. Would you have been the responsible person to give it?