Son is allergic to underwear!!

[Anonymous]

Anyone else deal with this??? He was sensitive to all diapers except Seventh Generation (bad diaper rash, redness and swelling of the foreskin). We couldn't wait to have him potty trained because we thought out days of steroid creams were over...not so much...

Fast forward to 3 weeks ago when he decided he was ready to ditch the diapers (finally at 3y3m). Come to find a giant hive in the shape of Lightning McQueen on his ass the night I took off the first pair of underwear! It was funny for about a minute until I realized it was likely a hive and he was not going to be able to wear the cute, fun character undies he was so excited about. Luckily he didn't balk when I told him he was going to wear undies like his dad and we switched to plain, whit cotton boxer-briefs. While the redness has certainly improved, he is till itchy, particularly at the waistband.

If you have a son who is sensitive to underwear, what do you do? My husband happens to be an allergist and has never seen this before, other than the waist-band sensitivity, but it has always been his adult patients. He has yet to see a sensitivity in pediatric patients. I figured I would post here to see if any moms and dads ave dealt with this.

Thanks for any advice or recs. on underwear we can try.

[Anonymous]

Is it possibly a latex allergy? Waistbands probably have latex. And maybe the printed characters on them also have some latex in them.

[Anonymous]

My son who isn't really allergic to anything also broke out a little bit when he wore the cheap cartoon underwear from Target/Walmart. Plus he HATED the tags. He now wears underwear from Osh Kosh or Carter's (they have stamps in them instead of tags). I've also heard underwear from Hanna Anderson is great. I just stock up twice a year when I go to the outlets and I buy the next size up too. We've also tried Gymboree underwear but I think it runs small and while the designs are really cute (planets, pirates, etc), I think they must shrink.

[Anonymous]

It could be the laundry detergent.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It could be the laundry detergent.

I was thinking that too, but an allergist would catch that immediately, I'm sure. My only other thought was putting the underwear through the rinse cycle twice.

[Anonymous]

What about those iron-on kits where you can make your own designs to put on clothing, with your printer?

[Anonymous]

I recommend trying different underwear. My kids were not comfortable in the cheap character underwear from Target -- didn't like the tags, sizes run small, etc. I now by their underwear from Gymboree -- no tags (just has the size stamped in the back), softer cotton, etc. My one son also could only wear 7th Generation diapers (he used to have eczema on his bottom all winter long) but made the transition to Gymboree okay.

[Anonymous]

Organic undies with no chemicals? Maybe wash in water, no soap? Or ask the doctor?

[Anonymous]

If your husband is an allergist, this should not be an issue. As a Mom, you can probably figure this one out.

[Anonymous]

Hannah Andersson white cotton boxer briefs - in organic cotton. My son has worn nothing else since he potty trained 6 years ago. They are awesome and do also have some with prints (cars, dinosaurs, bugs) and colors, too.

[Anonymous]

Everything we buy from Target has a distinct smell. I wash it over and over before letting anyone wear it because we have asthma issues. Maybe your DS has an allergy to whatever chemical that is, and you can try washing the underwear several times. (I'm guessing they were new.)

[Anonymous]

use only !00% cotton.
the allergy can be from the artificial components of the fabric in addition the paint used to decorate the underwear.

I have such allergies IT SUCKS but there's nothing I can do.
all pale plain cotton underwear.

wash? use only baby/mild detergent and rinse twice in hot water. DON'T USE FABRIC SOFTENER.
have you heard of DRYING BALLS? they're balls you throw in the dryer to soften the fabric. you don't need chemicals. they're wonderful!

if his skin is this sensitive, any trace of chemicals can cause rashes/allergies.

[Anonymous]

Eliminate the dryer sheets too

[Anonymous]

It seems odd to me, because underwear should not really be different from any of the other clothing your child wears. For that matter, the detergent, etc. should all be the same. So what is unique about the underwear?

[Anonymous]

OP - what makes you assume that your son is allergic to underwear (especially since Dad is an allergist)?

Could the hive/rash be from like a yeast infection, eczema, just really dry skin, bathtub cleaner residue, etc.?

As for the waistband - is it too tight? I think we all know how uncomfortable a tight waistband/spandex can be on our belly and hips so maybe that is simply the issue.