After we got home from the doctor’s last night, we got a call from the pediatrician.  She had consulted with another doctor in her practice about H’s facial swelling and they concluded that the swelling and redness is more likely due to windburn/injury from the cold than from an allergy.  I am relieved about this, but I also feel terrible.  Did I take H out in 6 degree weather last Friday to mail a job application?  Yes.  Did I know that we were going to be hit by a massive snowstorm while we were out?  No.  Was I prepared for the high winds and onslaught of snow? Nope.  Did I have the cover for the stroller to protect H’s face?  Nope.  

Three things happened to H in quick succession, making it difficult to disambiguate the cause(s) of the facial swelling and the diaper rash.  1)  He started eating apples for the first time, 2) We started using cloth diapers at night, to save money, 3) He was exposed to cold wind.  It’s easy to see why we attributed the facial problem to the apples, especially when considering that the facial problem didn’t crop up until 2 days after the wind and cold exposure.  The doctor now thinks that the diaper rash is a yeast problem, so we picked up some antifungal cream last night to see if that will take care of things.  I am also going to discontinue using cloth wipes, as the wipes solution I made seems to be irritating H as well.  It has tea tree oil in it to keep mold from growing on the wipes, which can be irritating to sensitive baby skin.  At this point, I’m just ready to bite the bullet and pay for the damn disposable wipes (chlorine-free and biodegradable of course), just so I can be done with this harrowing mess.

I’ve been applying aloe to H’s cheeks which seems to be providing some relief.  They don’t look any worse than yesterday, but they certainly don’t look better either.  I’m going to keep him away from apples in the interim, just in case.  Doctor says we can try them again in another month if we want.  I was hoping to take H out sledding for Christmas; instead, I plan on keeping him inside so his skin can heal.  I am disappointed, mostly in myself, for allowing this to happen to him.  Yet I am relieved that he is likely not experiencing a reaction to his food.  Apple allergies are rare, but do occur from time to time.  From my cursory reading, it appears they are more common with raw apples than with cooked because the reaction is typically triggered by pollen on the skin of the apple.  Cooking degrades the allergens, thus making a reaction to cooked apples much less likely.  

Our fingers are crossed that our little guy makes a speedy recovery…..nothing compares to the guilt one feels when their little one is hurt (especially when it was completely preventable).