As a parent it’s easy to worry about any marks on your child’s body that you are not familiar with. Rashes, spots and bite marks are common in children, but it’s difficult to know at what point you might need medical help.
Fortunately, according to one health professional, a two-second pen trick could help determine whether your child or your rash needs further medical advice.
Paediatric nurse Sarah Hunstead, creator of child and first aid education group CPR Kids posted a video on Instagram to help parents to know whether a rash is spreading.
The video advises that parents should grab a pen and outline the mark on the body by drawing a circle around it.
She captioned it: “Remember; ‘Outline with pen, then check it again!’
“Grab a pen, circle around the outside, and check it again later. This is an easy way of being able to tell whether something is spreading or not.”
By drawing a circle you can keep an eye on the mark and monitor whether it is spreading across the body.
Though most rashes are harmless, the NHS advises that you check with a medical professional depending on the symptoms.
Symptoms that require medical attention are:
- A stiff neck.
- If your child is bothered by light.
- If your child seems confused.
- High temperature.
- Difficulty breathing.
- Breathlessness, or breathing very fast.
You should also monitor if the rash looks like small bruises or is bleeding under the skin and does not fade when you press a glass against it.
Alongside this, it’s important to keep an eye out for the colour of their skin, lips or tongue and whether they look pale, blue, grey or blotchy.
The NHS also says: “On brown and black skin, it may be easier to see the rash or colour changes on the soles of the feet, palms, lips, tongue and inside the eyelids.”