Is this a cold sore on my baby??

[MyM&W]

I noticed it yesterday and thought he just scratched himself or something. But towards the end of the day I saw some clear liquid come out of it. So I started putting some tto on it, which kills cold sore virus. I suffer from cold sores every now and again, and I've always tried to be so careful not to kiss my babies or share food/drinks with them. But he's 3 and will just drink out of whoever has a cup of water laying around. Who knows when he contracted the virus. But this sucks and the guilt is really bothering me. I'm almost positive that its a cold sore, but figured I'd double check.
I keep asking if it hurts and he says no, but he has been talking about it randomly. So I'm assuming it itches or something. I don't remember getting cold sore until my teen years. He's three. if this is indeed a cold sore he's stuck with this virus for life.

Eta its under his nose. Which is a common place to get then I guess.
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[mommyinthesun]

Idk, looks like it could be impetigo too. I'm on my phone though, and the pic is small for me. I'd get it looked at.

[MyM&W]

Yea I was just telling dh I wanted to have it looked at tomorrow.

[RunawayBunny]

The picture is really pixelated on my phone so I cant tell, but I wanted to say that I feel for you. I contracted the virus when I was very young (before my earliest memory). I tried so hard to keep it from my son, but I had a blister at the start of my current pregnancy and a week later he got his first. I felt awful. Very guilty. Its such an easily spread virus.

If you do take him in ask about giving him lysine crushed in some honey. Its what DS's ped recommended but I cant remember the dosage. His blister never opened and went away fast so I am a believer!

[NotLad]

Hm.... Cold sores have more of a central point of eruption and that does look more like an infected scratch.

[escapethevillage]

No. I think it's just impetigo. Just clean it really well, and put some neosporin on it for a few days.

[mmbreb]

I don't actually get cold sores but I tested positive for the virus. A lot of people who don't even get them are carriers. Don't worry about it has been my philosophy. There is no way over the entirety of my child's life they will not drink from me, eat from me or be kissed by me. I just do all of these things freely and realize its just not something to worry about. Actually my doc told me I most likely got it as a infant/ young child and now my body has fought it off to the point that I don't have the symptoms. I hope that if my son gets it he is like me and doesn't have any issues with it.

[gigismomma]

Originally Posted by mmbreb I don't actually get cold sores but I tested positive for the virus. A lot of people who don't even get them are carriers. Don't worry about it has been my philosophy. There is no way over the entirety of my child's life they will not drink from me, eat from me or be kissed by me. I just do all of these things freely and realize its just not something to worry about. Actually my doc told me I most likely got it as a infant/ young child and now my body has fought it off to the point that I don't have the symptoms. I hope that if my son gets it he is like me and doesn't have any issues with it.

I agree with this........odds are that he will contract the virus at some point, if he hasn't already, but he may never actually get a cold sore.
I get cold sores from time to time, my husband has never gotten one (and we have definitely kissed while I have had an active cold sore -- we didn't know what it was at first ).

Anyway, I am relatively careful not to share utensils with my kids, but if it happens, I am not going to let it upset me. Same with kissing.......we usually kiss on cheeks/foreheads, but once in a while I plant a kiss on their lips. I am not going to have my fears of giving them a cold sore rob me of that experience. I figure that their first kiss (could happen as early as grade school) could erase all of my hard work avoiding it, and really it is just a matter of time before they are exposed to it, anyway. So I am not going to miss out on my opportunity to give them kisses, and certainly won't feel guilty if I am the one to give them the virus. Don't beat yourself up, mama. Even if it IS a cold sore, he may never suffer from one again! My sister got one at age 12 and never got another one. I probably carried the virus from when I was a baby/child (my entire family has gotten cold sores), but I didn't get my first cold sore until I was stressed out in my late 20s. Be gentle with yourself, and try to keep things in perspective

To answer your question, the pic definitely could be a cold sore, but it also looks a lot like impetigo.

[EmilyMae12]

Originally Posted by escapethevillage No. I think it's just impetigo. Just clean it really well, and put some neosporin on it for a few days.

This.

We had a similar "scare" last week and happened to have a doc appt anyway. It cleared up quickly and now she just has a little pink mark on her chin that fades more every day.

[MyM&W]

It was impetigo. :-( he's on bactroban now.