Second opinion confusion

So Cary's red, itchy rash flared up again Wednesday night. My poor sweetie was scratching like a madman, and I felt so sorry for him, I ran out pretty much in my pajamas to buy cortisone and Benadryl. I also ended up scratching my own head, because we have been nowhere near shrimp, thank you very much. So where is this rash coming from?

So first thing yesterday, I called our pediatrician and took Cary in. Our first visit had been to the Pediatric After Hours doc at the hospital where the boys were born.  That's who told us the rash was most likely related to the shrimp in the Chinese we'd had the night before. But our pediatrician, Dr. Bodnar, took a close look at Cary's chest, asked a few questions, and said it was almost certainly NOT a reaction to shrimp or any other food, but instead a reaction to something topical.

Grrrr! Two different doctors. Two very different opinions. One itchy little boy. One confused Mommy.

Why can't anything about having babies/toddlers/kids be simple?

I suppose with all the diaper rash, Cary has shown himself to have sensitive skin, so I wouldn't be surprised if Dr. Bodnar was spot on with his assesment. Dr. Bodnar said the most likely culprits are bubble baths, detergents and laundry-related items, lotions and sunscreens. He recommended we stop using bubble bath altogether (poor kids!) and stop using the laundry detergent we use, because of the stain-fighting agent (poor Mom!)...

On the way home, I actually remembered that I recently began putting in their tub a lavender-scented nighttime bubble bath from Johnson & Johnson that someone gave us. And I forgot to mention that to either doctor. But I bet you $5 that's what did it. Stupid J&J! This is why we never used that stuff when they were babies. I guess I thought they were hardier now, at nearly 2. Let this be a reminder to me that they are still little teeny sweeties and need to always be handled with tender loving care.

Anyway,  even if it is just the J&J poison-bubble-bath causing the flare-ups, I'll take Dr. Bodnar's advice and discontinue use of anything that might irritate my sweetie's skin, because it was so sad watching him scratch himself raw like that. If you squint, in good light and look verrrrry closely at this picture, you can see some of the aftermath of all that scratching.

Are you squinting?! It's there, I swear. TWO doctors saw it. I swear!

If this works for Cary, I'll be very happy, even though it likely means going back to blah, unscented laundry detergent and boring bathwater. Not to mention drab, stained toddler clothes. Sigh.