A teething rash, also called drool rash, is a patch of irritated skin around a baby’s mouth, chin, cheeks or neck caused by saliva sitting on the skin, and it usually improves with gentle cleaning, drying and a plain barrier ointment.
If your baby’s chin suddenly looks chapped and bumpy, drool is the usual suspect. Babies make far more saliva than they can swallow, and skin that stays wet gets irritated.
This guide covers what the rash looks like on different skin tones, how to treat and prevent it, what teething does and does not cause according to the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), how to tell it from other rashes, and when to call.
Key Takeaways
Teething rash and drool rash are the same thing: irritation from saliva on the mouth area, chin, cheeks and neck.
Drooling ramps up at around 2 to 3 months, so the rash can appear long before a first tooth.
Home care is simple: wipe gently, pat dry, apply a plain barrier ointment, and change soft cotton bibs often.
The AAP says teething does not cause fever, diarrhea, diaper rash or excess crying. Those need a call to the doctor.
The FDA warns against benzocaine gels, homeopathic teething tablets and teething necklaces.
Table of Contents
What Is a Teething Rash? The Short Answer
Quick Answer
A teething rash, also called drool rash, is skin irritation from saliva that sits on your baby’s skin. Scripps Health describes flat or slightly raised patches that may have small red bumps or look chapped and dry, usually around the mouth, chin, cheeks and neck. The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) lists a rash around the mouth as a real sign of teething, but says teething does not cause fever, diarrhea or diaper rash. Home care: keep the skin clean and dry, then protect it with a plain ointment such as petroleum jelly.
The AAP explains that the rash is typically a side effect of drooling, because your child’s spit contains small bits of food that can irritate delicate skin. In Mayo Clinic’s terms this is irritant contact dermatitis, the most common type of contact dermatitis: a rash that appears when a substance damages the skin’s outer protective layer. Here, the substance is saliva.
What It Looks Like and Where It Shows Up
Appearance: flat or slightly raised patches, sometimes with small red bumps, or skin that looks chapped and dry (Scripps Health).
Location: the mouth, chin, cheeks and neck (Scripps Health).
How your baby acts: the rash can be uncomfortable (Scripps Health). A baby who seems ill, feverish or very fussy needs a call to the pediatrician.
Contagious: no. Scripps Health describes drool rash as not contagious and not a sign of a serious health problem.
On brown and Black skin. Most descriptions mention redness, which is easier to see on lighter skin. Mayo Clinic notes that contact dermatitis on brown or Black skin typically shows up as leathery patches that are darker than usual, and MedlinePlus describes eczema patches as red “or darker than normal skin color.” On darker skin, look for an area around the mouth or chin that is darker than the skin next to it, and go by touch: chapped, dry, rough or bumpy skin where drool sits.
If a rash covers the trunk, arms or legs, drool is an unlikely cause. The AAP says teething does not make a baby’s skin more sensitive, “except possibly around the mouth.”
Drool Rash and Teething: Why Babies Get It
Parents use the two names for the same thing, but drool rash is the more accurate one, because drool usually starts well before the first tooth.
Drooling: the AAP says a baby’s salivary glands kick into high gear at around 2 to 3 months old, and the muscles needed to swallow the extra spit are not fully developed yet, so it leaks out. Drooling usually tapers off after about 18 months.
Teething: the AAP says first teeth typically appear between 6 and 10 months, though teething discomfort may begin weeks or months earlier, possibly as early as 3 months.
So the rash can show up in a 3 month old with no teeth in sight and return through the first year and a half. See when babies start teething for the tooth timeline.
Two things tend to make it flare:
Pacifiers: Scripps Health says pacifiers can encourage drool rash if saliva is trapped against the skin.
Food on the face: the AAP points to bits of food in saliva as the irritant, and Scripps Health advises cleaning food residue promptly after meals. Expect more mess after starting solids.
What Teething Does and Does Not Cause, According to the AAP
This matters because blaming teething can hide a real illness. On HealthyChildren.org, the AAP sorts the signs like this:
Sign
What the AAP says
Drooling
A real sign. You may see much clearer spit than usual.
Rash around the mouth
A real sign, typically a side effect of drooling.
Chewing and fussiness
Real signs. Fussiness is one signal that the gums are swollen and tender.
Fever
A “false symptom of teething,” according to extensive studies.
Diarrhea
Not from teething, which does not change the way your baby’s gut works. Call if it lasts more than a day.
Diaper rash
Not from teething. Any diaper rash you see is a reaction to something else.
More crying than usual
Teething discomfort is generally not severe enough for that. Crying might mean your child is sick.
Real and false signs of teething. Source: AAP, HealthyChildren.org, Teething Pain Relief.
The AAP’s summary: teething does not cause fever, diarrhea or excess crying, so call your child’s doctor if you see them. For the diaper area, see diaper rash vs yeast infection.
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The goal is less time with wet skin, plus a barrier between saliva and skin.
Wash gently: with warm water twice a day (Scripps Health).
Pat dry: with a soft cloth. Rubbing or a rough towel can aggravate the rash (Scripps Health).
Add a barrier: once the skin is completely dry, apply a plain healing ointment such as petroleum jelly (Scripps Health). The AAP suggests asking your pediatrician to recommend a barrier cream or ointment.
Wipe drool through the day: gently wipe the chin, neck and cheeks, and clean saliva-covered hands with a soft cloth moistened in plain water (AAP).
Use soft cotton bibs: and change them frequently so they keep soaking up spit (AAP).
Go fragrance free: a mild, fragrance free baby wash and unscented lotion (Scripps Health), plus mild, fragrance free detergent for bibs and cloths (AAP).
Clean up after meals: wipe away food residue promptly (Scripps Health).
Sore gums are a separate job. The AAP suggests soft teething toys and gentle gum massage, and asking your pediatrician about pain relief if your baby seems very uncomfortable. Our teething and sleep guide covers rough nights.
What Not to Put on the Rash
Fabric softeners and stain removers: the AAP says to skip both on bibs and cloths because they can irritate infant skin.
A steroid cream without advice: the Society for Pediatric Dermatology lists steroid medicines, including creams put on the skin, as a trigger for perioral dermatitis, a different rash around the mouth. Ask your pediatrician before using one on your baby’s face.
Ointment on a heat rash: if the bumps sit under clothing or in sweaty skin folds in hot weather, it may be heat rash. For that, the AAP says to leave the area open to air and not apply skin ointments.
Powders: MedlinePlus cautions that cornstarch or talc powders can be inhaled by an infant and may cause lung injury.
Numbing gels: see the FDA warnings below.
Home remedies you may see online are not covered by the sources we reviewed, so ask your pediatrician first.
Pacifiers, Bibs and Sleep: Preventing the Next Flare
Bibs come off for sleep. The AAP is specific: take bibs off before naps or nighttime sleep so your baby can breathe safely. That fits the wider safe sleep rules for babies under 12 months: alone, on their back, on a firm, flat, bare surface, with no pillows, blankets, bumpers or positioners. See our safe sleep environment checklist.
Is It Drool Rash or Something Else? A Comparison Table
Several baby rashes show up on the face. The table shows how each source describes them. It cannot diagnose a rash, so call your pediatrician if you are unsure.
Rash
How the source describes it
Clues that set it apart
Source
Drool (teething) rash
Flat or slightly raised patches with small red bumps, or chapped, dry skin on the mouth, chin, cheeks and neck
Limited to the areas drool reaches
Scripps Health
Eczema
A chronic condition with patches of dry, scaly red skin; dry, scaly, red (or darker than normal skin color) and itchy
Itchy and long-lasting, with flares
AAP, MedlinePlus
Hand, foot and mouth disease
Starts with fever, sore throat and runny nose, then a rash with tiny blisters in the mouth and on the fingers or palms, soles and buttocks
Fever and blisters inside the mouth
AAP
Impetigo
A bacterial skin infection: a rash that may have fluid-filled blisters or an oozing rash
Oozing or blisters; usually treated with prescription antibiotics
AAP
Hives
Red welts of different sizes and shapes that often seem to move around on the body
Welts shift within hours; the cause is often uncertain
MedlinePlus
Heat rash
Patches of small pink or red bumps or blisters under clothing or where skin tends to fold
Appears with heat and sweat; do not apply skin ointments
AAP
Perioral dermatitis
Many tiny pink or skin-colored bumps around the mouth, nose and eyes; can look like acne
Can take 1 to 2 months to get better; steroid medicines are a trigger
Society for Pediatric Dermatology
Baby acne
Usually appears between 2 and 4 weeks of age, though it may appear up to 4 months
Younger baby; normal washing is usually all that is needed
MedlinePlus
Drool rash compared with other common baby rashes, by source.
Welts that appear soon after a new food deserve a call to your pediatrician, and trouble breathing or swallowing means calling 911. Our guide to introducing allergens covers first exposures, and baby acne has its own guide.
How Long Does Teething Rash Last?
None of the sources we reviewed gives a fixed healing time. They give limits for when to stop waiting and call, and those limits differ:
Scripps Health: call your pediatrician if the drool rash has not improved after a week or so of home treatment.
MedlinePlus: for rashes in children under 2, call if the rash does not improve after 3 days of home treatment.
Mayo Clinic: contact dermatitis in general often clears up in 2 to 4 weeks once the trigger is avoided.
The catch is that you cannot remove the trigger. The AAP says drooling usually tapers off after about 18 months, so drool rash often comes and goes. Use the earlier limit if your baby is uncomfortable or the rash is spreading.
FDA Warnings on Teething Gels, Tablets and Necklaces
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) warns against several products sold for teething.
Benzocaine gels and creams: the FDA says benzocaine products can lead to a serious and sometimes fatal condition called methemoglobinemia, in which the oxygen-carrying capacity of red blood cells is greatly reduced. It says topical medications with benzocaine or lidocaine offer little to no benefit for teething pain in children and are associated with serious risks.
Lidocaine: the FDA says it can cause grave harm, such as heart problems, severe brain injury and even death, and that viscous lidocaine can cause seizures in infants and young children.
Homeopathic teething tablets: the FDA names homeopathic teething tablets alongside the creams and gels above. The AAP tells parents to avoid homeopathic teething tablets or gels, particularly those containing belladonna or coffea cruda.
Teething necklaces and other jewelry: the FDA has received reports of death and serious injuries, including strangulation and choking, caused by teething jewelry such as amber teething necklaces. The AAP says necklaces made of amber, wood, marble or silicone pose serious risks for choking and strangulation.
Instead, the FDA points to the AAP’s advice: rub your baby’s gums with a clean finger, or offer a teething ring made of firm rubber.
Call any time you are unsure what a rash is. Call your pediatrician if:
There is a fever or other unexplained symptoms with the rash: (MedlinePlus). The AAP says fever is not a teething symptom.
Your baby is younger than 3 months: and has a rash, spots, blisters or discoloration (MedlinePlus).
The skin is wet, oozing or red: which can be signs of infection, or you see blisters (MedlinePlus).
Your baby is scratching a lot: (MedlinePlus).
It is not improving: after 3 days of home treatment (MedlinePlus) or a week or so (Scripps Health).
Diarrhea lasts more than a day, or your baby is crying much more than usual: (AAP).
Your baby is drooling excessively and seems ill, has a fever or has trouble swallowing: (AAP), or has a rash and seems unusually tired (Scripps Health).
Call 911 or your local emergency number right away if your child is suddenly drooling, cannot speak, or shows signs of choking or trouble breathing (AAP).
This article is general education, not medical advice. Your pediatrician can look at the rash and tell you what it is.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does a teething rash look like?
Scripps Health describes flat or slightly raised patches that may have small red bumps or look chapped and dry, usually on the mouth, chin, cheeks and neck. On brown or Black skin, the area may look darker than the skin around it instead of red.
Is drool rash the same as teething rash?
Yes. Both names describe skin irritated by saliva. Drool rash is the more accurate name: the American Academy of Pediatrics says drooling picks up at around 2 to 3 months, while first teeth typically appear between 6 and 10 months.
How do you get rid of drool rash?
Scripps Health advises washing the area gently with warm water twice a day, patting it dry with a soft cloth, and applying a plain healing ointment such as petroleum jelly once the skin is completely dry. Change wet bibs often.
Can teething cause a rash on the body?
The American Academy of Pediatrics says teething does not make a baby’s skin more sensitive, except possibly around the mouth, and that a diaper rash is a reaction to something else. A rash on the trunk, arms or legs has another cause, so call your pediatrician.
How long does drool rash last?
There is no fixed timeline, and it often comes and goes while your baby drools. Scripps Health says to call your pediatrician if it has not improved after a week or so of home care. MedlinePlus sets a shorter limit of 3 days.
Should babies wear a bib to sleep to prevent drool rash?
No. The American Academy of Pediatrics says to take bibs off before naps or nighttime sleep so your baby can breathe safely. Babies under 12 months should sleep on their back on a firm, flat, bare surface. Wipe and dry the skin before sleep instead.
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