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Mum issues warning after baby daughter got ‘margarita burn’ from eating celery

Poppy Bilderbeck

Published 
| Last updated 

Mum issues warning after baby daughter got ‘margarita burn’ from eating celery

Featured Image Credit: Facebook/ Reanna Bendzak

**Warning: Images of a rash and blisters on a baby some may find upsetting.**

A mum has taken to social media to raise awareness of the dangers of letting children eat and drink outdoors in summer after her daughter had a painful experience.

Reanna Bendzak was outside with her seven-month-old daughter last month and gave her a piece of celery to 'chew on' to help with her teething and 'soothe those gums'.

However, her caring gesture unfortunately backfired and Bendzak has since spoken out to raise awareness for other parents.

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Mum issues warning after giving baby celery in sun. Credit: ABC News
Mum issues warning after giving baby celery in sun. Credit: ABC News

The mom was sat with her daughter in the sun for '20-30 minutes' but notes it 'wasn't warm by any means'.

"She was covered neck-to-toe in a onesie and we had a sun hat on her, so we thought she was fairly well-protected," Bendzak tells Good Morning America.

The next day, her daughter woke up the next morning with a 'burn-like skin reaction' and rash around her mouth.

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To Bendzak and her husband's horror, their daughter's rash soon turned into blisters.

It was later revealed the little one has a condition called phytophotodermatitis - where 'contact with certain plant chemicals can cause skin inflammation when exposed to sunlight' as per Healthline.

As a result of citrus fruits such as limes being common causes of phytophotodermatitis - as well as celery in Bendzak's daughter's case and other fruit and vegetables like carrots, peppers, dill, fennel, mustard, parsley and parsnip - the condition has been dubbed 'margarita burn'.

Reanna Bendzak woke up to find her daughter had a rash around her mouth. Credit: Facebook/ Reanna Bendzak
Reanna Bendzak woke up to find her daughter had a rash around her mouth. Credit: Facebook/ Reanna Bendzak
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Bendzak noted her first response was questioning what she'd done and 'how [she could have] prevented' her daughter's rash and blisters.

"But you're only as good of a parent as the knowledge you have, and we did what we thought was best at the time," she reflects.

The mom hopes her daughter's experience can raise awareness of the condition and the dangers of letting children and eat and drink certain products while in the sun.

Despite having wiped away the celery 'juice and drool' with a dry cloth and bathed her daughter that evening, Bendzak adds: "Now in retrospect, of course, we would have done things differently and made an intentional effort to go inside and wash with soap and water."

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ABC News chief medical correspondent and board certified OB-GYN, Dr Jennifer Ashton adds it's important to always make sure your child is wearing SPF and that if you notice any changes to your child's skin colour i.e. 'redness or pinkish discolouration' you should contact a healthcare provider.

While her daughter is 'healing well,' she has a 'long road of hyperpigmentation and scarring to treat'.

Bendzak resolves: "Hopefully this story can help others learn from our experience and they can make better decisions for their own personal lives moving forward as well."

Topics: Parenting, Food and Drink, Social media, Health

Poppy Bilderbeck
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