Your baby's circulation and blue skin

Parents should investigate any bluish color they notice on their child's skin. Blue skin means that the underlying blood has a blue tint, rather than the beautiful pink color of blood with lots of oxygen. Fortunately, in most cases this is completely normal and harmless as long as it is temporary.

What causes blue skin in a baby?

There are two reasons why blood under a baby's skin may look blue:

The baby's lungs are not getting enough oxygen. Since oxygen is what makes blood turn red, blood cells without oxygen remain blue.
The underlying blood is moving sluggishly, so the normal veins underneath that carry blue, oxygen-poor blood back to the heart are more noticeable.

You can determine if the blood is lacking oxygen by checking the color of the skin all over your child's body. If there is a bluish tint everywhere, it could mean that all the blood is blue and it could be a heart or lung problem.

Most often, only certain areas have a blue tint. This is usually completely normal and simply reflects the baby's somewhat immature circulation.

Tips for concerned parents

If your baby's bluish tint is bothering you, check his entire body. An intermittent blue tint on the arms and legs with pink skin elsewhere is not a sign of a problem.

When to worry about your baby's circulation

If there is a bluish tint throughout the body, there may not be enough oxygen in the blood. This is very worrisome and you should seek immediate medical attention. It's also alarming if you're noticing blue in the face when it looks like your child is having trouble breathing.

But you don't have to worry if your baby's arms and legs turn blue for a short while while the rest of the body is pink and your baby is breathing normally. Again, this is just your baby's immature circulatory system.