Diaper rash- Babies forum

All children that wear diapers will experience some degree of diaper rash. From extremely mild to severe, every child will experience this common childhood problem. The only children who never have diaper rash are those that never wear diapers. An infant's skin is particularly sensitive and likely to develop diaper rash. Diaper rash is simply an irritation caused by dampness and the interaction of urine and skin. An additional irritant is thought to be the ammonia found in urine. Two factors that tend to keep your baby's skin wet promote diaper rash: continuously wet diapers and the use of plastic pants.

The irritation of diaper rash may become complicated by an infection due to yeast or bacteria. When yeast is the culprit, small red spots can be seen on the diaper area. Small patches of the rash might appear outside the area covered by the diaper. Infection with bacteria leads to development of large fluid-filled blisters. If the rash is worse in the skin creases, an underlying problem known as seborrhea might be present. If you have a boy, you might notice what appears to be blood spots when he has diaper rash. This is due to an irritating rash at the urinary opening at the end of the penis. Occasionally, if your baby has been sick and has had diarrhea, the rash will not heal until the diarrhea has subsided.

You can prevent diaper rash by using zinc oxide ointments, such as Desitin or A+D ointment. Baby powders that contain talc are NOT recommended because they can inure the child's lungs if they breathe in the dust. If a rash has begun, the use of creams and ointments will delay the healing process. Change your baby's diaper throughout the day to keep urine exposure to a minimum. Cleanse your baby's bottom well at each diaper change to remove any urine from the skin.

Treatment of diaper rash is aimed at keeping the skin dry. Discontinue the use of plastic diaper covers and change your baby's diaper more often that usual. Do not use soap or baby wipes once a rash has formed. Using wipes can burn and further irritate your baby's skin. Leaving diapers off of your child for as long as possible will help the rash heal faster. If you are using cloth diapers, the soap residues might act as an irritant and make the diaper rash worse. Make sure that you are using a mild soap and rinsing them thoroughly. Complete clearing of the rash will take several days and possibly longer for severe cases. Definite improvement should be noted within 48-72 hours.

You should call your baby's doctor if the rash does not respond to home treatment, is severe or gets worse. Your doctor will inspect all of your child's skin and may even take a scraping from the involved skin to look at under a microscope. If a yeast infection has complicated the diaper rash, he will prescribe a medication to kill the yeast. If bacteria is present, an antibiotic will be recommended.

Comments: Diaper rash

Comments 1 to 24 of about 44.
1 2 Next

bethk - 3 days ago.
My baby developed a really bad nappy rash when we switched from cotton wool an water to johnson wipes! so we back to water and wool as the wipes did a paint strippin affect on her bum! Cant believe sumin soo popluar can do this to skin!!! cant wait for it to heel! Tip for ppl nipple cream works wonders!! We're usin it and her bum has cleared up so much already!! xx

Christine5 - 7 days ago.
I just switched to cloth and my DD redness went away in two days. I never seen her bum look so good. I reccommend cloth if you can give it a try. I thought no way but it's easier than I thought and it's better for her and the earth and you save money.

Christine5 - 20 days ago.
My kids never really got diaper rash but my daughter got a little red and it looked like it may had been painful so I gave her a luke warm shallow bath with about 1/2C. cornstarch, let her splash for about 15m. and than she took about a 2 hr. nap and the redness was gone. I never used cornstarch before, now I know it works great! I put it in her diaper sometime but that dosn't work as well. It also worked for heat rash on her chest/back. I also rub her with olive oil 3x's a wk. that might help too. Not on rash though, it would moisten it and keep it from drying out but after it heals and other parts of the body, it's great for their skin. If it's yeast baby or Mom should eat more yogurt without corn syrup or take probiotics and eat less sugar. Yeast feeds off sugar. Also anytime you take antibiotics you are supposed to follow with probiotics to get back beneficial bacteria so you dont have yeast overgrowth/infection. When antibiotics kill the bad bacteria they also will kill some good bacteria. Dr. Mercola.com has good probiotics but I'm sure any brand is great! Ask your doctor! I also dont use baby wipes just a washcloth and hot water.

luckywhite - 24 days ago.
if you see little raised spots on his bottom and its getting worse with layering cream then i would say its thrush and the warm wet is spreading it.. i would let him go nappy free as much as possible to get the air to it.. and try a really mind thrush cream.. so you metanium cream in USA? its great for putting over the thrush cream to make it stay on. x

coltonsmom - 24 days ago.
My 11 month old developed a diaper rash last week. He is red on the inside of his legs, up towards (and on) his penis and around the entire front area. He's also teething, with 4 top teeth coming in at once. I've heard some kids get diaper rash when they are teething, it's the first time my little guy has had any rash. Well, first I was globbing on Desitin like you'd thickly frosting a cake. I thought it was working out well, then a couple of days later, it appeared very red. Then, I switched to Aquaphor which did absolutely nothing. Then I bought A&D... nothing. Now, after google searches, I'm trying Lotrimin. A 4 ounce tube of this stuff is $10.99. Yikes, I'm hoping this works. He doesn't have blisters, no bloody spots, just very red patches... so I don't know if it's yeast or bacteria. I'd love to hear from other mothers if you think it's NOT yeast (therefore, I'd stop using Lotrimin) or if you've had a similar experience. Next move for me is a trip to his Dr. office... but would like to hear from others before I make that call. Thanks.

janine - 31 days ago.
I use Sudocrem for my baby's rash. It really works wonders. I love it!

janine - 31 days ago.
I use Sudocrem for my baby's rash. It really works wonders. I love it!

beautifulbebe - 44 days ago.
My child has continued loose stool due to medication. I have been advised to use Proshield Plus for his diaper rash. Within 12 hours it seems to help already!

jamuna - 66 days ago.
my 2.5 week old developed a diaper rash. i ditched my baby wipes and made these homemade wipes to use and within a day it was almost completely healed: 1 c. water 1 tbs. baby soap 1 tbs. olive oil 1-2 drops tea tree oil -mix and either soak a roll of paper towels to use as wipes or fill a spray bottle to apply and wipe with a clean towel. i also gave her several minutes after each diaper change to let her bum air out, then applied a bit of vaseline as a barrier to moisture on the skin.

luckybaby - 73 days ago.
Hi ! im a first time mom and my boy is 15 days old now. I noticed tiny red spots on his neck and i think its a rash. can you help me what to do or how to cure it ? thanks a lot.

Bri - 84 days ago.
My son just got off of Amoxicillian and got the worst diaper rash. His little penis was so red too. It was awful. Because of the meds he developed a yeast infection. We got the best prescription rash cream EVER! It worked so well that all the redness went away within three doses! It's called Nystantin. His penis is so much better now. He doesn't cry when he pees either! YAY!

SmurfWxMama - 85 days ago.
My daughter was picky at times, when her rash got real bad she went from desitin creamy, to desitin, and then to Boudreax Butt Paste, and that always cleared it up! We very rarely used powder on her, and after the Boudreax cleared it all up we would use Aquaphor to sooth the healing spots. I'm having a boy this time so I'm hoping her'll be the same way, I've ordered Boudreax by the tub so we'll be all set with him! I have heard some severe cases where they've had to take baby into hospital to get some kind or steroidal shot of something to heal but that is the most extreme case I've ever heard for diaper rash, poor thing...

missjess - 86 days ago.
my son doesnt seem to be in any pain from his rash. But hes had it for awhile now and it looks very painful! its not just bumps, its like raw little patches! is this normal? also, it was on his testicles and bleeding a lil bit, poor guy! but that part healed up. i just bought the baby powder with pure cornstarch with aloe and vitamin E. im gonna try that n see if it helps clear up the rash.

beautifulbebe - 90 days ago.
My baby has diaper rash now. A friend of mine who is older suggested corn starch. So, I am trying it and so far the redness is disappearing within two applications. If this works, it's cool cause it is so cheap!

momofboys - 96 days ago.
I have 3 sons and just had my first baby girl. I find it extremely difficult at diaper changing. With my sons you just wipe them down and your good. With her you have to clean inside her vagina and when she poos it gets everywhere. I am so parinoid of her getting an infection. We decided to bathe her every night. It is hard for me to get her legs open to clean her right & she DOES NOT like it. UGGGGHHHHH!!! I almost started to cry changing her last diaper. All else is great with her. It's just the darn diaper changes.

dasha - 97 days ago.
Hello ladies....just visiting from my 27th week of pregnancy, and thought I'd share something here that I heard today regarding diaper rash....a gentleman at my office said to me: 'you're going to get tons of advice, so I won't bug you, but the one thing I'll clue you in on is that the best thing for diaper rash is to turn the blowdryer on your kid's bum...' Another dad who was standing there piped up to agree.....I guess the logic is that if using the blowdryer on your hair dries it out, that if you use it on the baby's bottom it dries out the skin.... somebody give it a shot and let me know if it works....apparently the little ones love the hot air, too....iiiiinteresting........

karenc - 104 days ago.
JH, use a washcloth and warm water instead of wipes. or, you could plunk your baby's bum right in the sink and use plain water. it's a pain not being able to use wipes, but it does help.

primetime - 104 days ago.
The best stuff for a diaper rash is called ' BUTT PASTE' i am not joking, that is the name. Works wonders. I did not use anything else for my son, he would get rashes so bad his butt would bleed. And I will not be using anything else on my baby on the way.

JH - 104 days ago.
if you are not supposed to use wipes...then how are you supposed to clean up the poop? jonathan has had a rash for a long time now. i have tried creams and anti-yeast stuff. doesn't bother him...but still i am concerned. i can't let him go without a diaper as he will pee all over everything.

DeannaMay - 105 days ago.
my daughter always got bad diaper rash...it would get so bad sometimes it would bleed!I discovered this tip...it totally worked........first let the air at it when possible...put cornstarch on the rash,then desitin diaper cream..then vaseline to lock it in....i swear this worked so well for me,the rash usually cleared up in a few days!!

Its-Chelle - 106 days ago.
ditto on the balmex!! great stuff....worked wonders when he got a bad rash from his ear infection/antibiotics..

karenc - 106 days ago.
ambermarie, what works for my son when he's rashy is Balmex ointment. when I change him, I use a wet washcloth and then apply the balmex generously -- wipes can irritate a rash, so I switch to just water and a washcloth for a while and try not to rub unless there's poop to be cleaned up. once the rash clears up, I apply plain petroleum jelly when changing -- helps keep the rash from starting. try to let your baby's bottom air dry as much as possible in between changes -- hard, I know, when breastfeeding! also, have you been using the same brand of diaper all along? some babies are sensitive to certain brands. good luck!

ambermarie - 107 days ago.
My son is 5 days old and has had diaper rash since day 3. Its very red and kinda raw. Every time I change his diaper he screams. I breastfeed too, so I'm changing his diaper A LOT. Any advice?

MsBeenee - 115 days ago.
Something that has helped me when my son would get diaper rashes is to fill the sink or tub with warm water and put about a cup or two of baking soda in it (it doesn't burn or hurt them at all), then I would let him play for as long as he wanted to in it. If it was really bad I would do this like 3 times a day and then let it air dry for a little while. I swear by desitin too. And wipes seem to hurt them so I would use a warm wash cloth with a tiny dab of soap. These have always helped me!

Mylovelybabybump - 125 days ago.
Ava started having a diaper rash early on.....turns out she is allergic to Huggies wipes. I apply A&D ointment at every diaper change and now use Pampers Sensitive wipes. She has not had a rash since.