Baby Tips: 1. Diaper Rash

These are things I learned over the past 8 years with 3 girls. I decided that diaper rash needed a post all to itself! I don't know much about baby boys, but most of the tips work for both. Thankfully, I wrote these down as I went, and then changed/added over the years. I give this to all my new friends who are having their first babies. That way they can either listen to my unsolicited advise, or can throw it away if they want! haha

First of all: Always follow your doctor's advice before mine, your mom's, grandmothers, etc. If something sounds crazy, it probably is. Don't put dangerous concoctions on your baby in order to be holistic or natural. Be reasonable. You are going to be very emotional because this is your precious baby, but use reason to guide the care you give your baby, not emotions.

1. Diaper rash: All 3 girls experienced diaper rash. Lucy (my 3rd) had it the worst. It usually starts with bright red spots--sometimes in patches, sometimes bumps, either raised or unraised. When it gets bad, it can look like burns or blisters on their butt cheeks, almost like you set them on a stove. It spreads VERY quickly, so you have to take action immediately. This will make baby irritable, and you miserable and full of guilt. I actually cried when I pulled off Lucy's diaper and it had BLOOD spots in it from her rash! But it's not your fault! It just happens, and act quickly and be relentless. It's going to take a lot of time day and night to get rid of it, and it's going to take several days before you see a perfect little baby bottom again. The red spots that look like scars do fade away. It just takes time.

There are many types of diaper rash, and in my experience, the doctors don't want you to come in unless it is to the point of bleeding. Since all diaper rash is aggravated by moisture, the main rules are keep it clean, keep it dry, keep it sealed!

CLEAN: If bright red raw spots (shiny, wet) are on bottom, STOP using baby wipes. Use a wash cloth with plain warm water OR keep a roll of higher end toilet paper and a spray bottle of plain water at the changing table.Wipe gently, but make sure you get all the poop and pee off. Wipe from front to back (especially for girls). To help the sores dry up and heal, soak baby in a baking soda bath. This worked wonders! I just put her in her baby bath tub (or a dishwashing tub would work) and dumped a couple tablespoons of baking soda in the warm water where it touched her bottom. Then we would play for a few minutes--she was only about a month old, so I was the one playing. She would stay in for about 5 minutes or so.

DRY: Dry bottom with hair dryer on low (keep your hand where the air is blowing to make sure it’s not too hot) This dries the spots. As they start drying and sealing themselves, they will become less shiny. The sores will also be dry to the touch when they are fully dry. Sometimes this takes a couple of minutes. Again, make sure you use the low heat setting and keep your hand on the bottom the whole time to keep from burning the baby!

SEAL: Unfortunately, this area is a little experimental. Different ointments/creams work with different rashes on different babies. At the FIRST sign of a rash (if no blood yet), my suggestion is to start cheap and use Original Desitin in the purple tube. Yes it stinks like old fish because of the castor oil, but it coats better than anything else I found. And it will make your cloth diapers stink like fish. Use a Q-tip to keep it out of your fingernails. Blech. If the rash isn't getting better by the next day, or starts bleeding (it almost looks like acid burns), then you probably need a prescription cream. What worked for us is a prescription cream called Silvadene Cream, or silver sulfadiazine. The generic is significantly cheaper than the brand name. We also used a couple of different anti-fungal creams, because the rash looked a little yeasty (bright red, spreading outward, bumpy, hot). These creams are also inexpensive, and your doctor can tell you which over-the-counter ones work also. Neosporin is also helpful for the sores, as long as they are not yeast. If the rash is yeast, the Neosporin will aggrevate it, and you will have to change your game plan. We tried SO many creams and combinations. Once you find what works, stick with it!!

PREVENTION: I used cloth diapers and disposable. The thinking was chemicals in the disposables could be aggrevating the rash. But, cloth diapers are not as absorbant and wicking. For us, cloth/disposable or even brand of diaper didn't make a difference, but I know some moms whose babies were sensitive to one. I think the key is to dry out the rash and seal it with Desitin every diaper change for the next few weeks. And make your diaper changes very very frequent. When Lucy's was really bad, I was changing her diaper about every 2 hours--even through the night. And that was doing all the cleaning, drying, and sealing steps EVERY time. Thankfully, all 3 girls grew out of this by about 3 months. Also, try using a diaper that’s slightly too big for baby to give some air circulation. Do this until sores dry up and are no longer bright red and seeping. Also check to see if the baby has thrush (white sores in mouth). Baby may also have a low fever from the rash or being sick could case them to have a rash. When baby has diarrhea for any reason, keep bottom very clean and dry or the rash will start. Unfortunately, sometimes they will just get it no matter what you do!