At Wits End with Diaper Rash

The milk may have something to do with it. I'm not sure, but if you decrease the fat in milk, aren't you leaving in more sugar? And the sugar is lactose, which is hard for more than half of humans to digest. He may be one of those. Try more apples, raisins, grapes, prunes, bran cereal, more whole grains.
No ice in beverages. Try for room temperature or warm drinks when possible. The cold slows circulation to belly causing constipation.
Avoid cheese and white bread.
More veggies.
More exercise for his legs/hips. More walking/running/climbing.

I didn't read any of the other responses but I thought I would mention combining crisco shortening and liquid maalox!. The shortening coats the bum from coming in contact with anything else and the maalox supposedly heals. I tried it on my son after hearing about it from a friend and it did actually work. I also took my son to the doctor for it and I was told it is a condition called "teething poops". While they are teething there is a lot of acid being created or something like that. My son got them so bad that as soon as the poop hit his bottom it was extremely red and when I wiped it, his skin would literally bleed. It is sooo painful for them...good luck!!

I have never had a problem with diaper rash, but i think it has to do with the diapers. My friend had constant issues with diaper rash when she used huggies when she switched to pampers cruisers (has to be the cruisers, They have a mesh lining that pulls the wetness away from their skin). She later switched to the publix brand and that worked well for her also.

Visit your ped. asap, it could be a yeast infection. Stop wiping with wipes. Wipes hurt. Have you ever used them? Even the sensitive ones are full of chemicals and that hurts sore bottoms. My son gets yeast infections often (mostly from playing with himself too much). We now know the difference and our doctor has given us large tubes of special cream. When we see a yeasty-like rash we use the cream and within two days the bacteria/ yeast is back to normal and the rash disappears. We found that the best way to wipe a while with a rash is with warm vinegar water. One part vinegar and 5 parts warm water. Use the softest wash cloth you have and dab several times. I know it sounds like vinegar would burn, but it does not. It works really well, especially if you are using any types of cream. Vinegar is great for cleaning all things, including butts, it gets everything off, and often times not wiping well enough or putting a diaper on damp, chemical covered skin (from wipes) causes a worse rash. Have you considered letting your son go diaper-less? You can also try bathing your son in a baking soda bath every night (until the rash goes away). I usually use half a box to about 6 inches of warm water. After the bath let your son run naked or bottomless until his bottom is 100% dry (at least 10 minutes). After his bottom is dry put cream (The gold A&D works great for regular rashes- not yeast infections) and then put a pair of white cotton underwear on him and on top of all that put a diaper. Our ped. said that the fibers in diapers can irritate already irritated skin. Make sure you soak the underwear in a vinegar/water solution and then rise and wash with bleach to ensure they are completely clean the next time you need them. Good luck! Let us know what happens.

We found that the absolute best thing for diaper rash was straight zinc oxide - Walgreen's brand is fine. Most diaper creams have zinc oxide in them but a very small percentage. This stuff is the real deal and whenever my boys showed signs of irritation, I would put it on and it would be cleared up the next day. My oldest has some constipation issues and they now have "fiber gummies" available. We get them at Target but I'm sure they are available everywhere. When taken regularly, it seems to help a lot. Good luck!

Try giving him Sunsweet prune juice to drink to help his tummy - our paediatrician recommended this and it works well. For the diaper rash you need a prescription based cream, that will clear the rash quicly. In the interim you can rub cornflour onto the skin and continue with a zinc oxide based ointment. It is tough with the potty training when they are not yet willling. All the best!

Not sure about the milk but have you used Aveeno Diaper Rash cream? I put it on all my kids at the first little sign of diaper rash and they've never had diaper rash. I didn't find out how great it was until my 1st was 1 so I have tried others without success.

Have you tried switching diaper brands? It could be the type you use. Continue using the cream, but try giving that area time to heal and breathe by probably letting him go without diapers for a day or so. It is probably so sore, diaper change has become a nightmare for him. I would try natural foods to get him going on bowel movements and stay away from the meds and special stuff. Oatmeal, apples, banana, oranges are good sources to move the bowels. Good luck. It will get better soon. If the area is almost raw, then I would put other ointment on it to heal it fast, then apply the diaper rash cream. Someone told me before bathing in baking soda helps to heal rashes too.

You don't mention your son's age, but I am going to guess between two and three. If it was the switch in milk that triggered these issues, they would resolve in a week or so (the only difference is less fat, and the body adapts quickly to that). If he is getting older (2-3), urine and feces are more acidic and can cause diaper rash quickly, thus the need for potty training. Many children get rashes when teething.

Aveeno makes a diaper rash cream that seems to work wonders from one diaper change to the next.

If going poo hurts he may be holding it, thus creating a cycle of constipation. My youngest daughter went through this and we tried an army of things including miralax. The only thing that worked for us was fiber choice.

Good luck.

Try to mix some Maalox in with the purple container of Destin. It sounds crazy but my pediatrician had me do it for a bad rash and it helps. The Maalox takes the acidity out of the rash and cools it.

Try Lotrimim AF. I know it sounds strange to use a jock itch cream for a baby's rash but my children's doctor suggested it and it is wonderful.

Good luck!
L.

How old is he? If he is old enough to consider potty training, then I would say to put him in undies all the time. It will help with the rash because his skin will get air. It means you have to be vigilant about a potty schedule, but it will help his skin. Even though he doesn't seem interested in potty training, it will help. No child enjoys nasty undies for very long, but a diaper soaks up a lot. I switched all of mine over to undies/panties as soon as I began potty training. If really potty training is out for now, maybe just try undies for a little while each day, just to allow air flow. Also, A&D ointment works wonders. I put that on my daughter even in her panties, they are washable after all. As for benefiber. It's excellent stuff. It dissolves completely and is a great way to sneak in fiber. Apple juice and fresh fruit also helped my kids.

with so many responses already, I didn't read them all.. so pardon if you have already gotten this information...

But to help with the rash, you can use a cotton ball to apply Maalox directly to your son's bottom after diaper changes, instead of an ointment or cream. The rash is from the caustic irritants when he goes, and the Maalox is an antacid that will neutralize it so it won't continue causing soreness. Just wipe it on all the red areas. Change him as soon as possible after he goes, but the maalox already on there will help prevent additional "damage" to his skin.

When my son had a diaper rash that wouldn't respond to any diaper creams it turned out he had thrush (yeast). It looked so painful! Monstistat 7 or some other anti-fungal cream cleared it up within 2 days. (better than a prescription) You may want to try it... it won't hurt otherwise.

My son is 2 1/2 months and he is the first of my three that got really bad diaper rashes to the point that he would bleed and his skin was raw. I came the conclusion that it was the creams that we were trying. So now I put Nothing on him and he hasn't gotten a diaper rash in a long time. Sometime at night since he goes for longer period without changing I'll put corn starch but besides that nothing I swear it works. Every baby is different of course but I tried it and it worked. Good luck!!!

Hi Ms T,

I believe my mom use to give my baby brother "CATNIP" tea (strained) to help with the constipation. With the diaper rash, how about trying some A&D Ointment (not the nicest smell, but not the worst and it's pretty good on diaper rash). You may need to try some raisins, apples, and greens (kale or collard)...all good for a nice bowel movement without hurting the tummy. Why did you switch milk, if I may ask? My family drinks 2%, but we were just trying to cut out some of the fat...but fat is suppose to be good for little bodies.

Good Luck...hope my suggestions help out.

Oh help- 2%- that does not have the fat to allow his brain to develop PLEASE please see Weston Price. com- there is a chapter in Tampa, please- it is hard enough for a body to digest the homogenized pasterized cows milk( the molecule is 20x's the size of human milk) and then 2%- honestly whoever told you to do that- yikes!-
And with the food Weston Price tells you he won't be constipated- and a month- he is sooo toxic oh,
If you want more info fr me send me a message- and see the above which is a great place to start.
best, k

This happened to my daughter when we switched from nursing to milk with her meals in a sippy cup. The rash was so bad, her skin was cracking and raw - IMMEDIATELY. I tried everything. I had called the pediatrician several times and he kept telling me try this, try that.....nothing was working and I was in a panic because we were getting ready to leave on a trip from FL to VA and I thought she would be miserable sitting in the car seat. He finally prescribed "elidel" cream, and I swear - we put it on that afternoon, again at bed time, and by the next morning she was on the road to recovery. I only had to used the tiniest amount - about a pea size.

On another note, my husband suggested that she could be lactose intolerant. (as he is) I switched her to lactaid milk wich ended the problem immediately. Lactaid milk was great - but presented it's own problem as we travel a lot and spend a lot of time @ race tracks due to my husband's business and you can't buy it in individual serving bottles, or at convenience stores etc... so I was always having to carry a cooler and make sure that we had enough ice, parked in the shade, etc.... I discovered a new product for my husband - and he loves it, and then thankfully they came out with a children's version - in chewable tablets. Prior to discovering it, my husband would have to take the lactaid pills EVERY time that he had dairy if it had been over 30 minutes. With this product - "DIGESTIVE ADVANTAGE - LACTOSE INTOLLERANCE" - one pill @ breakfast and you are good to go for 24 hours! It revolutionized our life and made things so much easier.
Might be worth a try to see if Lactaid milk helps your son, and if it does, and he has teeth and can take a chewable tablet - then the Digestive Advantage is great.
Good luck!

Ask your pediatrician to prescribe Baileys Butt Balm- it's a compund of zinc oxide and something else that I can't remember now but it's the only thing that worked for my daughter's rash. . Baking soda baths are recommended too. Try aloe vera juice for constipation from Chamberlains. Publix has it too but I never used that brand.

My son had a really bad diaper rash, and it ended up he was sensitive to the diaper creams (zinc oxide)! So I put Bag Balm on his bum and it cleared it up. It took a little time, but in the mean time, it didn't hurt him any more. If he is constipated, change his food around, don't medicate him. Keep track of what works and what doesn't, otherwise he can be on something for the rest of his life. Change his eating habits now, they are for a life time.

Hi, T.. I am a grandma of 2 precious girls. My children and grandchildren are allergic to one brand of disposable diapers. Maybe this is the cause of the rash. I would suggest the following: changing diapers brand, change frequently the diapers, use diaper cream (have more than one brand and use alternating) and most important consult it with your pediatrician both problems. When my children were young (30 years ago) I would use syrup Karo (don't know if it is correctly written)for their constipation but remember, consult it with your pediatrician. Hope this helps. Take care.

Use aquaphor for the diaper rash. More than two cups a milk per day could be the cause of it. Make sure he is getting his fruits and vegetables if not in solid form try a liquid such as V8 fusion.

It is likely yeast. When it gets really red and raw, and you've tried everything and nothing works, it's yeast. Try over the counter clotrimazole cream and apply at every change. If that doesn't work, get a prescription for Vusion. It's expensive but truly amazing - my son had open sores that were bleeding and within 12 hrs, it had healed his skin. If you don't have insurance coverage, ask your pediatrician about a coupon/discount card that Vusion offers. Good luck!

T.

I feel so badly for you and your little boy!! What worked for me as far as diaper rash - after you wipe his butt, apply Balmex and then a good coat of Vaseline over that, so nothing penetrates the skin - give it a try.

My mother-in-law said when my husband was an infant he was allergic to milk fat - his butt would be raw - so the Dr. advised her to put him on skim. Just a thought.

Good luck

K.

T. I feel you and your babies pain. My youngest still today get the same kind of raw irritated diaper rash and it comes on quick. What our Dr told us to do it to take 1oz tube of zinc oxide diaper cream, 1 oz tube of lotrimin ( athletes foot cream) and 1 tbs. of malox and mix this together and keep in a seal conrainer and use this paste for your diaper cream instead of the regular creams. This usually clears up her rashis just 2 or 3 applications. Hope this helps you. Just for your info the malox nuetralizs the acid in the diaper so that it doesn't hurt their bottom so much and the lotrim combats and fungus if their is any. Good Luck!!

I think you should get him tested for allergies. Until you figure out what is causing it, I suggest using Silver Sol. I had the same exact problem with my daughter's little bottom. lol. And I started getting more involved with holistic and alternative health care at the same time. And what helped her was the combination of Probiotics (to help with digestion and elimination), Omega 3 and the Silver Shield w Aqua Sol. It comes in a 4 oz bottle and I transfer 1oz into a tiny 2oz spray bottle and mix with 1oz water and used it topically on her bottom every time I changed her. It never hurt her. She actually really loved the relief it gave her. It is completely gentle and nontoxic and safe enough that I can spray it directly in her mouth if she has a cough or sore throat. Let me know if you would like me to get anything for you. ____@____.com

Theresa....this very thing would happen to my daughter when she had casein (a milk protein), soy or gluten in her diet. When I would stop cut them out of her diet the rash would go away. The rash was so bad I would heave to put her in the tub to rinse her off because she would be raw all over. She would scream and cry if I used a wipies. Also on a simpler note she could only use wipes that are sensitive wipes without any aloe! camomile was ok, but I always get the ones without fragrance, aloe, or coco butter. Check out my website...Leximarket.com......I am trying to help parents of kids that have food allergies and make it easier for parents to get their kids on a healthier path without medication.

Her bowel movments were the first and only sign that something was wrong...Follow your instincts, they are 99% right and you are connected to them still, so spend some time and go with your gut.

Follow his diet and keep in mind if it is a sensitivity, or allergy it can take up to 24 to 48 hours before the reactive bowel movment.

At the least try to give him some kind of probiotic (some yogurt, or a product called GOOD BELLY which is casein, soy and gluten free you can pull up the website and find a store close to you) These will help him to be more regular without stimulants. Also LAKEWOOD (in most health food stores) has a great Prune Juice that I give to Lexi in her juice (she has no clue since I mix it 1/4 PJ to 3/4 juicy juice) Go easy on it though until you know how much he can handle.
Good for you in seeking out help for your baby you are a nuturing concerned mother!
Good Luck and if you want to write me there is a link on the website.....A.

I STRONGLY recommend A&D ointment in the gold/copper tube. We used it on our daughters, still do in fact for little irritations. They are 4 and 2, both potty trained, but sometimes they want the comfort cream after a hard BM or after swimming to relieve the irritation. My MIL used it on all 5 of her sons as well. It's cheap, easy to find, and works!

The diaper rash could be a yeast issue, I had an issue with my daughter, a few months ago. After trying everything the doctor recommended using a paste of a few things. I used a good diaper rash ointment (butt paste), hydracordizone (benadryll) and anti fungal creme (buy the store brand). Do equal parts of all, mix and put on the bottom, it worked great for us (i made a small batch and kept it in a little container).

I highly recommend Vusion prescription diaper cream. It is very expensive ($50 with my insurance), but it works wonders. My 14 month old daughter had severe diarrhea for a month due to food allergies and this cream worked within 2 days. She would not sit down in the bathtub, her rash was so bad. Within a week her rash was completely gone and did not come back. Our allergist prescribed it.

Also, my son (4 yrs.) takes Benefiber (1tsp./day) for painful bowel movements and it seems to help.

Hi T.,

Prune juice is a better fiber for your youngster than Benefiber and a lot tastier and cheaper. The milk switch could definitely be a culprit. 2% milk is more processed than whole milk so there are more added chemicals and that will always mess up the digestive tract. Is there a reason for the switch? The fat content is really negligible when you consider the little one's complete diet.

Also, Miralax is only for short term use and I think you may have passed that mark with a month. Slippery Elm root can be purchased at a health store and is safe for long term use and can be used safely with even infants. It will also balance the digestive tract not just heal the constipation.

Let me know if you are interested in a perfect diaper creme. It won't get to the root of the matter but it will definitely heal the problem while you are investigating the cause.

God bless!

M.

T.,

For the constipation give him prune juice. Mix it with another juice if you need to. It will work quicker and less invasive. I assume by your email your son is probably about 2 (guessing due to the potty training, talking and milk - LOL!). I would start out with 2 oz or so. Also, if he likes raisens - try straight prunes. My oldest loved them!!!

As for the diaper rash. I don't know that the milk would be an issue, but it is obviously too much acid in his urine. Has he been drinking more juice and less water? Try increasing his water in-take and be careful of fruits/juices that have more acid in them.

Good luck and happy thanksgiving!

For such a persistent diaper rash, I'd be worried that it's yeast. The lotrimin someone mentioned should help with that. Certain foods like tomatoes and citrus are acidic so you might want to pay attention to what he's eating and cut back on those things.

Unless he's suddenly drinking lots more milk and eating more dairy, I'd be surprised if the change in milk was the culprit causing his constipation. Eating more things with fiber, like fruit and drinking lots of water will probably help some.

Poor baby! Both of you. Okay, go to your pediatrician, ASAP is one thing. I was allergic to diapers when I was a baby and that happened to me, according to my mother. My daughter could only use Huggies and my son reacted very badly to Pampers. Change diaper brands. If that doesn't help, try cloth ones. Horrid and messy, I know, but still. Let him soak in warm water perhaps with an oatmeal mix in it, NO WIPES! They hurt and, honestly, the best rash ointment I found was by accident: Target Brand diaper rash ointment. Let him go without diapers some when possible and see if that helps.
Be careful of powders. They can stick to the red and hurt. A lot.
It could be the milk. My daughter had problems with milk, too, for awhile. My godson did, too, come to think of it. And it was when we switched kinds. Go to your pediatrician and explain it all. Good luck, sweetie.

Dear T.,
As far as the rash, have you tried sprinkling in his pull up or diaper a little Corn Starch. Argo has a great corn starch and it will usually clear up a severe rash with-in 2 days if sprinkled on the area! My girls still use it when they get rashes! I hope this helps! Just remember it has to be Corn Starch, not baking soda ect.. God bless you all..
Kathy N.

Baking Soda 1/2 cup in his bath. We also use tea tree oil, it is a natural anti-fungal. We use only Aquafor by Eucerin on our daughter.
We also use probiotics. Acidophilus or lactobicillus. Look into it, will help with constipation.

i had a similar problem with my daughter.. as for the diaper rash, i would put vinegar in her bath water. vinegar helps with any funal/yeast problems. i would also alternate Baileys Butt Paste with corn starch. if that doesnt help, bring you lil one to the pedi and see what they have to offer. i know it worked for me... sooo.. hopefully it will help!
i would recomend changing your diapers or maybe even wipes. just to see if it helps.
my daughter JUST (like last week) had a constipation issue. i found at publix that pedilight makes a pedia-lax med. its a chewable tablet. my daughter is 16 months old. i gave her ONE tablet and she had a BM 1 hr later. i had tried the prune juice, epsom salt, water flush, all of it. but that pedia-lax did the trick.
good luck!

I have a local source of goats milk and I give it to my 2 small children. It does not constipate and is suppose to be much better for you. Also when my daughter had diaper rash for a very long time, i finally asked the midwife and she told me to get some nystatin, and it worked more than wonders

My son gets constipated as well so potty training him to go poop in the potty was a struggle. I took his portable dvd player in the bathroom and that's the only way he would poop in the potty. I tried stickers, small toys, nothing worked except this.
M.

Has the doctor checked to see if he might have a yeast infection? We have yeast all over our bodies and it can take hold in an opportune moment such as a damp environment like wet diapers.

I would try to regulate his constipation using anything but meds. You want his body to work without the meds. Up his water intake, raisins, let him snack on raisin bran cereal, they even make high fiber pop tarts (Fiber One) but do look up the recommended amounts of fiber for his age so you don't overload his system.

T.
This really is two different problems. the diaper rash i swore by desitin and if a very generous covering of that everytime you diaper doesn't clear it in a day or two check with the doctor.

Constipation- it important you fix this right away. Changing the diet is the easiest way to fix constipation before giving medication. Like the other posts say raisins, prunejuice( try mixing with sprite to make it taste better) - NO bananas, apple juice, cheese and that should help. Constipation is soemthing you need to closely monitor b/c you don't want your son to start thinking if I poop it hurts and then start with holding the poop- that is a vicious cycle.

Young children just don't get the cause and effect of if you let me change you right away you rash will get better soon. Good luck!

Same thing has happened with our little guy (he is 16 months). Turns out he developed an egg allergy and/or intolerance. I would try eliminating foods one at a time and see if you can narrow it down to a particular food. As soon as we eliminated eggs, the problem went away. His rashes were raw and painful along with watery poops. Hope this helps and Good luck.

1st : THE BEST diaper rash cream that SERIOUSLY works OVERNIGHT is Dr. Smiths! My son had such a rash after trying out a food for the first time that his whole bum area was bleeding! Called our Doc and he told us about it. It is expensive - $8 for a 3 oz tube I think - but let me tell you - we put it on him around 7PM, and by the morning he had only a trace of a rash left - WE WERE FLABERGASTED! IT's amazing stuff!!!!

2nd - if he had whole then the switch to 2% shouldn't be the culprit.

3rd - Try some warm (no water added) Apple juice - straight apple juice will make them poo, as well as the warming of their insides. It's just like Hot Apple Cider, we always got some Cider to drink along with our boys to make it fun! Also cut out bananas and any other constipating food until he's "cleaned out" then slowly add them back into his diet

Good Luck Mama :) Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Get him on probiotics right away. A high quality one is called I-Flora for Kids. Get him off milk and soy. Benefiber is much better thwn Miralax but try to find out WHY he is constipated instead of covering the problem. Get him NAET tested for allergies. He is definatley allergic to foods. He may have a yeast infection right now so he may need MOnistat or Nystatin, but to keep him clear, take the suggestions above.

When my son turned a year, he suddenly got his first diaper rash. It was awful...red, raw and weepy. He would get little scabs even. Poor guy.

We tried all the over the counter products we could find. Cultured for yeast. Tried prescription diaper creams. Changed powders. Tried diaper free time in his kiddie pool to get fresh air on the skin. You name it, we tried it. For 6 long weeks we could not get it cleared up.

Out of desperation I switched from pampers to luvs and it healed up! Somehow, something in the pampers was irritating him.

We've continued to use Luvs and when anything starts to look like a hint of diaper rash, I've found Triple Paste is the best diaper cream, although expensive. (Blue and white box, available at Target, babys-r-us and Publix among other places.)

Miracles Maternity in Gainesville has an organic diaper rash/first aid soap that is wonderful. We've used it for diaper rash and chaffed skin.

Yes,the milk could be the cause. Consult his pediatrician. As for the diaper rash, you should wash him with a soft soap and water at all changes. Do not use baby wipes, as they can get the condition worse. Pat him dry and apply Balmex or Desitin, or even petroleum jelly and a dusting with cornstarch. If he can remain diaperless for a while, even better. You don't mention his age but potty training a boy before he is ready (around two) is mostly a waste of time.

Poor thing!! These are my tried and proven methods.

Diaper rash: Wash, try well, light sprinkling of baby powder to make sure the area is VERY dry, coat with Bag Balm (available by skin care products in CVS).

Constipation: No cheese, milk or bananas. three prunes each day until things get moving. My daughter is so sensative that 3 bites from a banana will stop her up for 2 days.

Good luck.