Baby Has Bad Diaper Rash and Soft Poopies...

A&D is the BEST stuff for a bad rash... so try that. I'm sure a change in water or diet can impact this - the question to also watch though is whether it is diarreaha. My kids had soft in to about age 4-5... (even when as an infant it was hard) -

I am not sure about the poopies because my kids were always that way. In fact I had to give my son a banana every day just to keep him from getting diarrhea. For the diaper rash we put cornstarch on my daughter with every diaper changing. She actually gets mad at us if we forget. It is cheaper than the diaper creams and works better in my opinion.

Worst case scenario: If the poop is slimy and yellow and distinctivly malodorous, it could be c-dif, which is very contagious,and becoming more common. if it is that, you probably have it by now too. C-dif needs an rx for Flagyl or Vancomycin along with probiotics.
Hopefully it is just diet or water related. Of course you probably know by now, breastfed babies poops are softer than formula fed babies, but I just wanted to mention that lest some new breastfeeding mom out there reading this panics!
Have the health dept test your water. You might need to boil it first, or use bottled water. (which I don't usually recommend, BTW, d/t the gradual breakdown of the plastic, releasing chemicals into the water, but it might be needed in your case.)
Diaper rash is usually (but not always) caused by yeast, which can be systemic as well as localized. C-dif also causes a bad diaper rash. Plain yogurt, or acidophylis (or bifidophylis for infants under 12 mo.) Helps keep those yeasty beasties under control. U
Use a moisture barrier (I like Vaseline's Constant Care Moisture Barrier best, but there are other brands) this will protect the skin from the irritants in the poop or even pee. Keep them well slathered, change diaper frequently, leave diaper off whenever possible to let light and air to the area, since germs thrive in dark, warm moist places.
No matter what the cause of the diaper rash, using plain corn starch to powder the diaper area, esp. the creases helps avoid diaper rash in the future.

Flanders Buttocks Cream works well on diaper rash. You can special order it at Walgreens. That is what Vanderbilt Neonatal Intensive Care uses on preemies. Soft stools can be caused by diet. My kids always had trouble with diarrhea and diaper rash when they drank too much juice. If you are concerned about the water change to bottled water. You can also contact the water department and ask about the water.

Try bottled water for a while before investing into something bigger. If your whole family is drinking tap water, and she's the only one effected by it, it must be something else going on. It sounds like her back teeth may be coming in. They cause more trouble than the front ones in regard to the poop texture and scent. As far as the rash goes, try the ointments named in the other posts, but also keep watch for blistering or really shiny spots in the rash. General redness is treatable with over the counter stuff, but a shiny or blistery rash is generally a yeast infection and needs a prescription from your doctor. My babies (both boys and girls) got these pretty easy when they were cutting teeth. With the prescribed creams it cleared up within a matter of a day or two. Once you've seen a yeast infection it will be easier to detect the next and treat more quickly. A lot of new moms miss the signs of a yeast infection; most don't realize that a baby can get one. (I know I didn't.) Yeast infections are very painful and don't respond to A & D ointment or any over the counter creams. It's a matter of getting the baby's ph back in balance.
I hope your little one doesn't have it, but if she does it can be mended pretty quickly with the right meds.
Good luck!
Lora

If they're just soft and not continual diarrhea it's probably nothing but you could give her less juice maybe for a couple of days to see if that helps. For the rash, try giving her a lukewarm soak in a mixture of water with a few tablespoons baking soda and try Lotrimin AF (get it at the drugstore and follow the instructions, just don't use too much or more than 4 times a day). My 14 month old had problems with rashes when she would take antibiotics and that always worked. If your daughter isn't appearing sick and the stool is just soft and not watery, probably nothing to worry about but you could always check by calling the doc.

We have the same thing here with our three kids (18mths, 3, & 5). I think it is part of a virus that is going round. I was sick myself with vomiting, diarrhea, and nausea, aching in whole body for about 8 days! If they just have soft poop, then you are very lucky!!

Check your water, there could be bacteria in it. If there is, you'll have to invest in a filtering system or start buying bottled water.

hi. for the bad rash, you can use mylanta, just pour it onto your DD after you change her diaper. that is what my ped recommended when my DS had one and i use it every time, it goes away by the next day. you can also let her soak in the bath with warm water and baking soda for about 10-15 mins.

Hi I would stop using the tap water for everything except for cooking and switch to bottle water. As for the diaper rash I find that aquafuor (spelling not sure of) works the best. I use it on my son diaper rash and ezcama and it works great. Hope this helps a little.

Since I am very sensitive to different water, I would not be surprised if the water is the cause of the problem. Do you have a filtration system? You could purchase one for on the faucet or a pitcher that you fill and then refrigerate if you would like. Or you could purchase a couple gallons of water from the grocery and use that for a day or two and see if there is a difference.

Poop will fluctuate based on diet, but diaper rash needs to be cared for. Go see your doctor. He/She may be able to provide an ointment.
Clean her bottom gently and thoroughly, allow her to get some air down there. These hot days are pefect for that. I remembeer the days of laying my little one down on an incontinent pad so his diaperless bottom could get some air.

Find out what's up with your water!! What do you mean it's supposed to be bad???

R. K.

I am a SAHM too, but my daughter is now 16 years old! I am a pharmacist and recommend ABC Arbonne Baby Care Herbal Diaper Rash Cream...I've had many moms rave about how well it works. I promote health instead of treat disease and have and Arbonne biz...I have a special for Mamasource members in Mama Perks. My biz name is Princess Provisions...www.teresabennett.myarbonne.com
or email ____@____.com...Sincerely, T.

Changing the water formula or anything your daughter is drinking is bad for her. It is sometimes hard on adults but worse on babies. I suggest that you buy bottled water for her for a while. For the diaper rash, after 3 kids, I have found the very best thing is to clean the childs bottom 3-4 times daily with the bottome completely emersed in water with lots of soap and a wash rag. Rinse completely and pat dry with a clean towel. Apply liberally a medicine called Aquaphor. It is a kicked up version of Vasoline. Vasoline also works but Aquaphor works best. I have found that even very bad rashes or chapped body parts are better the next day. This stuff is expensinve. I paid 16.00 for 14ozs. It is very worth it.

Hope that helps. Good Luck!!!!

It could be your water, which you should probably have tested. You may want to look into getting a water filtration system. Of course, it could be something she ate or just a virus too.

For the diaper rash, my daughter had bad diaper rash when she was very little and nothing seemed to work aside from Huggies Liquid Powder. It was recommended to me by someone else, and I'd never heard of it so I figured it wouldn't work, but it is AWESOME! It's pretty hard to find though.

Old tried and true diaper rash ointment.. mix cornstarch, NOT POWDER ( no powder down there for lil girls) , and vaseline! This saved my life when mine was small!

Good Luck hon!!

Okay, this is going to sound crazy, but is your daughter teething by any chance? The texture, smell and rash all sound so familiar, and one of our doctors even acknowledged that so-called "teething diapers" do happen and they are some of the nastiest diapers! I would definitely dig into the other responses and advice, but keep the teething in mind in case nothing else pans out.

Also, the only thing that has worked on the rashes caused by teething - at least for my kids - has been Resinol. It's OTC, but you do have to ask the pharmacist for it. It's not cheap, but it doesn't take much, and it's worth every penny for us, especially since it also works on thing like cuts and burns.

Maybe change to bottled water? I know for the first year of my son's life we were on well water, and the doc said to mix his formula ONLY with bottled water that I got at Babies R Us (or you can get it in the grocery store, but it's marked for babies).

My daughter just went through this also. I would first elimate the tap water, and all fruit except bananas. Give her 1 yogurt a day and one banana from now on-not only is it healthy but the yogurt fights the bacteria causing the diaper rash and the banana will help solidfy the stool. If she wants to feed herself give her the drinkable yogurt (vanilla or banana flavored) in her sippy cup with whole milk to top it off. To clear her rash up: after every stool, give her a bath and clean her with soap and water, then after drying, slather her bottom in butt paste and top it with vasoline after every stool! This should clear it up in a couple of days.

I continue to give my daughter 1 yogurt a day and her diaper rash has not returned!

L.,
I am a pediatric nurse and can offer some rather strange advice...diaper ointments vary and many are good - I would recommend Aquaphor as well, but another is any brand of Butt Butter which is a creamy concoction. One of the doctors I used to work with formulated a prescription with zinc oxide and colestipol if you have a formulating pharmacist around.

Ok, here is the weird part - and I am hesitant to recommend for little boys because you don't want a strangulated testical (would be rare and really difficult to obtain with this trick, but have to cover all bases for others reading this). But the trick is to slather the ointment of your choice on their bottom and then put small pieces of saran wrap on the ointment. Then when the child poops again this helps protect the skin. Many times the skin is burned, sore to touch, clean, etc so this helps assist in healing. You will be amazed at how quickly it will heal when protected.

The other advice - open to air was also good. It's summer which makes running in the buff easier!!! Wouldn't treat for yeast until last resort.

Hope this helps!
Best of luck!
E., RN

Mother of 12 year old son, 23 year old daughter, Registered Nurse, and home business owner and Health Coach with Health and Nutritional Company (I help others deal with stress, toxicity, increasing energy, weight loss, improving athletic performance and more!)

L. it sounds like your baby is teething and if the other baby is about the same age she probably is too. It could be a virus but teething will definitely change the consistancy of the bm and cause a bad diaper rash. I would use a lot of vaseline as a barrier or any kind of diaper creme that is thick but not pasty. This could make it difficult to wipe off. there are several on the market. Also let your babys butt breathe for a few minutes when you change her. If the rash lasts more than a couple of weeks she probably needs to be seen or if she is really irritated. Also look at the gums to see if you can see a tooth
G. C