Home Treatment for a Severe Diaper Rash

Updated on September 19, 2011
C.L. asks from San Francisco, CA
30 answers

My 1 year old has a severe diaper rash. I was wondering if anyone has any home remedies for me to try.

I am already using a wet cloth and water to clean his butt. I know to air dry as much as possible. He hates soaking but we do it. I only use Destin.

Am I leaving anything out? I've read about a chamomile and oatmeal bath. Anyone try that? I've read to use before applying Destin to use either Vitamin E or Lasinoh. Anyone try that?

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T.N.

answers from Albany on

Don't know why, but my ped suggested to dab a little Phillips Milk of Magnesia on a particularly wicked case of diaper rash. Worked like a charm!

:)

3 moms found this helpful
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S.Q.

answers from Los Angeles on

Lansinoh is great. I've used it on diaper rashes, bleeding chapped hands, nipples etc. It seems to work overnight! My butcher's apprentice had terrible trouble with. Happed and sore hands from the constant washing and cold, and he tried lansinoh on my recom endation. He said it was a miracle! Lol. It's wonderfully gentle.

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K.S.

answers from Dallas on

lanisoh works very well as it is for cracked sore skin...also I use desitin & then a layer of petroleum jelly over that to keep the desitin on the skin longer instead of rubbing right off...if you breastfeed breastmilk also works well

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S.H.

answers from Honolulu on

Make sure, it is not a Yeast infection rash.
Typical diaper rash ointments, will not get rid of it. And it will get worse.

take him to the Doctor, to get it diagnosed.

3 moms found this helpful
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E.W.

answers from New York on

make sure you dont rub- just pat the area with water and cotton ball/pad. Also try Aquiphor. Its the Best!! my son had a pretty bad rash that was raw in spots and cleared it up quick.

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K.I.

answers from Oklahoma City on

I just to put my oldest DD in chamomile baths and did work. and aveeno has some special bath powders that will help...so maybe natural oat will work too , just blend until powder , and let him sit for as long as he want to.

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L.F.

answers from San Francisco on

poor guy! take 1% hydrocortisone and vasoline, make a paste and apply several times a day. Let him run around without diaper as much as possible. Also, make sure its not a yeast infect. In that case, use gynlotrimin and vasoline and make a paste of that. You should see improvement within 1 day. If not, call doctor and get in to be seen. GL

M

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B.E.

answers from New York on

Try A & D ointment. I remember having to switch to that even though I preferred dealing with Desitin. Make sure the baby is completely dry before putting it on.

See the doc if the diaper rash is really bad...

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A.V.

answers from Washington DC on

1. Nekkid butt time.

2. Combo of diaper cream (I like A&D with aloe), neosporin and lotramin (can be generics) to kick the 3 main causes of diaper rash.

3. Try Aveeno Oatmeal Bath soak.

4. Try another brand of diaper and don't let him go long between changes.

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A.F.

answers from Allentown on

We just had a bad diaper rash with my 6 week old. I called the Dr and they asked if it was bubbly...I said no. They said it was most likely a yeast infection rash. They suggested Flanders Buttock Ointment. It works wonders! It is not sold in regular drug stores. We got it at the drug store in the hospital. Not sure where else to find it but worth the effort! Its specifically for this type of rash...worth a call to the dr to find out what they say and possibly where to get it. Good luck! Hope the little guy finds some relief soon!

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D.R.

answers from New York on

as long as you are sure it isnt yeast, the thing that worked best for us was a baking soda bath, dont rinse, pat dry, and just vaseline or aquaphor. and/or breastmilk. no wipes, as you know. nothing with fragrance. no soaps/shampoos for now, if you must, then just some unscented sensitive skin dove. no citrus food/drink. im not sure why you are soaking? i never heard that, it seems kind of counterproductive to me, unless its something i dont know? i would just do a quick bath with the handful or so of baking soda.

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M.B.

answers from Austin on

Boudreaux's Butt Paste is really good, also.... and there are a couple of other ones like that, but I can't remember the name of them right now.

If there is still Desitin visible, don't feel like you have to get all of that off... just use plain water to wipe the urine or stool off, and apply more desitin.

We also used A&D ointment...

If it is a really severe diaper rash, you may need to go to the doctor... don't worry, they won't think you are being neglectful if he has a diaper rash.. but some rashes do need a prescription cream, either an antibiotic cream or yeast infection cream. My grandson would sometimes get one so bad that his poor butt was bleeding! (These could just pop up overnight... we think it was in reaction to things he ate, but never really figured it out...)

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E.B.

answers from Seattle on

oat meal bath........make sink full and let him have at it......You can use a rubber maid tub....That way it is easier to clean up.

Wet Chamomile tea bag:) you can apply directly to rear end if you would be able to get him to go with it for a bit.

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A.L.

answers from Sacramento on

My 8 month old had a pretty bad rash. We used pure cornstarch and it went away pretty quick.

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L.A.

answers from Austin on

We used a hair dryer on cool. Lay her on a towel naked on her tummy. Sometimes I would hold her in my arms, while our husband used the hair dryer on her.

My mom swears that corn starch works great.. but doctors say no to use powders with an infant. (they can inhale it) but it works.

I used to lay a cloth on our daughters face like peek a boo when I used the corn starch on her bottom then diaper her as fast as possible. . ..

1 mom found this helpful

M.P.

answers from Provo on

Baking soda in the bath tub. It helps keep the redness down. I use California Baby diaper rash cream and I LOVE it!! It's at target. Also CJ's but you might have to find a local cloth diaper retailer for that. It is some amazing stuff!
What I used to do before I cloth diapered was use a towel and wrap it around him and only play on the tile or in the baby bath tub. Cotton breathes where disposables don't at all. You need as much air as possible.

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D.S.

answers from Houston on

this is probably a yeast infection. take him to the doctor. if you are starting table foods no fruit and if wic has him on juice take him off of it. he only gets really watered down cherry. Mine had this problem cherry juice has the least amount of sugar in it. I water it down 3/4 water and 1/4 juice and he only gets a cup a day. Also only whole wheat bread , brown rice and pasta and up his protien. double his protien. only whole grain crackers. Arbonne diaper rash ointment works wonders on yeast infections. So much I signed up to get the discount on it. It is the only diaper rash ointment I will use.

Also consider a possible allergy to diapers that you are using. I kept mine yeast infection free for 1 1/2 yrs till I went to pull ups. then they came back. I also use sensative skin wipes. jock itch meds worked on my oldest but not on my youngest. monistat 7 also worked on my oldest but not my youngest. NO CORN STARCH IN THE AREA. if it is a yeast infection corn is sugar and sugar fuels yeast infections. In fact take corn out of his diet if he is getting any table foods. No juice or fruit if he is on table foods. If you need more info if he is on table foods pm me.

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J.C.

answers from San Francisco on

Try the Lansinoh...I did that when my daughters got really bad! Also, Aquaphor works wonders....I still use this on my daughters when they get rashes (almost 4 and 5 yos) and it works great 8-)

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K.P.

answers from San Francisco on

California Baby Calming Diaper Rash Cream is excellent and even their Calendula cream works on everything!

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L.B.

answers from Chicago on

Coconut oil or colloidal silver spray from the health food store works great. My daughter had silent reflux & her poops were very acidic & if she was not changed immediately after a BM she would get a rash.

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A.B.

answers from Sacramento on

If it is really severe, you need to switch to using an anti-fungal (like Lotrimin) a few times a day, and then using a steroid (like Hydrocortisone) a couple times a day. I had to do this with my son when he had a chronic rash that wouldn't go away no matter what diaper, rash cream, etc I tried. (he was 6 mos and this went on for about 2 mos) I finally switched to cloth diapers and bam-- the rash was gone within 24-48hrs. I think he had an issue with plastic/paper diapers. The Lotrimin and Hydrocortisone works, but with my son it still was coming back as soon as we would stop the meds. The Dr had told us it usually clears up with those for most kids. Good luck!

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S.M.

answers from San Francisco on

Use Butt Paste it works great.

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A.B.

answers from San Francisco on

I could only get my son's to go away when I used Neosporin!

G.K.

answers from San Francisco on

I agree about the anti-fungal. We never consider it because it's a boy, but boys can get yeast infections, too! My son used to get a yeast infection like clockwork 2 days after getting vaccinations, but with some Lotrimin and Desitin, it would be gone in 3-4 days. My daughter gets them more regularly, and the Lotrimin never worked, so we had to get an Rx for Nystatin.

If his butt has red, raised bumps, or the color is an angry red, chances of yeast are VERY good. You can always check with your ped to be sure.

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A.H.

answers from San Francisco on

When my son (22 mos) gets an "owie bottom," this is what I do:
1. Oatmeal bath. Use Aveeno (or generic brand) Colloidal Oatmeal. You can buy it in the drug store. Use half a packet in a warm bath and let them soak as long as they can handle. You can also just apply the warm water to his bottom with a washcloth if he won't sit in the water. No soap, then pat him dry with a clean towel.
2. Put him in a cloth diaper with no diaper cover. Many Dr.s recommend letting them go bare-bottomed as much as is reasonable, but with the cotton cloth diaper there is a lot of air circulation and you're still safe if there's a pee-pee. It's also very soft so he can sit down anywhere without getting scratched. I let him toddle around in this as long as possible.
If you don't have cloth diapers, use an old soft t-shirt. Anything soft cotton will help.
If the rash ISN'T yeast, this will help.
I think the cream is optional. If the rash is really raw, the cream will help, otherwise, I think fresh air is the best remedy.
Good luck!

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M.B.

answers from Dayton on

I've heard of a Maalox mix to use, but I don't remember what all goes in it (I'm sure Google could tell you ;) ). Other than that you can try OTC jock itch cream to see if it's yeast (that's what my dr told me to get) or Resinol or Pinxsav. Pretty much the Resinol and Pinksav are the same thing and they work wonders! Anytime one of those didn't take away the rash, I knew it was yeast.

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T.R.

answers from San Francisco on

My doctor suggested using the hair dryer on a low and warm setting to completely dry my son's privates and tush at diaper change. It made difference and the rashes did not seem so bad after that.

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G.B.

answers from Oklahoma City on

We often used straight up antiacid straight from the bottle onto the little hiney with a cotton ball. It dried on and stopped the acid burning of the skin.

Like Mallox or Mylanta.

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S.J.

answers from San Francisco on

This is a weird one, but worth a shot.

Try a larger diaper. My son had really bad diaper rash as a newborn and we were working with the Dr on it and all were stumped. Then I, through some sleep deprived reason, tried diapers 2 sizes up (so he was 2 months and in size 3 or 4) and everything cleared up within a week.

S.

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R.W.

answers from San Francisco on

Sounds very much like a yeast infection. Try mixing hydrocortisone 1% with micanozole 2% every other change. Use Calmoseptine the other times. This cleared my son up in less than 24 hours and he was at the point that there were sores and a tiny amount of bleeding! Try this and I promise your boy will be on the mend and much happier!

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