C.G. asks from Easton, PA on August 24, 2006
I Need a Diaper Rash Remedy!!
Hi girls-
My 2 1/2 year old has been struggling with a diaper rash all summer long. It gets better and seems to go away and then as soon as she's near a pull-up of any sort it gets worse again. It seems to get worse each time. I've had her to the doctor and she said my girl is 'allergic' to pull-ups- which is ok with me, I get that she shouldn't wear them. But, we were away this weekend and my mom had her in a swim diaper and the rash is back! I use triple paste, but I'm not having as much success this time as I'd like. SO, I have 2 questions:
1. What home remedies do you guys have that work magic on raw bottoms?
2. What can I do to keep the pool water clean while she's swimming? (We have a pool party this weekend!?)
Thanks!
C.
So What Happened?™
The rash is getting better! I'm using a combination of triple paste (love this stuff) and pure cornstarch (the kind you cook with). Right after her first diaper with the cornstarch, she smiled at me and said "that feels better, mommy". WOO-HOO! The cornstarch seems to be helping. We've also been doing a LOT of naked baby time! I bought some lotrimin just in cas this doesn't clear it all the way up. That'll be my next step. The pharmacist recommended a mixture of lotrimin / cortaid. I'm more comfortable with trying something cheap and natural first before using medicines. As far as the swim party we're going to tomorrow (it's at a friend's house and I would hate for my kid to poop in their pool! YIKES!), I'll put her in some cotton panties and plastic training pants on top. I can't believe I didn't think of that!?!?!? Being a mom really drains all of the brain cells..................
Again, thanks to all from my heart and my daughter's hiney!
C.
Featured Answers
A. answers from Philadelphia on August 24, 2006
Balmex is the only thing that worked when my son had a severe case of diaper rash when he was an infant. I tried all the expensive creams and pastes, nothing else worked. Also, I wouldn't use a baby wipe on her bottom. Even the unscented,Sensitive Ski, no Alcohol, etc, will irritate her and the rash. The best thing that I have found to clean is wet a Viva paper towel with warm water and then slather the Balmex on. Even let her go with out a diaper or put a pair of underwear on and watch her.
For the pool, go out and get her a nylon diaper. You can buy them anywhere and this late in the season I have seen them on sale!
Good luck!
1 mom found this helpful
A.D. answers from Washington DC on August 27, 2006
My boys would get really bad diaper rash. I let them run naked for a day or two and it clears up. I also LOVE buttpaste. It's the only thing that works for my boys.
L.H. answers from Washington DC on August 25, 2006
Dont know about the pool but when my son had a bad diaper rash, I would use A & D ointment if he had something on his butt and as often as possible, I would let him walk around with nothing on at all so that the skin could repair itself. Try allowing her to sleep (at her nap time or something) with something under her to absord the liquid if she uses the restroom but with her bottom exposed so that the air can dry out the affected area.
More Answers
B.H. answers from Washington DC on August 24, 2006
OK, this may seem really bizarre but I tried it a few months ago and it worked wonders for my almost 2 year old daughter.... I "cooked" about 2 cups of flour in a frying pan on the stovetop until it was a deep brown (it smelled wonderful ~ as if I'd been baking!) I then sprinkled some all in the diaper area with each diaper change. She was so uncomfortable that initially I had to sprinkle the flour right onto the dry diaper before getting it on her. The terrible rash (which for her was antibiotic induced) was visably better within a day. I think we must have continued with the cooked-flour for about 3 1/2 days until it was all cleared up. Don't ask me why this worked ~ it was just a suggestion from an aunt and I was desperate to try anything!!
Good luck!!
1 mom found this helpful
J.A. answers from Lewiston on August 24, 2006
In my experience, different things work at different times. We have a battery of products that we used for diaper rash:
1. Bag Balm - stinky, but good
2. Burt's Bees diaper cream, has zinc oxide - this was our standard cream most of the time
3. Palmer's Diaper Cream - smells like chocolate
4. Homemade mixture for really severe rash: 1 part Bag Balm, 1 part zinc oxide, 1 part yeast infection cream (Monistat, Vagisil, etc). I normally don't like pulling out the big guns, but it really helped one month where my son had horrible rashes.
By far, the best cure for diaper rash we've found is naked time. Letting my son air out his butt overnight (sleeping on a waterproof sheet) and leaving him unclothed at home in the evening/on weekends really does the trick. The more natural light exposure, the better!
Best of all, my son just recently started using the toilet on his own (at 3) and now he has no more diaper rash! Yaaay! In fact, he started toileting right after getting an awful diaper rash. He hadn't had one in a long time and this one was a doozy. I told him, "If you would poop and pee on the potty you would never get diaper rash again," and that was it!
Good luck!
Edited to add: One of the other posters reminded me of something! I agree, don't use diaper wipes! Even the "mild" ones have chemicals and stuff in them that your child could be sensitive to. For daycare we would send those kind of commercial wipes, but at home we use flannel wipes and plain water. They work great and are very cost effective. Have you considered cloth diapering? It's a little bit of a hassle when you first start, but once you get the hang of it it's easy peasy and helps a lot toward preventing diaper rash (again, in my experience).
Good luck again! :D
1 mom found this helpful
J.R. answers from New York on August 24, 2006
Bacitracin, cortaid, micatin (for foot fungus) & malox all mixed together is a miracle cure for diaper rash. It worked for my daughter (who is now 8) and I use it for my son (he's 2). I mix it all in a tupperware that way it's always in the closet. As for your pool, try a rubber diaper... the kind you would use over a cloth diaper. When everyone is done swimming, use a shock treatment. Good luck to you and I'll keep my finger's crossed that the weather is nice for you.
1 mom found this helpful
B.D. answers from New York on August 24, 2006
For my daughter the best thing is Triple Paste. You can get it in shop rite or at rite aid, cvs........if it is not out you can always ask the pharmacist b/c they sometimes keep it behind the counter. Its clears the worst of rashes up in little time. And its nice and thick so it lasts. Change her frequetly and if its really bad you can sprinkle some baby powder in the diaper to help absorb moisture. Diaper free time works too! I always use Pampers sensitive wipes but if she gets a rash I try to use a warm squirt bottle and a cloth. Hope this helps! It worked for us and my daughter has very sensitive skin.
1 mom found this helpful
J.K. answers from New York on August 24, 2006
I'm going to make a suggestion since I didnt see it in all the other responses....there is a powder called Zeasorb. I have found it in surgical supply pharmacies. It's expensive (i think so anyway) Both my kids were summer babies and a rash can actually be yeast-based (i think the heat makes it worse...i could be wrong!) and this powder kills it! Can your daughter swim naked? or just with a bathing suit and frequent breaks? Or invest in ONE cloth diaper for the pool - summer's nearly over. Good Luck
J
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J.M. answers from Philadelphia on August 24, 2006
C.,
You have plenty of good advice on the diaper rash so I won't add to that.
But, as for the pool diapers, Target sells the reusable swim diapers and I saw a few there not too long ago but they seem to be getting rid of all of the summer stuff. It won't help for this weekend, but if you can't find them in the stores, you might want to try online. I ordered mine online before I found them in the stores. Here is one website that sells them. But you can do a search yourself and find the best deals.
http://www.babysunprotection.com/shop/prodView.asp?idprod...
The inside is a cotton fabric and we still use them sometimes on my potty-trained son because the inside mesh of his bathing suits gives him a rash.
Good luck!
J.
1 mom found this helpful
A. answers from Philadelphia on August 24, 2006
Balmex is the only thing that worked when my son had a severe case of diaper rash when he was an infant. I tried all the expensive creams and pastes, nothing else worked. Also, I wouldn't use a baby wipe on her bottom. Even the unscented,Sensitive Ski, no Alcohol, etc, will irritate her and the rash. The best thing that I have found to clean is wet a Viva paper towel with warm water and then slather the Balmex on. Even let her go with out a diaper or put a pair of underwear on and watch her.
For the pool, go out and get her a nylon diaper. You can buy them anywhere and this late in the season I have seen them on sale!
Good luck!
1 mom found this helpful
H. answers from Pittsburgh on August 24, 2006
Does she have the same reaction to diapers? There are lots of chemicals in them to help them to be so absorbant and form that gel when wet. They also have bleach in them to make them white. I think there are some diapers that have fewer chemicals or there are cloth.
My son did really well - only thing that worked for him and did so quickly - was Aquaphor Original Ointment. Seemed like Vaseline, but the other didn't help him at all. It helped it to clear up very quickly. He was very sensitive to messy diapers but only sometimes. The rash would break out almost immediately after he went and would be nasty. Aquaphor was great.
I know they have reusable "pull-ups" made from cloth. It's basically a bikini bottom with extra liner. I think they actually make some bathing suits with the special liner and I've also seen them sold separately that you could put under another suit. I know I saw them at Toy's R Us. I think I saw some at K-Mart too. The trick might be if they are sold out at this point in the season.
Good Luck!
H.
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