Is Desitin Safe for 2 Week Old?

At the baby care class I took at the hospital, they recommended using petroleum jelly with every diaper change to avoid a rash. We did that with my daughter (and still do, as a matter of fact), although I was nervous about the petroleum products so I eventually switched to something else. The only time she's had diaper rash is when she was teething and had diarrhea for almost 2 weeks.

I've used Wee Rub, Boudreaux's Butt Paste, petroleum jelly, Bag Balm, and the Burt's Bees diaper rash cream. Personally, I think they all worked the same, you just pick the one that smells the best to you! Oh, and I'd stick with the ones in a tube instead of tub - I hated the stuff getting stuck underneath my fingernails when I scooped it out of the tub.

Honestly, the best thing that cleared it up was advice from my nanny. She said to use a little bit of baby powder after putting on the cream. They had told us not to use baby powder in the class because it's bad for their lungs, and with a girl it can get into the crevices. What my nanny suggested is putting the powder in your hand first, not directly onto the baby, and then placing it onto the diaper area. If you read the ingredients, most baby powders are talc-free now, and talc was the thing that's bad for their lungs. If you turn to the side and put it in your hand first, there isn't a big cloud floating through the air. We used a Burt's Bees baby powder that was in one of the gift baskets someone gave me. It cleared up the rash right away, faster and better than any of the creams have.

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I would ask his doctor. I never put thought into putting Desitin on any of my kids and all THREE had diaper rash in the first weeks of like outside the womb. I used Desitin and A&D ointment on all three. They all had rashes for like the first month and then none there after, but I didn't think about the safety of it, I just assumed that it was made for baby bottoms and it would be okay. I would ask for sure! Also you might want to switch to sensitive wipes and those made for new babies! CONGRATS on your new addition.

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I used it on my baby when he was about that old. Didn't seem to have a problem. Ask the doc if you're really worried. I've also used a hydrocortizone for really bad rash and it worked too. Good luck.

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depending on the type of rash, the desitin could make it worse. i am a huge fan of aquafor for diaper rash/prevention. I've been using it on my 3yr old since day one.

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I would ask your pediatrician first. On a side note, many baby wipes are very harsh on a baby's skin. Try rinsing his bottom with just plain water and air drying for a while. Or use a sensitive wipe like pampers sensitive. good luck.

Hi G.,
I do think Desitin is safe, it's definately better than not using it if he has a diaper rash. My doctor recommended Aquaphor, it is more of an ointment than a cream. I use it for diaper rash, any other rash and cuts and scrapes. It is very mild. Hope this helps.

K. W

Hi G.,

The main thing to be caustious about when applying any product to your baby is the ingredients in the product. Some ingredients, even in baby care, have been shown to be toxic. For example: Johnson's Baby Shampoo contains Quaternium-15, which is a formaldehyde releaser.

You can go to www.cosmeticsdatabase.com to look up any products, baby or adult, to see what the ingredients are and the hazard rating. It is a site by the Environmental Working Group and a very good reference to help you choose the best and safest. FYI, A&D Diaper cream had a 4 rating, which means moderate hazard, but as you click through the rest of the items the hazards increased and...

Ingredients in this product (A&D Diaper Creme)are linked to:
Cancer
Developmental/reproductive toxicity
Violations, restrictions & warnings
Allergies/immunotoxicity
Other concerns for ingredients used in this product:
Neurotoxicity, Persistence and bioaccumulation, Organ system toxicity (non-reproductive), Miscellaneous, Irritation (skin, eyes, or lungs), Enhanced skin Absorption

Here's the link to this product:

http://cosmeticsdatabase.com/product.php?prod_id=48141&am...

Desitin was at the same or higher level depending on which product it was.

I hope this information helps you to make safer choices for your whole family.

T.
Does Your Home Contain Toxins?
www.sharethecause.com/T.

My doctor advised against Desitin. I would only use if if my children had severe daiper rash that is NOT dry. For daily use, I prefer Bag Balm. if the rash is a little more than Bag Balm can handle I switch to Lansinoh(the cream made for your craking boops when nursing). And ontl if that doe sn't work, i try Deisitn-alternating with Lansinoh (so that their skin doe snot dry to the extent that they are irritated again).

Not sure about Desitin, I've never used it. But Petroleum Jelly works great for getting rid of/treating diaper rash. It's all I've used on my son.

When my 4 year old was a baby she got rashes a lot. I used every product out there and they all just made the rash worse. We were told by my pediatrician to use plain ole corn starch. Worked like a charm. We would just sprinkle a little onto her diaper and the rash would go away pretty quickly. If you want to use baby powder, I would suggest to use the powder that has no scent, and has corn starch in it. You can also make sure that the wipes you are using are either the "sensitive" type, or that they contain no dyes or scents. All of those chemicals just make a rash worse. I hope that helps

Good luck!!

L.

I was told not to use this type of product when my son was born. He had a diaper rash fairly soon there after. I spoke with another doctor and she told me to use it. She thought I was nuts for not doing so. My son is now 20 and I used a&d throughout his diaper days. As far as I can tell there were no ill side effects.

I used it on my son, but he was about 2 months old when he got diaper rash...definitely call the doctor if you're concerned. I'm not sure how effective those creams really though, I liked using just corn startch powder and air drying.

Also, Aveeno has a great diaper cream that I love and is very good with sensitive skin.