Major Diaper Area Rash

my son also had a rash like this at 18 months old . Nothing helped untill the doctor perscribed ointment used for women with yeast infections . it was cleared up in two days check it out . good luck . J.

Good luck! Everyone gave you great answers. My daughter had similar problems. Let him run around naked a lot. Also, the best diaper cream I found for my daughter is Aveeno. I still use it - she is 3, but does not wipe good - we are working on this problem. So when she gets a rash, it is gone in a day. Also, if it is a yeast, Lotrimin for athletes foot was what my ped recommended.

HI K., Have you tried Aveno oatmeal bath for infants/children?? There are 5 packets per box, you use one per bath. It might just work, as my son had a rash when he was little and after the second or third bath using this the rash was gone and never came back. :) good luck!!

Take the diaper off. The less contact his skin has with the chemicals in the diaper and his own waste, the less area there will be to get inflamed. When not bare-bottomed (see below) use some cotton undies and pants--if necessary use some training pants or cloth diapers (100% natural fibers if possible) with no cover.

Wash his bottom with a gentle soap and water.

Expose his bottom to sun and fresh air for AT LEAST 5-10 minutes after every change of clothing/diaper/pee or poo. The sun has awesome healing properties, so have him hang out bare bottom near a sunny window.

Meanwhile look for the cause of the rash--it could be bacterial, a new reaction to the diapers (or have you recently changed brands) or a food reaction (these can show up any time, so just because he's been fine until now, don't assume it's not the food).

Hope that helps.

K.,
When my first child was born 26 years ago my pediatrician tried everything for her diaper rash and finally gave me Silvadine which made it go away within 24 hours and she had the most severe case he had ever seen, she was so raw she was bleeding. Now I keep it in the house at all times. Not only is it great for diaper rashes but it is fabulous on burns, which is what it is designed for. Ask your pediatrician to order it, you won't regret it.

Hugs,
T.

Hi Kritine,

try triple paste. this cream will take care of it. it is sold at any drug store.

Has he been on antibiotics in the past few months? If so, it could be a yeast infection. My son had one and they take a long time to go away if not treated very carefully on all fronts.
Most importantly, try buying some lotrimin af (yes, the athletes foot cream) and put it on 3 times a day mixed with a really thick diaper cream like desitin. There is an RX version similar to this that is specifically for babies (Vusion) but it's really expensive and the tube is so tiny, I used it up in less than a week and could not get any refills from the pharmacy until the week was up. That's when my dr told me the trick about the athletes foot cream.
The other thing that works is a tiny drop of tea tree oil (literally 1 drop- it's strong) mixed in with desitin.
You also have to make sure he is completely dry before putting his diaper on. Don't use baby powder (corn starch helps the yeast to grow) and don't feed him lots of juice or sweet things. Don't use wipes either as they tend to be really harsh on the skin. Use soft paper towels (like viva) soaked in warm water with a drop of tea tree oil in it.
Or this weekend, why not try letting him go naked (or with a pair of thick cotton training underwear) around the house and let him try sitting on the potty if he wants to. The open air will help dry out the rash and keep him more comfortable. You also have to make sure you wash everything- sheets, towels, changing pad, etc in really hot water and don't use antibacterial soap in the house. The absence of bacteria is what causes yeast overgrowth, which is why yeast infections sometimes come on after antibiotic use. Make sure he is eating lots of yogurt. This will help too. Hope you figure it out!

Another thing that I found to be a good source for figuring out rashes is this website from Baby 411. They have photos of all different kinds of rashes, including yeast diaper rash.
http://www.windsorpeak.com/baby411/rashorama.html

Try using cornstarch. My daughter had a really bad diaper rash. We tried all of the diaper creams and prescription creams from the doctor. The only thing that worked was cornstarch. And try not to use wipes on the rash. I used washclothes with warm water to clean the area. Good luck.

toss some baking so.da into his bath. that will help. also, try plain old regular desitin. not the creamy. not overnight. just plain old regular. check the back of the box for how much zinc oxide. it should say 40%. this is the best cure for that kind of rash. friend's daughter had rash for so long that they were testing for cancer! and this is the one cream that made it go away. worth a shot. good luck.

Sounds like a severe yeast infection. I would suggest a probiotic (powder form - keep in fridge - Whole Foods or Vitamin Shops sell it), give him yogurt and reduce or even eliminate the amount of breads/condiments/yeast that he's eating.

I bet you'll see a difference right away if you do these things.

Good Luck!

Hey K.,

Try no diapers for a few days. If you can get to Target and get cloth training pants they are extra absorbent and are cloth so it will not be so messy if he has accidents. This could be an opportunity for you to begin potty training. Has the doctor tried treating him for yeast. Also the wipes can be irritating it more, just use a cold wet paper towel and pat dry. The baby wipes burn and could be irritating the rash more. If he has a BM I would just put him right into the tub. Keeping the area clean and dry is probably the best bet right now. It could be yeast I would call the doc again and see if he can prescribe something for yeast. I have seen many kids with eczema, it usually is not just limited to the diaper area. Good luck!!!

I'm sure you've tried everything under the sun, but can I recommend washing it with Cetaphil, or a similar soap-free cleanser? When my daughter has a diaper rash, I wash it with cetaphil during her bath, then put Desitin on it, a clean diaper, and send her to bed. It's always at least 80% better in the morning. I'm not saying the Cetaphil will clear it up, but I think it MIGHT help with the itching, just getting it clean...as that area doesn't tend to be cleanest part of a 2 1/2 year old boy. ;-)And Cetaphil won't dry it out, because there's no soap. You can even leave it on if you like.

When my older one was around that age, she had this red hot rash on her body, she complained about it. Her ped gave me Silvodene, which is used on burns, did the trick, ask whoever you see about it.

We just had this issue in our house with our one year old after a stomach bug. We tried everything, ugh I can understand your feelings. The only thing that worked in the end was to let her walk around completely bare bottomed for 2 whole days, and that included at nap time (Not bedtime). She isn't potty trained as you can imagine so we had a lot of clean ups, but it was definetly the best way to go, it worked so much quicker and was a lot easier on her. Good luck!

a light coating of lotrimin always worked for us....good luck

Has he had an antibiotic recently? It could be a yeast infection. Give him yogurt, it cant hurt. Also keep him naked as much as possible.

Haven't seen this myself, but I had a friend whose little boy had a diaper rash that wouldn't go away...and it was a yeast infection. She treated it with the same over the counter cream that you can get for a vaginal yeast infection.

My grandaughter had eczema all over her arms and legs. She is four months old and my daughter took her to the dermatologist. She told her to pick up Cerave cream. you don't need a prescription. She applies it a few times a day and it totally took away the eczema. It's a wonderful product. She bought it in Wallgreens. You might have to ask the for it, I'm not sure if it was on a shelf or not.
Good Luck

Salt bath.

When all the new ideas fail, go back to the basics!

Run him a warm bath, and for every inch of water in the tub add 1/4 cup of salts (epsom, kosher or table will all work) and let him sit in it for at least 10 minutes. I would recommend 2-5 times a day, as often as you can get him in the tub. Dry him thoroughly after bath and (try) to leave him diaperless for a while afterwards. This should clear it up in 2-3 days.

Good luck!

It sounds to me like it may be a fungal or yeast infection (e.g., a kind of ringworm, which is not a "worm," but the same kind of fungus or yeast that causes athlete's foot, but on the body), not psoriasis or eczema, and if you use a corticosteroid on fungal/yeast infections it (a) won't work and (b) can actually spread it. Hopefully the dermatologist will check once and for all to see if it's a that kind of infection and prescribe something that is for that kind of rash. I'm surprised your pediatrician hasn't done that, actually, particularly if you've said all the things to him/her that you've said here...in my experience as both a mom and someone who has had skin issues most of her own life, the logical test to do after a steroid cream doesn't work is for fungus or yeast -- or even to do a test on the rash BEFORE prescribing something!

I'd say to be sure to ask the dermatologist if there is any chance it could be a fungus infection when you are talking to him/her.

Good luck!

S. :)

Hi K.,

Have you tried a baking soda bath yet? That always helped with my kids. Just a regular tub of water and sprinkle maybe a 1/4 to 1/2 a cup of baking soda in there and swish your hand around to help it mix in well. Have your son just sit in the tub and play for about 10-15 minutes. When I did this, I noticed a hugh difference the next day. Hope it helps. K.

check child for yeast

Hi K. - Happy Valentine's Day!!

Sorry to hear of your son's diaper rash. Arbonne puts out a tremendous baby care line - ABC - the diaper rash cream should do the trick. You can go on line, use my consultant number 17222859 or give me a call at ###-###-#### and I'll be happy to help you.

Warm regards, I.