Recurring Diaper Rash

I understand. It sounds like it might be an allergy. But just in case it isn't here is a few things we did for our son. His got so bad that it would bleed. Here are a few things that we did that really helped.

1. Change diapers. We went through several brands of diapers until we found one that he didn't have a constant diaper rash with.

2. Dr. Smiths Diaper Rash cream. This stuff is wonderful. I tried several brands and once I tried this one I haven't switched back in 2 years.

3. Stop using baby wipes and either use a wet cloth or make your own wipes. Here is the recipe that my pediatrician gave us that worked. Take a roll of paper towels, cut in half. Place in 2 quart rubbermaid. Mix 2 cups water, 2 Tablespoons mineral oil and 2 tablespoons baby oil. Pour over paper towels. close and let soak up. They are now ready to use.

One other thing I found out is that the kind of diaper rash my son was getting was actually an allergy. It was red dots that some would even bleed on. Sometimes it was so bad, his whole bottom would be bright red. It turned out he was allergic to some foods. It happens within a few hours of him eating the allergy usually when he poops. It can take up to 2 days for the food to make through his system. It was trial and error to figure out what the allergy was. I kept track of what he ate and if he broke out, I would look at the foods he ate in the past 2 days and eliminate one and see what happened. My son is now almost 3 and still gets diaper rash when he eats chocolate. I give him a small dose of benedryl and it is cleared up by morning. I also put Dr. Smith's diaper cream on it to help it heal up during the night. Thankfully, he is old enough now to start to understand that chocolate hurts his bottom and won't sneak it or beg for it.

1 mom found this helpful

Try to cut out any juices from her diet since juices can cause runny poop. Desitin Creamy is, by far, the best diaper rash creme I have ever used. I've worked in daycares for a few years now and have experimented with a lot of different ones. Apply it every time you change the diaper, even if she doesn't have a rash. Just a tiny dab to make a thin layer of protection. If you do that for a couple weeks and still no luck. It's def time to take her to the doctor about it. Could be a yeast infection also. May be a good idea to take her in before you try any of that since it's been going on for so long now. Good luck!

I assume you've tried all the various diaper rash cremes? In case you didn't know, due to the dampp conditions in the diaper frequently babies will get a yeast infection on their rear or along their privates that looks similar to a diaper rash or may be in addition to a diaper rash. Regular diaper rash creme may seem to soothe part of it, but unless the yeast infection is taken care of it will return. Just get some very low dose (less than 2% strength) lotrimin creme (best dose is usually that sold over the counter for athelte's foot at around 1%) and apply it every diaper change. It should clear up and will be less harsh and more localized than bleach in the bath.

J., my daughter did the same thing. She probably has very sensitive skin and you need to use Dr. Smith's ointment on her. It is the ONLY thing that worked for us. Also, do not use any baby wipes with perfume. Babysrus had a wipe for sensitive skin and it was very soft and felt like cloth. Even though it is a hassle , please let her air out as much as possible. Put a soft towel under her when possible. The acid in her saliva is what is causing all of this. My dd had loose bowels also and developed a rash around her mouth from all of the saliva. Good luck

I went through the same thing with my daughter. Whenever she would get a tooth, she would have the most horrible rashes. I took her to the doctor and she had both a bacterial infection and a yeast infection. I felt so sorry for her!

First thing I would tell you to do is to take her to her pediatrician. That way you know what you're fighting.

Here's what we did for preventative after the worst one cleared up:

Lotrimin AF (it has to be AF)
Dr. Smith's or Boudreax's Butt Paste or A&D Ointment - they all worked for us
I had to use a brand name diaper - the house brands made things worse
When the rash would start, I would put her in a bath between diaper changings. We had a small inflatable bath tub that I put on the kitchen counter (completely supervised, of course). Sometimes I would put a couple of tablespoons of baking soda in the water. Other times (if I suspected yeast was coming back) I would put about a tablespoon of vinegar in the water. Then I would turn on a Baby Einstein video to keep her occupied while I swirled the water around her bottom. ( I was a stay at home mom so I had the time to do this. I also had to keep her home from Mother's Day Out a couple of times.)
It was a lot of work, but we got through it. And we could keep it under control.

Hope this helps!

It could be a yeast infection. I would take her to the Doc or call and make sure instead of waiting to see what happens. Good luck to you and your little one. God Bless

My daughter had the same problems but much earlier. I had to buy her cloth wipes from Babies R Us. I would only use wipies when we went somewhere. It helped, but did not stop the rash. My pedi gave me a script of Lida Mantle (or something like that) it was almost $100.00 but it worked. I never gave her bubble baths. Bath time was just that, I got her in and got her out. I would not let her play unless she played before I bathed her. Sometimes I would add salt to her water. It was bad also. She was so raw, it would make me cry for & with her. Just make sure you do not irritate her by putting antyhing scented on her. Try the cloth wipes and hopefully that will ease her rash. Oh yea, I could NOT give my baby OJ or Apple Juice becuase in minutes, we were RED. If you do, you may want to dilute with water.

Good luck.

Do you let her take bubble baths or sit in any kind of soap when bathing??? If so you might not want to for awhile and see what happens. Our daughter can not sit any kind of soap,it causes major "we we" problems. Good luck!

You may want to try Caldesen (not sure on spelling) in a pink bottle size container from Walgreens. Worked wonderful for my son.

If she'll eat yogurt try to feed her some everyday. Are you giving her juice? She might not be able to handle that. Try only giving her water for a few days if she does drink juice n see if that helps. Balmex is my favorite butt cream out of the ones I've tried.

I had the same issue.

Call the dr. and ask him for some topical medicine. Do not let him give you the run around about trying Boudreaux's Butt Paste or something. Tell him enough is enough and you need something to soothe her.

Second, change her diaper every hour regardless if it is wet or not. This will help tremendously. Also, if she has been eating acidic fruit, lay off that for a while. This might be irritating her skin.

Third, use wet paper towels instead of wipes. You can just throw these away. I found wipes just irritate the skin and washcloths are a mess.

Fourth, at its worst, let her take a couple of baths a day just to soak the skin. You do not need to bathe her every time with soap. Just let her play. My 9 month old loves playing in the bath so this was no issue.

Lastly, if you can do it, let her go in your husbands t-shirts for a while. I did this to let her bottom breathe and it helped a lot. If you cannot do this, stick with changing the diaper every hour.

I forgot one more thing. I had a book on home remedies. It said to use Crisco white shortening. This actually helped. If you put it in her diaper or on her, it will keep the moisture away. I actually use this now instead of Aquaphor or anything else.

J., I agree that this kind of persistent rash sounds like a yeast infection, which looks like a red rash. Lotrimin is good, but if there's no improvement after 3 days or so you may need a prescription ointment from your doc. Poor Baby!

Hi J., my son had the same problem not too long ago, I had tried every cream for rash that you can imagine. I bought the Dr, Smith at Walgreens or H-E-B is the only place you can find it, and also took him to the doctor and i was told that he had a yeast infection that was the reason for the rash and thats why it wasn't going away, he gave him a med to take oraly and an ointment. Try taking her to her doctor and ask abot her posibly having a yeast infection. Also you can try buying ouintment for yeast infection over the counter, put that on first then over it diaper rash cream and if that helps her you might want to taker in to the doctor for treatment. Hpofuly it work for you like it did with my son. GOOD LUCK!!!!

You should take her to the doctor. It may not be a rash, but a yeast infection. Those are very painful and they need a special cream. My son had them severely when he was in diapers.

I would use tea tree oil on it.

More specifically, Mela Gel from melaleuca.com. It is wonderful and then Renew Lotion will keep it cleared up. Renew got rid of exzema that I had on my face. I use these products from Melaleuca for everything in my home and on my three kids. The liquid Melaleuca Oil even gets rid of my 14 yr old's sinus infections! No kidding.

Good luck,
J.

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www.melaleuca.com

And, oh, I don't really run a business with Melaleuca like some people do, so I am not just telling you this to get your business. I am just a very loyal customer because these products really work! I do get a paycheck that covers my purchases every month because I have helped a handful of people set up their own accounts, so I get all my stuff for free! And, in these days, anything for free is great.

J......Over the counter acidophyllis will treat the problem from the inside out, not just on the outside via a topical cream. I've posted about acidophyllis several times, but it truly does stop the yeast problems, of which, diaper rash is one. Any questions email me direct ____@____.com Hope this helps....Laura

Good morning,
I remember those days! First of all, cut her juices or any drinks with sugar (if there are any!) and see if that helps. Sometimes the acid in the fruit juices is just too much for them. Also, sometimes they will develop a reaction to a new washing powder, diapers, etc. when they have such tender skin. Poor baby! I am sure you are both miserable! Other than that, you could always call your doctor and see what they think about it.Good luck!!

Hi J.,

So many moms will have good remedies for you on this I am sure. We also had bleeding tender spots on our little boy and it broke our hearts seeing it but thankfully we found a WONDERFUL remedy.

(And by the way...YES, teething can affect skin and bowel movements and moods and pretty much everything. My son got very constipated while teething and clingy. Some kids get facial rashes and diarrhea. But most kids get some form of symptoms during the teething thing).

We tried Bourdeaux'z butt paste, Calenedula cream and a few other things to no avail. The calendula cream at least reduced his pain and he tolerated it without tears, but it didn't stop the sores or bleeding. I also swear by calendula for many skin ailments, but it just didn't touch this bleeding sore.

Well, we got one more bit of "old rememdy family advice" and one more suggestion from a homepath. The homeopath suggested raw ALOE PLANT GEL from fresh plant. And the family remember suggested Crisco.

I wasn't in favor of Crisco at first, but my aunt's reasoning was that it provided a superior protection/seal over the open skin and it helped her daughter when nothing else would.

I tried the aloe first, but I would have tried the Crisco had the aloe not worked.

The very first night of applying the aloe we saw his wound be mush less angry and red. He tolerated it well and no tears. By the third day- no more bleeding and his skin was healing wonderfully. We kept using it for about a week and with such great results we decided to keep a plant handy in the event of anything else happening.

You can buy already processed aloe in bottles, but I think the fresh plant is the best thing since it has all it's enzymes and has not been heat treated.

It's not the cleanest of applications. The stuff is gooey to scrape and sqeeze out of the plant leaf, so it can be a little tricky to get a good amount out. There is rather gooey and liquidy gel that comes out. I ended up using a butter knife to scrape it out after trying to squish it out with my fingers first.

You can put as much on as you need, thick or a thin coating, as long as the whole area is covered. You can't overdue it really, as the skin absorbes it or it just dries. It's water soluable and will evaporate.

You just tear a little leaf off and squeeze what you need out. Use up one piece of leaf at a time. As long as you keep watering the plant it will keep growing and be a great tool for any kind of skin burn or ulcer. My husband works outdoors a lot and aloe has saved his skin more times than I can count.

Good luck!

I am with the people that said try lotrimin. Mix a small amount with the diaper cream and apply. Our doctor told us to do that and it really worked. On the diaper creams though my twins were very sensitive and could not use destin or a&d. We used triple paste and dr. browns and they really worked for us. Also my kids can not tolerate tomato products more so when they were cutting teeth. To this day we make our pizzas and order them without sauce and they are great! We also on pasta dishes we limit the sauce. When we did eat it we would make sure that night we would put lots of triple paste or dr. brown pastes on them.

Hope this helps and all clears up soon and if not get to the doctor.

Let us know what happens.

Hey J.,
You dont mention using any diaper rash ointment. You will probably recieve lots of suggestions on that subject, most all are worthy of contenplation. My daughter hasnt had too many episodes of diaper rash in her young life, but when she does, we just use regular ol' Desitan. When she was new to the world almost two years ago, the big stink in the oinment world was Boudreuxs Butt Paste. I must have received 5 tubes at my baby shower. I dont think its works worth a hill a beans. I think that people use it simply because its called what its called (talk about truth in advertising). Regular Desitan or A&D work just fine. Use one if those a day or so and your problem should clear up. I also dont feel that using Vasilene is good either (doesnt let air get in to dry that rash out.
I hope you find the answer that you are seeking...

M. :)

Hi! I just had the same situation. I took my daughter to the dr and he said that I should but Lotrimin lotion from the drug store. It's about $8. He told me to use that along with her regular diaper rash cream. It worked and fast! Also, cut all sugar including juice from her diet.

Good luck and I hope that something works quickly!

what is she eating/drinking? Too much juice or acidic foods/juice can cause bad rashes/burns. Also, I used a light layer of neosporin on my sons' bottoms when they were burned or developed skin breakdown. Over that thin layer I would glop on the diaper cream, usually at bedtime. Then just neo during the day a few times. Usually helped to heal things quickly. You may also want your Ped. to look at her to rule out yeast.

This may sound strange but it works! We tried everything with my daughter at about the same age finally took a strange recommendation as we were at our wits end with no creams, etc working. Put a 1/2 cup or so of baking flour (white flour) in a frying pan over med-high heat stirring constantly until the flour turns brown. Once cooled you can use this flour directly on your childs irratated rash area. It worked wonders for us, hope it does for you too!

WOW J.,
I FEEL SO BAD, I'M SURE THAT MAKES HER VERY CRANKY! I WOULD SUGGEST YOU TAKE HER TO THE DOCOTR, WHEN MY SON HAD A BAD RASH THEY PRESCRIBED HIM AN OINTMENT CALLED "NYSTATIN". IT CLEARED UP QUICK! AND FOR ANY RASH IT WORKED EVEN BETTER! I AM CURRENTLY LOOKING FOR A MORE "NATURAL" OR "HERBAL" WAYS TO HANDLE SMALL MEDICAL SITUATIONS, SO NOW I SHOP AT WWW.MELALEUCA.COM. IF YOU WANT MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE FEEL FREE TO CONTACT ME @ ____@____.com LUCK!

My daughter had awful diaper rashes. Dr. Smith's was definitely the best!!! The pediatrician also can prescribe something, but I found Dr. Smith's to be better than the prescription.

Hi. I would take her in. My son had someting similar to this, and it was a yeast infection.. and it went away in a few days with the right cream. Good luck.

It could be a fungus or a yeast infection. Both are more common nowadays than straight diaper rash. Take her in and get the doc to swab for yeast. You can try a yeast cream like monostat over the counter first if you don't want to go to the Dr. Other Moms say use Lotrimin for the fungus if it isn't yeast. Good luck.

I would get her to the doctor - it could be a yeast infection now - teething doesn't cause a bleeding rash!

I would coat her every hour or so with a thick cream for diaper rash. If that still doesn't work I would ask the Dr. That happened to my son and they gave me a tick steriod cream that seemed to do the trick.

J.,
My son is 2 years old and will still occasionally get a really bad diaper rash where his little bottom gets all red and starts bleeding. I use Boudreaux Butt Paste and it really helps protect his skin. I also make sure to change his diaper often because there are some things that he eats that make his poop acidic and it seems to burn his skin if it stays in his diaper for more than a couple of minutes. Most people I know have gone through this as well and we usually try to monitor what our kids eat when the rash gets this bad. Applesauce, orange juice and other acidic foods can make this worse. Baby wipes do irritate the skin so when his rash gets this bad, we try and use extra soft toilet paper or cloth like paper towels that we wet using only water and very gently wipe his skin. I make sure to apply the butt paste after every diaper change and unfortunately it usually takes about a week or so to clear up. My doctor also recommended that when his skin is so bad not to use harsh soap or bubble bath when bathing him. We fill up the bathtub with warm water and put in baking soda. That really helps soothe his skin.
Keep an eye on the foods that your daughter is eating. I've found that certain foods do seem to make it worse.

I hope your little girl feels better soon.

-M.

Try putting your daughter in cloth diapers for a couple of days or at least at night. She probably won't go #2 much during the night and will only have wets. Give her sitz baths often so she can be completely clean. Check your daughter's diaper every 45 minutes to make sure she is dry the majority of the time. I would even change my baby's diaper even if they fell asleep in a wet diaper. You should notice an improvement within a couple of days. Some baby's do get diarrhea when they cut teeth. Good Luck!

hey J. - both my boys and my daughter would sometimes get yeast infections and none of the typical diaper rash stuff works for that. try some anti-fungal cream (like lotrimin AF - used for athletes foot). yes, i know it sounds weird but athletes foot is a yeast infection too. air things out real good between diaper changes and apply the AF cream for a good 24-36 hours and you should start to see an improvement if it is a yeast infection. good luck - E.

I would take her to the doctor, I had the same problem with my son. I would also try Dr. Smith's diaper rash ointment. It was recommended by my doctor. That along with a prescription from my doctor cleared up his problem. You might also try reducing or completely cutting out her juice if she drinks juice. Juice changes the PH of urine and increases diaper rash.

I would call her pediatrician. Also, track her diet for a few days. One of the biggest chronic diaper rash culprits is too much undiluted apple juice.

You should take her to her pedi and they can prescribe this diaper rash cream called Vusion it is like miracle cream. My daughter sometimes gets diaper rash with little red spots and sometimes bleeds you put this cream on and by the next day she is all clear I mean completely not a sign of the rash that is why I call it miracle cream. Good luck to you hope you can get the rash cleared up.

When my daughter had a terrible diaper rash the nurse told me to apply Lotrimin and then A&D ointment on top. It cleared up in about a day. I've since used it again on my youngest son with the same great results.

Good Luck,
K.

Hi J.,

This sounds like it could be a yeast diaper infection (candida) I would take her to the pedi as soon as possible so they can take a look and verify.
Hope she feels better soon.

My son had a recurring one as well and I took him in and the dr. just gave me some samples of some kind of super cream. It knocked it out and it hasn't come back. It may be a little yeast infection in which case regular otc creams won't work. I would take her in so you can just get rid of it once and for all. Best wishes!!

It could be a yeast form of a diaper rash that has to be treated with a certain prescription cream or it won't go away. I would take her in to the Dr. No need to prolong it.

J.,

My oldest had the WORST diaper rash, and I tried everything, including Lotrimin (it wasn't a yeast infection), corn starch, all the creams (even a WAY $$ prescription one), letting her go naked, and even a bag balm made for cows that I picked up at a feed store. (She was exclusively breastfed, so juice was not an issue for us.)

My hubby found a cream online - www.pinxav.com. I SWEAR by this stuff. It cleared her totally up in about a week, and I used it as preventative after that - still do on my youngest. I suspect they would probably send you a free sample to try.

Best wishes on finding a cure!
M.

If the diaper rash ointment doesn't clear it up within a couple of days, it might be a yeast infection. Our doctor has suggested we use Lotrimin AF (anti-fungal) for my baby. If she hasn't been to her year 1-year-check-up yet, make sure the doctor takes a peek in her diaper.

I would go to the doctor, but don't use OTC products only because somebody tells you. It's usually not a yeast infection when this comes up. Also try natural products first. we used a vinegar bath and it helped better than any creams since it is harmless, pain relieving and heals literally over night.

Oh my goodness, This must be so bothersome & distressful for both of you. Have you tried the Arbonne Herbal Diaper rash creme?? It is amazing & works very well on skin that is sensitive or may have allergies to ingredients found in other products. I would be happy to send you a free sample, if you like. Also, a big welcome to our area & thank you and your family for your service to the USA! God Bless You!

I had this same problem. We too went through all of the steps you describe. Finally, my pharmacist suggested using a little hydrocortisone cream when this situation arises. This seems to work for me. FYI--If you notice little red bumps---that indicates a yeast infection, which hydrocortisone will not help.

Back when i used disposables, the best diaper cream I found was Dr. Smith's. You have to actually ask for it at the pharmacy counter at Target where I live (though it's not a prescription). I agree with the poster who said Boudreaux's Butt Paste isn't worth much. EVERYONE told me how great this stuff is, and it never worked.

I think letting the doctor check it out is a good idea too. It could be a yeast rash, which is more serious, I think.

We use cloth, and can't use creams, so I use a spray with lavendar and tea tree essential oils and it clears everything up. Some children are sensitive to the chemicals in disposable diapers, and cloth is their only option (not us, I use it for many reasons). Something to think about if you can't get it all cleared up....

Hi J.,

I hope this can help, If the rash is as bad as you say and you have tried all kinds of ointment and they are not working, I would take her to the doctor, a lot of the times using different ointments when one doesn't work will cause more harm than good. She might be more sensitive than some children are. Trying the the swaddle sensitive diapers from pampers might help the situation on the outside, but a diaper rash that severe needs to be treated from the inside as well. Then everyone will be at ease and pain free. Cornstarch is good and so is destined in the white tube. That will help until you can get her in to see the doctor. When you clean her use a warm soft cloth and then a cool soft cloth. This will make cleaning soothing to her and close pores and keep the rash from spreading.

my daughter had the same thing and the dr confirmed it was a yeast infection. more common in summer, some are just more prone, and like my daughter you can get a yeast infection w/ excema(sp?) on top. i had a prescription that i use anytime it starts to flare up. it's a mix of an antifungal and hydrocortizone cream. the dr will tell you to try something like lotrimin (yes, the foot fungal stuff) first then call if that doesn't clear it up.

Have you ever heard of Arbonne? They have a complete baby line that includes an awesome herbal diaper rash cream. (It is a light, water-repelling cream to gently relieve baby of sore, dry, chapped skin that can occur with diaper use. This gentle formula helps to prevent this condition before it occurs).
All of their products are based on botanical principles. You will not find harsh substances in any of the products. If you would like more information or if I can get you a sample please let me know...

CoriB
###-###-####
www.CorissaBell.myarbonne.com
www.MoreTime4MyKids.com

Thank goodness I haven't had this problem with my daughter so I'm not an expert outside of normal diaper rash. However, I've heard of some diaper rashes being fungal or bacterial infections that can't be cured with just over the counter products. If it keeps coming back at the severity I would say there might be something going on there that is just more than ordinary. Don't let your kiddo suffer longer than they need to. I'd go see the doctor when it's really flaring up and let them get a look at how bad it can get, that way they know your not just a hysterical mommy and that your baby needs help.

You should consider a milk allergy. My boys are lactose-intollerant and will get bad diaper rash if they drink regular milk. I H. you will see your doctor soon, diaper rashes do not normally last past a day or two and will clear up with Desitin. Anything lasting longer probably needs professional help