Wondering If Son Is Allergic:(

Hello N.,
You should put Aloe Vera Plant or Gell(beauty supply store)or (health food store). If you have an Aloe Vera Plant at home or someone does, have them break a leaf, "open it" and "rub" it on the sore area, you can put a little vaseoline over the aloe vera too. This will "heal" the area. You may have to use only "cloth" diapers or something very close were no plastic touches him. Also, put a "gauze" over the area wear he is getting allergic. See if these diapers have a "fragrance" in them. This could be the problem too. Take Care, J.

The same thing is happening to my 6 month old! She's been using Huggies all along, and just within the last couple of weeks, she's been scratching that same area...
We're changing to Pampers tomorrow.

Hi N.,
I thank you for writing this request because this is dear to my heart and I have found it is a common problem. I hope I can give you some guidance in my experience with my son. My son is now 8yrs old but from infancy, he has had a problem with redness and itching in the inner buttocks area(around anal area). From infancy, I used all creams and vaseline that was prescribed and suggested by my son pediatrician. The creams and vaseline helped and it did go away and came back. Well, after all this and putting up with this problem and seeing him very irritated, I became very frustrated and started thinking and looking at other things which could be causing this problem. I thought about the diapers and type of wipes, I was using on him. Found out that my son does have eczema, but still he had this redness, itchiness around the anal area from time to time that just irritated him and that he would scratch.
Amother thought came to mind was "Does my son have worms?" Well to make a long story short and several trips to the doctor and many creams later, and my head was beginning to go in the left field(If you know what I mean?)I was very frustrated until I talked with my sister-n-law who is a nurse. She suggested that my son maybe allergic to certain chemicals in products that I use to bathe him and to wipe him. Here is what I do and don't do anymore and it has helped a lot:
a. I don't use anti-bactieral soap on his bottom at all.
b. I don't use Avon or any type of bubble bath liquids in his bath water. (No bubble bath products at all)
c. After every bowel movement - I have to make sure that he was wiped clean and the area was dry.
d. I had to use diaper wipes such as Pampers(unscented) wipes at all times to wipe his bottom off. If I use another brand for some reason..his bottom will become itchy and red again.

This is my only son and I was just clueless, I was so use to being around girls and I know that little girls do get rashes and of course, I knew that male and female babies get diaper rashes but I was clueless about this type of rash in boys. I have seen over the years other little boys with this problem.

I hope that I have helped you in some way because little boys skin are just as sensitve as little girls and sometimes in a unique way.

A. P.
Author of "Mutts and Thoroughbreds: A Girls' ____@____.com

Dear N.-
Yes it is possible that your son has an allergy to the latex, which might be in the waist. I would urge you to consider using either cloth or switching to Seventh Generation organic diapers. Pampers and Huggies and all other other brands are bleached with chlorine and sprayed with chemicals for a longer shelf life. My daughter orders 7th Generation by the case online at diapers.com. The organic diapers are off-white color, so they look different, but they are not loaded with chemicals. They also work very well. I wonder if it is smart to have chemical-laden diapers placed around our children's genitals for 2-3 years. There seems to be a lot more infertility issues and testicular problems that I remember from a generation ago.
I would highly recommend that you read a great book, "Green Goes with Everything" by Sloan Barnett. She has a whole chapter on safe baby products and tips for green, healthy living.
I hope this helps,
M.

THANK YOU for asking this question!!!!!

My son is 2 years old and is having the same EXACT problem. We've actually been battling this for months. My poor child walks around with his hand down the back of his pants most of the day.

I also narrowed the problem down to Huggies and Kirkland (Costco)diapers. He's in pampers right now and I also bought some Natural Choice diapers. Unfortunately, it doesn't seem to be clearing up this time. It doesn't matter how much lotion or Benadryl cream I put on his bottom, he's still itchy.

I don't have any advice, but I'm also considering my other options. I've looked into G Diapers (because cloth diapers gross me out!) but they are SO expensive. I can't wait to read your other responses. Thanks again!

Hi N.,
Not sure if it was an allergic reaction, but my daughter had issues with Huggies too! After a little while, I switched to Pampers and haven't looked back. I do like the Huggie wipes, but for some reason the diapers didn't work. Best of luck!

Try Whole Foods or Better Health for better alternatives. It may be their disposables are the same way. Then you might have to go with cloth diapers. the good thing is, tho, N., they're in diapers such a short time of life. it'll go fast.

But check those two stores out and see what you can find out.

N.,
The responder who talked about 7th Generation diapers wrote a great post. I have used them for my 1 and a half year old daughter almost her whole life. They work great and are better for your baby's behind. That being said I have heard of children being allergic to the absorbent gel in diapers. The only two I know of that don't have that is Nature Babycare and Tushies. You might want to double check that. Anyhow, I order the 7th generation diapers from amazon through their subscribe and save program. It is nearly the same price as conventional diapers and free shipping. Plus I never have to remember diapers at the store. My daughter is in size four at 26lbs. At night I put her in a size five. You can also get 7th generation diapers at Babys R Us if you want to start out with one pack.
Hope this helps.
S.

You can try a 1% hydrocortisone cream on that spot than slather on Aquaphor. My daughter was allergic to pampers and had a rash forever and when I took her to the pead, she said to do that and it worked!! Good luck.

I have a friend who's baby is allergic to any kind of dye in diapers (some of them have blue dye). I can't remember if Huggies have dye in them or not. I would check with his doctor. Also my son has had a problem with eczema in his diaper area too. He's out of diapers now and still has it. The doctor can prescribe some cortisone if that is what it is. Good luck!

All I know is that my oldest HAD to wear nothing but Pampers b/c anything else would give her a rash!!! My youngest who is still in diapers and has'nt had trouble with any brand!! Parent's Choice from Wal-mart are the cheapest & best quality I have found, maybe give them a try!

This is just a thought, but if you have changed laundry soap, or bath soaps, this could also cause this. The elastic part of the diaper is where it is pulled closest to the skin, so any chemicals left there from laundry soaps, fabric softeners, bath soaps, wipes, etc will be held to the skin for a longer period of time. This could explain why it is only in the elastic area, and not widespread. I would try using alcohol free wipes, and definitely stay away from scented laundry soaps and fabric softeners. And of course, as always, check with your son's pediatrician!

My daughter had a reaction to the blue strip in pampers baby-dry...we always used pampers cruisers but i tried baby dry once and had a severe case of diaper rash...once we switched there we're no problems...we now use any kind - as long as there is no blue absorbancy strip...

i love aquaphor - we use it for everything! i'd try coating the area w/ it - it's very thick and may help the itching for a good long period...

I had the same issue with my son who is now 15. I could only use huggies supreme brand on him and I had to let him air out for several minutes a day. His rash extended to the entire diaper area every time I used anything other than the supremes. I also had to wash him very throughly everytime I changed him. When he had the rash, I would use a wash cloth. His rash would get so bad, it would bleed.I figured out rather quickly; it did not matter the expense I needed to use the supremes. Allergic reactions can happen any time in an individuals' life; I just went into anaphylactic shock on Thursday for a medication I have been taking twice a day for a year. Thank God I have had this happen before and knew what to do.
T.,37yo happily married mom to 17yo daughter, 15 yo son and 11 yo daughter

Allergies can appear at any time. The allergen builds up in the body and then the body doesn't handle it well.

My daughter hasn't had a problem, but I know when my cousin was young he did. I can't remember what brand of diaper he had to wear, but there was one brand... and even then my aunt had to 'air them out' overnight to get the chemically smell out or he would break out in a rash.

You could always look into cloth diapers. There is an initial heft investment...but when you look at the period of time you have to buy diapers compared to the total cost of purchasing the cloth.... cloth is WAY cheaper. I so wanted to do cloth with my daughter....but we were living overseas at the time, and they didn't have the system I wanted and we didn't have a washer of our own.

But cloth dipes have come a long long way!

both my sons were allergic to anything but LUVs diapers. I ended up though just going to cloth diapers with the plastic cover ups they looked like little diapers with velcro closures.

I am a teacher and a gift card for $10 is awesome! Another thing we like is a donation of something for the classroom like books, a game, dress up clothes, or something that you could ask that they could use. Also, an idea is anything that is consumable! That way they can use and it it won't take up space afterwards or be a dust collector. Another great idea is to donate the money to an organization in their name and let them know. Don't know if you have heard of Mercy Health Partners in Muskegon has a pediatric teddy bear program where you can donate $20 in someone's name of memory. They use the money to purchase teddy bears to give to any pediatric patient to help calm their fears. My son received one when he was in the hospital.

We used cloth exclusively until about 4 months ago.. now when I go out I use 7th Generation..

They are at Big Lots right now for pretty cheap.. they only had size 2 and 3.

My friend's son is very allergic to disposables.. there's so many chemicals in them normally plus probably fragrance as well.

Hey N.,
ANYONE can become allergic to ANYTHING at ANY TIME! That's what my doctor always tells me! I learned this when I suddenly became allergic to penicillin at age 23! I also have a nasty laytex allergy. Something is causing a recation in your son. Poor baby! I'd take him to his regular doctor or to an allergist right away. Good luck! I hope you figure it out soon!

Sounds like it is time to consult the pediatrician. It is likely that is an allergy, or maybe just sensitive skin irritation. The doctor is the best person to ask though. Did they not notice at any of his check ups?

When my daughter was a baby, she was allergic to every diaper except for Luvs. I know it sounds weird, but I tried every diaper and Luvs was the only one that didn't leave her with a diaper rash. Try Luvs and if that doesn't work, try cloth diapers. Good luck! :)