19Mth Old with Diaper Issues

Updated on April 09, 2009
L.W. asks from O Fallon, MO
32 answers

Good Morning! I am asking to see if anyone has any suggestions for me here. My 19mth old son is having a heck of a time with diapers. OK, his skin is bad anyway (he is on zyrtec, 2% cortezone and lotion 4x daily) BUT the problem we have recently started having with his skin is in the diaper area (we haven't had issues there before). Since he was born he has been on Pampers. Well, a couple months ago I took him into the doctor because he had long sores (about 3) all in the private area of where the diaper is. The doctor said that is because of the leak guard of the diaper and to try another brand that doesn't have that guard. OK, so I change to normal Huggies. He then breaks out in a rash all about the waste and a little lower. So, I go back to the Pampers until I can get the waste cleared up and then try the other brand of Huggies. Same thing! So, then I move to Luvs. Same thing! Then I decided ok let me try a generic brand. Even worse! That is where I am left now. Has anyone had this issue? One of his daycare teachers said she has the issue with her kids but it is with Pampers and that Huggies are the only thing that don't break them out. Suggestions? Is there a brand out there like Pampers that doesn't have the leak guard section? Thank you for any assistance!

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So What Happened?

I want to thank everyone for your thoughts, advice and opinions on my diaper issues with my son. I went the Seventh Generation direction and I tell you what it has been WONDERFUL!! My son's diaper area hasn't looked better. I was able to find them on drugstore.com for cheapest but when you go to check out the weight of the diapers take you over the free shipping limit so I just did two orders and I was good to go. Thanks again for the words and feelings! You are all the best!

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C.F.

answers from Kansas City on

Get unscented ones. He is having issues with the deodorizer they use to keep the smell down. My oldest had the same issues. May have to look for organic type material. Ever tried cloth? Use cloth at home and disposables at daycare etc. Cloth at home gave her enough relief we could make it until potty trained. Call Pampers and Huggies and see if they have an unscented version. They maybe available from them only- kind of like premie diapers-special order. Those are unscented.

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A.B.

answers from Kansas City on

I would recommend fuzzibunz cloth, too. Some kids can develop allergies. Sucks, but cloth is really easy. Google it and you'll find lots of people use them.

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S.T.

answers from St. Louis on

Try cloth diapers. We use BumGenius. I don't exclusively use them, but if my son has a rash it immediately goes away when he wears cloth. There is chlorine and other chemicals in diapers that isn't good for the skin. I would also recommend using Earth's Best diapers or Seventh Generation. They are both chlorine free.

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T.C.

answers from Springfield on

Hello
My son has eczema, when he was little in diapers it was horrible. I found one thing to keep it at bay, it is called Lantiseptic, I am not sure on the spelling. But I only found it at our local pharmacy. It is usually used on the elderly for thing like bed sores. However I was looking for any help and my mom told me to try it and it was great. I worked for all diaper rashes he had, even when he was cutting teeth. I still use it on his eczema break outs and he is now 6. When I get home I will check make sure of the name and spelling and repost if I was wrong. Good luck, T.

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K.B.

answers from Wichita on

Good Morning L., I don't know about the diapers but maybe I can finally help with the rash and sores. Zane 17 months had horrible sores in the same areas, nothing the Dr prescribed helped At all. Last time he was cutting teeth and got diarrhea so bad (2 wks worth) his little hinny and Mr. Winkie were so red and swollen he could hardly walk, screamed at every diaper change we just put him in the bath, rinsed him off with the shower head(he won't sit in the Bath at all)

Genné called the Nurse and she had her pick up A & D ointment and Maalox. Don't laugh or wrinkle your pretty forehead it works. Put a pretty nice sized pile of A&D in a like a fruit cup container with a lid, then add maybe a TBS of Maalox in it and stir it up. Hint Takes a while to blend it up so keep stirring.
Zane didn't scream or cry when she put it on him and in 2 days He was completely cleared up. He looked so much better even after the first application. WISH we had been given this recipe a very Long time ago, it works wonderfully. If he gets just a tad bit red we use it and it's gone quickly.
Gen was concerned about the peppermint flavor/scent maybe burning the skin so she put some on a cut on her finger, didn't burn at all.
We used the same script med that you have posted, they did nothing. This Works. Give it a try.

God Bless
K. Nana of 5
PS Zane has eczema also and we put it on his wrists, ankles back etc it helps along with a humidifier in his room.

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D.A.

answers from St. Louis on

I'm not so sure about the diapers. I prefer Huggies, but have daycare kiddos with Pampers and Luvs also. What DOES catch my attention is your son's skin issues. Have you ever had him checked for food allergies? Many food allergies can cause eczema, rashes, and other skin issues. Your doctor can run a simple blood test that will identify if your child has food allergies. If he DOES, eliminating those foods can clear up the skin.

Edited to add...I prefer Triple Paste for bad diaper rashes. Make sure the area is clean and dry, then put a thick layer over the troubled skin.

Just a thought...

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K.C.

answers from Kansas City on

Cloth? Even if you just did it at night, you might see a big improvement (think, that night time diaper he sleeps in for many hours, the others you probably change as soon as they are dirty or wet). I also think that making sure that he is changed asap is important, disposables sometimes don't seem wet when they've been wet, but once they are wet, the chemicals get on their skin much more. I've had great success with my kids sensitive skin and cloth diapers, and it's much easier than you'd think!

K.

PS.. Just switching to cloth wipes might help too, as the alcohol and soaps in the wipes are very h*** o* their skin. Some people make a wipe solution, but what worked best for us was just plain water on a washcloth (I got ones just for that purpose).

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A.R.

answers from St. Louis on

Oh honey go to cloth, if you had a clue what was in those things you would never ever put another one on your sweet little baby. I sew my own, if you can sew then I would suggest you go to diaperkit.com and order all in ones, Amber is great or there is a Cotton Babies store in St.Louis and they have a clearance bin. The daycare should go along with it as they are just as easy as disposables. At the very least go to cotton babies and buy their stay dry liners and stick them inside of the disposable to protect the skin ( 6 for 9.95) or go to the Hancock Fabric and get a yard of Butter Suede or thin microfleece cut it up to be diaper liners, sew around the edges and stick it in the dipe, it will keep the baby dry and protect the baby's skin. If you are at all interested in cloth and have any uestions send me a message and I will answer what I can. Good Luck, A.

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R.H.

answers from St. Louis on

I feel so sorry for you. I went through sort of the same thing with my 1st, only the same with your daycare lady, Pampers would cause my daughter to break out so bad and she would get a yeast infection as well. My son has eczema as well and I just started him with the Huggies and haven't had too many problems. Here is my regimen for my son to keep him from getting too bad. I wash him with Johnson's Baby Wash with the lotion in the wash already. Then when I get him out, I make sure that I dry him off really good and I apply a small layer of Johnson's baby lotion to his skin everywhere except the diaper area, where I apply Desitin Clear (it's fairly new and it is very expensive but soooo worth it). I then apply the cream one more time throughout the day, usually around bed time. This might work for you. I talked to my son's allergist and he said to try the Johnson's baby wash with the lotion and then apply the lotion afterwards to keep from having too many different types of perfumes and dyes, that using the same brand wash and lotion helps some kids. I do have one good piece of news, I hope, when you are ready to potty train, the White Cloud brand of traning "diapers" is great. They sell it at Wal-Mart, it doesn't have the gel cores in them, they are just like the Pull-Ups in the sense of function and practicality, AND THEY ARE CHEAPER! I started my daughter off with the Pull-Ups and she broke out istantly, and we weren't even using the Cool Alert Pull-Ups. I hoep this helps your little one.

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K.K.

answers from Kansas City on

You could try cloth diapers... there are so many out on the market now and they are much easier to launder than you would think. I think they're more hygenic than paper - namely because you plop any solids into the toilet instead of a diaper pale that collects bacteria and smell in the child's room. And, paper diapers have chemicals that could be irritating your son's skin. If you want my opinion, pocket cloth diapers are the most user-friendly. I hope that helps!

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E.W.

answers from St. Louis on

I know this is going to sound weird, especially since you've already tried generics, but my son has mildly sensitive skin (compared to yours anyway) and we go back and forth between Pampers and Aldi's brand. I know it sounds really strange, but Aldi's brand is great. Also, there is a difference between Pampers Cruisers and Baby Dry. I like the Baby Dry better. It doesn't seem to rub him raw as much. We use cloth around the house and that could help you a lot too. It helps get more air circulating there. Especially in the summer since it's so hot. I wouldn't buy the expensive ones, but I would buy the nice Indian Pre-Fold (large size since he's older). 5 of those and two snappis (plastic fasterners) ought to help you when you are home. Email me if you'd like more info on the cloth idea.

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B.S.

answers from Kansas City on

My son got chemical burns with disposables, it started off as a rash, which got worse and worse.

Cloth was the only thing that worked for us.

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B.S.

answers from St. Joseph on

My son also had VERY sensitive skin. We had to finally go to "green" diapers that had no chlorine/bleach. Try Seventh Generation or Nature Baby Care. They are more expensive, but it solved our problem. Also, if you try one package and you like it, you can go on Amazon.com and do "Subscribe and Save". You get a huge discount and free shipping (and you never run out of diapers!)

We also have to use unscented laundry detergent and fabric softener. Bummer!

Good luck!

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C.G.

answers from Columbia on

Don't know if anyone else has suggested this, but you may want to try chlorine-free diapers. It may be the chemicals in diapers he is allergic to, not the shape (yes, diapers have chemicals in them). You can probably find them at Trader Joe's. Also, gDiapers are disposable (sort of) and should be softer, chemical free.
http://www.gdiapers.com/
Emu Oil is supposed to be great for skin conditions. It's not greasy after it's absorbed and it's all natural. It absorbs deeper into the skin than most lotions. Most lotions, even baby lotions, have harmful chemicals in them. Just look at the ingredient list of most regular lotions and you will find things like parabens, PEG, etc. Those are not good and are actually absorbed into the body. You might want to switch all his lotion and bath/body products to one's with NO parabens, sodium laureth/lauryl sulfates, etc. Burt's Bees is a great brand, easy to find, and doesn't have any harmful ingredients. He's probably sensitive to many ingredients, (like Sodium Laureth Sulfate which is a strong irritant and also used to clean garage floors but is always used in bath products to make them sudsy). So, switching those things and using emu oil as his moisturizer should help.

Best wishes, hope this helps!

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K.L.

answers from St. Louis on

Hi L.,

My almost 17 month old has been going through on and off diaper issues as well. I feel horrible b/c of the sores and pain that has developed for my little boy.
A few weeks ago, when his rash wouldn't heal, he was tested for strep and tested positive! Evidently you can get strep on your bottom! Maybe that is what is occurring with your son.
Also, I've noticed that my son is sensitive to the wipes we use. For awhile, we needed to rinse him off with water (very messy; but it did help) in place of the wipes. That may be another options you may want to try.
One last thing, originally, we thought that our son's reaction may be a reaction to acidic foods (fruits, tomatoes), so we cut those out of his diet. And that seemed to help. I've been slowly bringing back those foods.
Good luck! I know it is frustrating.
But to FINALLY answer your question, I don't know if there are any diapers that do not have a leak guard section. If worse comes to worse, you can try cloth =)

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S.T.

answers from Kansas City on

I woulkd go to cloth and put the plastic ones over them.

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C.S.

answers from Kansas City on

you could try some cloth diapers. that worked pretty good for my daughter that has sensitive skin. diaperpin.com is a good website to check out for more info.

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M.B.

answers from Kansas City on

There are bleach free, organic cotton diapers. I discovered them after my little one had issues with diapers. They are disposable and "earth friend;y", but most importantly skin friendly. The downside is the cost. I found them at whole foods and most health food stores carry them, but you can get Target to special order them if it is more convenient. It was better for me as opposed to cloth diapers, but them may be an option for you? Best of luck!

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C.M.

answers from Kansas City on

We recently bought a pack of the generic and had the same problem. We have always used the Luvs before and never had the issue. Maybe if you get it completely cleared up and then try the luvs, that will work. I have also heard a lot of good things about clothe. Haven't tried it myself but supposedly they have come a long way from the clothe diapers when we were kids. You might look into it.

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A.K.

answers from Kansas City on

Are you working on potty training yet? Has your MD suggested cotton diapers? Has a yeast infection been ruled out? I would try that first. I am concerned about your young child being on these meds for any length of time. Anti-histamines can cause stomach problems as the stomach naturally produces histamine for proper digestion. This is blocked when you are on an allergy medication. You said he has skin issues since he was born. There is a doctor in Olathe who treats allergies naturally and non-invasive with some revolutionary technology. This technology can eliminate if not severely reduce allergy symptoms. You can reach him at ###-###-####. Good Luck.

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H.H.

answers from Kansas City on

it could also be the baby wipes. Try using bounty paper towels and water for a while and see what happens. My kids were allergic to huggies and baby wipes. We used the select-a-size bounty paper towels and had a bowl of water available at the diaper changing area. luvs were the best diapers for them but since you already tried them, just keep trying other brands or try them again if you find out the wipes were causing the problem. I did not use pampers that often because they had to be changed more often than the luvs and were more expensive.

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T.K.

answers from Kansas City on

I'm sorry I don't really have any new suggestions for you. I just wanted to let you know that we too had issues when we changed from anything besides pampers brand. It's interesting how different people's bodies react. It's been a few years since my kids have been in diapers, and with technology changing all the time, I'm sure they've made changes too. Good luck to you finding the problem and solution!

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L.G.

answers from Kansas City on

My son would have HORRIBLE rounds with diaper rash that made me cringe it looked so sore! We switched to cloth, and I am SO glad we did! I ordered mine online, www.nopins4baby.com and Heather from No Pins was SO patient in answering my questions! Total, I spent about $350 and have all the supplies (including wipes) that I'll need for my son and any future babies (HECK of a lot cheaper than disposables!).

Anyway, I chose the Fuzzi Bunz one size, which are very much like disposables in how easy they are to put on and take off. (Daddy wasn't convinced at first this would work, so I tried to make it as easy as possible for him!) These are adjustable so they will fit all babies from a newborn up to a toddler/potty training. (My son is almost 3.) They mean one extra load of laundry every other day, and yes there was a SMALL learning curve, but I am COMPLETELY sold on them! Good luck1!

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B.C.

answers from Joplin on

Laslie, I am not sure if you can buy them any place but online, but there is a brand of diapers called Seventh Generation that are hypoallergenic. if you protect the area that is being exposed to th leak gurad with an ointment like desitin, maybe that would help make a barrier?
I am so sorry, if he wasn't in daycare I would suggest you go to cloth diapers, maybe you could use cloth at home to help alleviate some of the exposure.
Lots of luck I am sure this is frustrating
B.

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L.W.

answers from Kokomo on

not sure what style of pampers you are using or have used. I use the pampers baby dry. I know that my sister uses the pampers cruisers. You might just need to switch between brands of pampers or try the next size up. I am guessing with the skin condition you are dealing with excema. My daughter has it bad as well. I have to limit her protein. She gets one peanut butter sandwich a week. If she is really broken out I will let her only drink one glass of milk a day. Believe it or not I have noticed a big difference when I do this.

J.B.

answers from Kansas City on

I would suggest trying the cloth ones, too. Good luck!

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S.M.

answers from St. Louis on

Have you tried cloth diapers? There are also natural products in the natural and green stores. Check them out.I don't think our skin is meant to be in constant touch with so much plastic,perfumes, and leakproof chemicals. Good luck.k

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C.V.

answers from Kansas City on

Have you tried the Huggies Supreme or the Pampers cruisers?It's worth a shot.If this doesn't work I saw some chlorine free diapers in Babies R Us and also in Hy-vee they didn't seem to be much more expensive.You might try those.

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M.W.

answers from Wichita on

Do you have Target stores near you? Our girls could not wear Huggies at all... they always broke out with a rash but Pampers are fine for us. Funny how they are all so unique! :)

The only generic brand I have found that works well for us are the Target brand sold online at target.com or in a Target store.

Don't know if they'll work for your little man, but might be worth a shot!

Good Luck!

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N.C.

answers from St. Joseph on

I have never heard of anyone having such a problem with diapers but, if it is just diapers and he is 19 months. Maybe you could try using pull-ups and see if that helps. That is the best I have. Or you could try putting some kind of ointment on it when you change his diaper. For example just some petroleum jelly to make a barrier between his skin and the diaper.
Good Luck!

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D.M.

answers from St. Louis on

I don't know which Pampers you use but my son had the same rash from Pampers Cruisers but not Pampers Baby Dry.

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J.V.

answers from Kansas City on

Poor thing!
We use cloth (FuzziBunz) at home and Seventh Generation at daycare. They are chemical, bleach and scent free. I love them. You can get them at Whole Foods, Babies R Us, or cheapest at Diapers.com. We also use cloth wipes at home with a spray bottle of water and a little bit of bath soap, and either Seventh Generation wipes or Whole Foods 365 Brand wipes at the sitter. The 365 ones are better in my opinion, but you can't get them anywhere but Whole Foods. Hope that helps!

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