Diaper Rash and Open Blisters - What Is Safe to Use on the Blisters to Help Heal

Updated on December 08, 2012
L.K. asks from Los Angeles, CA
13 answers

My son is 4 weeks old and for the past week or so he's had a very bad diaper rash - his little butt was very red. We've been applying butt paste and it wasn't helping me. Also, we haven't been able to give him a proper bath because his belly button didn't heal yet. On top of that he poops about 10+ times per day (he is breastfed). Yesterday I noticed that he also has 2 open blisters on his butt. I called the dr and he told me to use Maalox/desatin/corn starch. But I can't remember if he said that it was ok to apply those directly on the blisters or not. I've been using all those things all day today and the redness is much better but blisters are still there. Anyone have any advice? I can't call the dr until Friday because he's not in on Thursdays and I hate seeing my little one in pain. It's hard to leave him without diaper on because it's not that warm and he poops and peeps nonstop.

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So What Happened?

thanks for the great suggestions!
we have been using huggies natural from the start and we don't use wipes, we use gauze with water.

Featured Answers

L.A.

answers from Austin on

Lay him on towel a few times a day, with no diaper..

He needs to let the air dry him out..you can use a hair dryer, on the cool setting, to also help dry out his bottom.

Poor baby. This happens to a lot of infants. Hang in there mom.

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S.G.

answers from Jacksonville on

My son had acidic poo from the water where we lived when he was a baby. The best piece of acidic and ER Doc gave me was to use the hair dryer!! They say air is best for healing, so use the hair dryer at diaper changes, on low a few feet away from his bum for a few minutes. Then you can apply the butt cream.

Have they asked you to chart what you are eating since he is BF?? Might be a good idea so you can see if it is something you might be eating not agreeing with him.

Good luck
S.

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L.B.

answers from New York on

yes, you can apply the maalox,desatin and corn starch directly to the blisters. Keep his bottom clean and dry - use mild soap and pat dry gently, leave open to air as much as you can

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R.K.

answers from Appleton on

OOOOOOO poor baby.

FYI
My first granddaughter was born in Jan 2001, my second one July 2002 so 18 months apart. With the 1st one we were told no baths until the cord feel off with the second one we were told the ycould have a bath right away. studies have shown that it makes no difference if the baby has a bath or not, the cord still drops off in the same time period and there is no harm to baby.

Get some Bag Balm at Walgreens, it's in a green square can, cost about $7/can will last a couple of years. It heals baby bottoms better than anything I have ever tried.
Also works on dry cracked heels, dry hands (on mommy) knees ect. I always keep some around.

1 mom found this helpful

K.A.

answers from San Diego on

You can give a bath with the cord still attached. Just make sure to pat it dry.
The only thing we found that worked for my two with super sensitive skin was Triple Paste. Even Butt Paste didn't work for them. You can put it right on the sores.
Skip the diaper wipes and just use water on a washcloth to clean with on the worst areas because even the mildest wipes sting and can make it worse.
The obvious of changing as fast as possible after soiling.
What brand diaper are you using? Things like Pampers are scented and that fragrance can be an irritant to baby's skin as can laundry soap with fragrance or dyes (Yes, Dreft).
My winter babies it was too cold to let them be naked but I would give them a minute or two on the changing table with an open diaper underneath them just to let them dry a minute after cleaning them off. Blowing gently can speed the drying.
Keep him from lying on his bottom all the time. Hold him on your chest, chest to chest. Don't leave him in something any longer than you have to squishing that diaper against his skin. Don't leave him in a car seat or swing or bassinet all the time to keep him off his bottom.

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D.S.

answers from New York on

You can put it everywhere. Also, the wipes burn so I would suggest using a warm wet paper towel. I know you can't submerge him in water but I would give him a good sponge bath. Put a towel under him and make a soapy bath and just squeeze the soapy water onto the area to really clean the area. Or you can hold him and soap up just his bottom and rinse him under the sink. Keep his top covered with a t shirt so he doesn't get cold. Our little foster baby had a bad rash like that once and each time she urinated or had a BM I put her bottom in the bath, I used dove soap, or baby wash both are ok. It worked better then all of the creams we were given. She would scream when we tried to clean her any other way. The rash went from yeast to bacterial and she needed an antibiotic cream. She got the rash right after using swim diapers in the summer. It was pretty bad.

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G.B.

answers from Oklahoma City on

We often dabbed Maalox directly on to the bottom of kids with diaper rash. We didn't skip any areas, just put it everywhere.

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L.F.

answers from San Francisco on

L.,

Breastmilk directly onto the diaper rash and surrounding areas. Keep diaper open for as long as you can several times a day. Make sure you aren't eating anything new that would cause tummy issues in your baby. To clean bottom, fill up basin and dip baby in instead of using baby wipes---then pat dry and air dry the rest of the way. Hope this helps...

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D.G.

answers from Las Vegas on

Bag Balm -- works great.

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J.M.

answers from Los Angeles on

Triple paste is the best thing out there. Get as much air to it as you can to dry out the area, then cover with triple paste before you put diaper back on. There is no fragrance in this product, unlike many other pastes, so it won't irritate the area. You can buy it as CVS, Target etc. It really worked for us when my daughter had a bad rash with little blisters, significant improvement after one use.

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T.R.

answers from Los Angeles on

Don't use pampers or other diapers that are full of chemicals. Huggies makes some natural diapers that work really well and only cost a bit more. Other than that: Safe is coconut oil or aloe vera!

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G.D.

answers from Detroit on

I agree with the response about diapers. The huggies supreme worked best for both my babies-who would break out and get blisters or bad rashes with other brands.
A&D ointment worked best for mine, and you can apply it to blisters.
For my son I would pin a cloth diaper loosely around him for a little while during tummy time-just so a little more air could get in there.

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R.K.

answers from Chicago on

Triple paste is the only thing that wouldn't cause my dd to scream and it cleared up the rash quick. It is a little pricey but totally worth it. Maybe submerge just baby's bottom in warm water with a little Avveno Oatmeal Bath. It also works wonders. I used Huggies pure and natural diapers with my dd and they are wonderful! Good luck and hang in there.

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