Diaper Rash, Cough, No/low Appetite - Related at All?

Updated on December 25, 2010
M.B. asks from Oklee, MN
6 answers

hi guys, sorry to bother again, but my sweet little 2 yo has had symptoms of allergies the last couple days (watery eyes, snotty nose, intermittent cough, etc). he's w/his dad today and his dad told me my DS woke up w/a nasty diaper rash, is still coughing and hasn't eaten anything today except string cheese. also hasn't drank anything but apple juice. he also reported he's had all loose/watery stools...hence the diaper rash. i was just wondering if the appetite & diaper rash are related? kinda like yeast infection, maybe? also, last week he took antibiotics for a throat infection, but that ended last sunday, but could there be any residual side effects from that (diaper rash, diarrhea)? i'm picking my little boy up tonight & wanted to kind of have an idea how to proceed.
my poor bear.... :(
any ideas/suggestions? i feel so bad he might feel crummy on christmas. :(
thanks guys & merry christmas! :)

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S.C.

answers from Fort Wayne on

I would guess that the diarrhea, cough, runny nose etc are all symptoms of some type of virus he's caught rather than allergies. I would bet that you hit the nail on the head when you said that the diaper rash is from the loose stools. And that the loose stools are from not eating and only drinking juice.
There probably isn't a whole lot you're going to be able to do for the cold (cough, watery eyes, snotty nose, etc). There aren't any type of cold medicines that little ones can take. Just make sure to use a saline spray in his nose. If he doesn't know how to blow his nose, you might have to use the bulb syringe (snot sucker) to help clear his nose. Sitting in the bathroom with the door closed and the shower on as hot as it will go should help too. You can also use Vick's on his chest.
For the diaper rash, get a good diaper rash cream. I like Balmex. Avoid wipes since they have alcohol in them and can burn. Use a warm wash cloth or a piece of old t-shirt to wipe his bottom. Layer on the cream really really thick and change him as often as you can.
For the lack of appetite..wait it out. You can't really do much else. Offer him bland foods (BRAT diet) and that should help a little with the diarrhea. Also, no more juice! It's just going to make things worse. Try some Pedialyte or watered down Gatorade or Powerade.
I'm dealing with a couple sick kids of my own right now :( Let's hope they all feel better tomorrow!

2 moms found this helpful

K.V.

answers from Lansing on

He could very well just have a cold. It seems that everyone (around here anyway) are getting it. My daughter has a runny nose, but thankfully no cough or fever, as of yet.

Most antibiotics stay in the sytem for roughly 10 days, even after stopping them. A lot of antibiotics cause yeast infections.

My suggestion, for what its worth is to get some vicks baby rub, put it on his feet and then put socks on him. It will help with the coughing. I don't know why it helps, but it does. Everytime my daughter or I get a cold, I always put Vicks on the feet. If he does have a cold, that could be a reason for no appetite. And being that young, kids eat off and on, when they want and if they want. My daughter has gone hours with out eating and the next day, she eats like a pig.

I swear by calmoseptine cream for diaper rashes. It is the only cream I have found it get rid of a diaper rash. Whenever my daughter has a rash, I put it on her butt and by the next changing her rash is gone. It's like magic. They don't sell calmoseptine at most chain stores. I would google it to find it in a place near you.

Merry Christmas! And I hope your little guy starts to feel better :)

2 moms found this helpful
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M.O.

answers from Chicago on

Whenever we get "the mystery poops" we go with a modified BRAT diet - bananas, rice, applesauce and tea. Hold off on ALL dairy too as it may aggravate the digestive tract. We switch to rice milk, no string cheese, cottage cheese.

Other good items are Pedialyte instead of juice, water, pretzels (help add small amts of salt a necessary electrolyte), yogurt (acidopholus helps the digestive tract) and maybe even a probiotic too.

I'd expect that if he has a cold his appetite might drop, so push the good foods. To make it fun for him you can serve it in a 6 cup muffin tin or divided plate.

For the diaper rash - naked time, warm water baths (minimal soap/bubble bath in the tub) and we use triple paste on the tush.

Best wishes! I hope he feels better soon.

Going through something similar here so I understand the worrying!

1 mom found this helpful
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T.H.

answers from Kansas City on

I would get some antifungal cream, although it might burn so try just a bit to see or let it heal a bit. I also use Aquaphor or Vaseline and those help really coat the buns! Desitin works well too and they make a creamy version that spreads easily. Stay away from the bath if it's really bad and just coat that booty every chance you get!

I would go with breads and other starches. If he'll drink pedialtye it's great, but he probably won't. Try Gatorade but no juice or fruit. His anitbiotics could have caused the diarrhea but I doubt that he's still having residuals if he finished in on Sunday. Try and get him to eat yogurt....that will really help replace missing bacteria especially if he was just on meds.

1 mom found this helpful
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D.S.

answers from Houston on

the yeast infection and cough and low appetite are not related. the low appetite and cough probably are but i would give orange juice instead. the diaper rash is probably a yeast infection from the antibiotics and cause of that I would do no juice at all. jmo and experience.

I respectfully disagree with tory to a point. breads and starches turn to sugar which fuel yeast infections. if you do do that only go wheat bread and whole grain pasta. I fought yeast infections off and on for a year with my youngest my oldest too but more so with the youngest. I had to take him completely off sugar to get rid of it.

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

C.O.

answers from Minneapolis on

Antibiotics usually cause diarrehea (sp?)... give him some yogurt. Thats what our doctor tels us to do.

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