My SIL is going to college to be a medical assistant...She and I were were discussing my 11 month old son the other day and I said "he must be getting another tooth". She asked how I knew and I said because he always seems to get red (like windblown) cheeks and a horrible diaper rash when he cuts a tooth. She said that while the cheek think might be accurate (due to additional saliva I guess, though he's not really drooling too much), she said that the diaper rash has absolutely nothing to do with cutting teeth, as there is no medical link between one and the other. She says I'm reading WAY too much in to the diaper rash thing.
The thing is, he rarely ever gets a diaper rash. And these rashes are so severe that it takes a combination of clotrimazole (an antifungal cream recommended by the pharmasist) AND desitan to get it cleared up (and make it bearable in the meantime). He also gets these type of rashes so bad that it literally bleeds....no amount of deligent diaper changing helps....only one or the other cream alone doesn't do the trick.....And the thing is, once that little tooth finally breaks through, the rash is literally gone (until the nex tooth).
So after this conversation with her, I'm just wondering.....are diaper rashes and teething related or is it just a coincedence that one happens with the other???
This is why I love you mommas!!!! Always good, solid, well thought out advice. I also love that all of you picked up on the "since I'm in school now, I have all the answers" thing. I keep wanting to remind her she is NOT in medical school....she's learning to take blood pressure and pulse rates! LOL I was trying VERY hard to keep her "know it all" attitude out of the question, but you ladies were smart and figured her out!
Also, her only child is now 20 yrs old, so the last time she dealt with diaper rash was well over 18 yrs ago. I was just curious because no matter what I said, she kept insisting....so I thought "well, maybe she knows some new info that I don't".
Thanks for the info about the acidity and ph changing in the body being a pretty direct cause. That explains the fact that his stools are looser (though not diarehha (?) and SO smellier than normal). We change him AS SOON as he poops during these little episodes because we can literally smell it the minute he poops (unlike normal times when we can't smell it as strongly).
You ladies never cease to amaze me and are priceless!
It's true for my son. We have him in cloth diapers and the ONLY time he's ever had a rash, is when he's cutting a tooth. They are pretty bad and go away when the tooth/teeth are through.
I have no proof it they are related or not but I can say that you are not alone. My son used to get really bad diaper rash when he was getting a new tooth. He never got the rash to the extreme that you described but it was bad for him. As soon as the tooth was in the rash was gone. So mom to mom, it is possible. :)
My kids had weird things when cutting teeth. Sounds like yeast which only responds to antifungal cream (you can use OTC monistat). Yeast can be triggered by stress of various kinds. I know doctors pooh-pooh this teething stuff but moms see colds, fevers, rashes etc. when teeth are about to pop.
.
Dr Sears has an article on his website that says:
"Not only does the face react to excess saliva, so does the bottom. Expect loose stools and a mild diaper rash during peak teething time. This temporary nuisance self-clears as each teething burst subsides."
Hope your little guy is feeling better :)
While I agree that she is wrong, and teething can most certainly cause diaper rash, I have to say I am a bit offended by your statement :
" I keep wanting to remind her she is NOT in medical school....she's learning to take blood pressure and pulse rates! LOL "
I am a Certified and Registered Medical Assistant, and I can assure you that while she is learning to take blood pressure and pulse rates, she is also learning quite a bit more in a very short amount of time. Many people do not realize that training to become a Medical Assistant is nearly exactly the same as that of an LPN, the only exception being one less class required. Please conisder how your mocking tone may affect others.
Medically & scientifically speaking, the mouth is part of gastro-intestinal tract and the urinary tract. I believe teething can cause an upset in the PH of urine & or feces, and may cause a diaper rash.
Just because medicine has not determined it to be so doesn't mean that it isn't the case for YOUR baby. I don't know of a single thing in life that is absolute--you know, other than death and taxes...lol.
I get a little tired of the whole "that can't be it because we don't have a medical explanation". Medicine is science...a constantly evolving set of "facts" which change with every new discovery. Your little one's body could be responding to the teething in exactly the manner you describe, just because my baby didn't doesn't make it false...just unproven in a majority.
I think that it is b.s that the two are not linked. My lo is the same way. just not to the point of bleeding, I have her in cloth diapers and I think that really helps alot. Keep doing what you are doing, only someone who deals with it all the time really understands. Might I suggest giving him a probiotic mixed in his yogurt. It helps keep the digestive track in check. I believe that helps keep the rash a little at bay. gl
Like others my son has had a but load of rashes and diarreha that went hand in hand with teething.
The rash sounds like yeast to me. Next time, buy the over the counter yeast cream for women & I mix with a little vaseline & apply & usually within 4 hours it looks way better. If it goes with the teeth, I would say possibly yeast cause the extra saliva might be throwing off his ph balance, which allows yeast to flourish. Just a thought & BTW nurses & Dr. don't know everything, new things are being discovered everyday!! Go with your gut.
My daughter was prone to yeast diaper rashes and this treatment saved her loads of discomfort!! I've also used a special mix of yeast cream, yogurt plain, maalox, & vaseline to make it all stick. Works like a charm!!
I think this is where a little knowledge goes to someone's head. You know your little one better than anyone else -including your SIL, the pediatrician, etc. The pH of the saliva changes during teething. I can see where that could also cause a diaper rash. HTH
as a medical professional, can I say, shame on her!
LOL
I'm an OB nurse, but when my step-daughter is pregnant & in raising her children I have not lectured her about things. Things have changed alot since my son was little, and when I have her children I do what she says she's been told to do by her pediatrician. Same with her pregnancy, I will answer any questions she has, but I so don't know it all...I deal mostly with the delivery part, not the going to the office part of pregancies.
As a mom, you notice the changes in your baby, and all babies are different. Tell her that you'll keep doing what you and your pediatrician have found to work for your child. :)
D.
Hi--
Teething puts the body under stress. If your child has an overgrowth of yeast in the body (maybe from having anti-biotics at any time in his life) then the stress of teething can cause it to flare up.
Also, homeopathic chamomile is good for the red cheek symptom to assist him.
Hope that helps!
J.
I'd say if this is what happens EVERY time, maybe your son processes teething this way....Bodies do amazing things and not all are medically explainable......Just my opinion.....
I haven't read the answers.
However, I have read the What Happened?
So . . . . what are you going to say to SIL
the next time she (is so sure she) knows more than you do?
I'm not really sure if it's true or not, but it doesn't happen with my daughter. She never gets a diaper rash when she cuts a tooth.
I think the link is indirect. When you cut teeth it's a stress on the body and weakens the immune system enough that a diaper rash can get a better hold than normal. That's my layman's view of it though and I could be completely wrong ;-)
Both my son's got diaper rash every time they were cutting a tooth. I don't care whether there is a "known" medical link or not, I know it definitely happened. I also know it was not a coincidence because I did nothing else different, and they were not in anyone elses care at that time because I was a stay at home mom.
Doctors will tell you know, but us mammas know better. Maybe there is no "medical" link to it, but that doesn't mean its not real. I like to think the idea of the PH levels making the difference, but even if that isn't the case it still very real. No matter the reason, it does happen.
If drooling and face rashes can come with cutting teeth so can diaper rash. Cutting teeth can make saliva more acidic, making urine more acidic, upsets the ph balance causing diarrhea also, both can cause rashes.
My youngest daughter throws up and gets a fever everytime she cuts a tooth, I never know when my oldest was getting hers, not a peep, or sign. Sounds like your SIL is being a know-it-all
Has always been true for my son. He rarely gets diaper rashes but gets them when teething. I read that it is the excess saliva they swallow when teething that irritates it but I don't know.. I just know that in my experience the two have been connected.
Both of my kids got diaper rashes when they cut teeth also.
Most docs will say the same thing- that teeth do not cause diaper rash, but us moms all know different.
Not all, but some kids (like mine) only get diaper rash while cutting a new tooth.
I have no idea why, but there it is every single time! :)
I truly believe that teething causes numerous reactions in various children. My oldest had red cheeks & fingers (from chewing on them), low-grade fever, chapped chin & neck, diarrhea, & diaper rash.
My younger son rarely had the diarrhea, but had all the other issues.
It makes sense that a baby makes more saliva when teething and if it doesn't leave his mouth as 'drool', he is likely to swallow and it HAS to go somewhere.
My immediate thought is that medicine is actually more of an art than it is science. Many times docs have to 'guess' at to what is happening. Yes, there are 'the usual suspects', but every person on this earth is different and one solution/diagnosis does not work for everyone. The profession needs quantification on everything, but that is not always possible. So often we need to take what our medical professionals say with a grain of salt. If it doesn't seem to make sense, then we need to trust out gut and seek out additional opinions.
Good luck and be well. D.
My husband is a physician, and when I asked him a similar question he said it IS related. Teething can trigger the sympathetic or parasympathetic nervous system (I get the two confused), the fight or flight reaction. That causes the bowels to move faster, therefore causing the diaper rash. Not everyone reacts the same way, so not every baby has this. But it is common for babies to have loose smelly stools while teething.
As for reading too much into it, sorry but we mom's usually KNOW what's going on with our kids. Obviously not every diaper rash is related to teething, and not every teething kid gets it. But we can tell when our kidlet is teething. lol.
Best wishes!
I know diarrhea & fever are tied to teething. That's how I knew they were teething every time...
No she's wrong the diaper rash thing is true. Not all babies get that when the cut teeth but my first daughter did. She never had diaper rash but when she cut her first few teeth she did. I didn't think there was a connection cause I had never heard of that but then I remember reading up on teething in one of the baby books I have and sure enough it stated that some babies will get diaper rash right before cutting teeth. So you're right.
We all know that when a lot of babies teethe, the diaper rash apears.
Some pediatricians say not related, but for those of us that have had
children, we know it is related! Sounds like she "knows it all" since she is
going to be a medical assistant. A medical assistant takes, blood pressures, might do EKGs (does not interpret, God help us) and keeps
medical supplies in stock etc. She will come across someone who will
remind her of that. Until then, just smile.
IT is amazing....every grandma, great grandma, nana, mimi, baba and on and on I ever talked to when my girls were little said teething brings on fever, diaper rash and chapped cheeks. Everything I have ever read and any doctor asked says one has nothing to do with the other. My bet is on the grandmas....no worries.
I have always believed that they get stomach upsets when teething and the excess acid drains from the stomach into their bowels causes the diaper rash.
I have 3 kids and none of them had any problems while teething other than drooling. I know a lot of people have said similar things as you are dealing with and I was surprised when they didn't happen with my kids. I guess everyone is different and your body deals with things differently.
I have heard the same thing too. Most rashes are caused because babies have a lot of diahrea when they teeth and it is the poopie diapers that are causing the rash.
Don't be so quick to assume she's only doing this to sound like she knows more than you because she's a medical student. She may just want to help you, with what she has learned.
It's probably different for all children. I always thought it was related but my daughter is cutting her 6th tooth and she's never had a diaper rash. If she gets anything its a little pink cuz she had a couple loose stools. I'll put desitin on and the next time I change her its gone. So just like some kids drool more than others, some may or may not have diaper rash. I know my son drooled a LOT and my daughter has the super bright pink cheeks.
I've heard about links between teething and diarea, and this sounds similar. (Again, excess saliva, I think.) I asked my pediatrician about it, and she agreed that their seemed to be a link, but doctors are hesitant to agree too much on that because they don't want parents dismissing diarhea if the cause is something more than teething.
As a mom, I tend to notice patterns with my own kids, and she was just encouraging me to ask myself if it was really just teething or if it seemed different. If it seemed different, she encouraged me to call and have it checked out.
Trust your gut!
The only times my son has gotten diaper rash was when he was teething. They can be related.
Updated
The only times my son has gotten diaper rash was when he was teething. They can be related.
