Friday, March 28, 2008

Diaper Rash Doozie!

As an adverse reaction to countless horrible diapers, following our wonderful stomach flu, our youngest has terrible diaper rash. I mean TERRIBLE! He was crying terribly everytime we changed him. The normal Desitin just wasn't doing the job. So here are some suggestions I have since discovered from talking to other moms.

1. Rinse him/her off with a soft rag, or under running water to avoid "rubbing" it and irritating it.
2. Change often and let "air dry" as much as possible. The dryer they are the better.
3. Alternate diaper rash creams, such as Desitin and A&D ointment.
4. Use cloth diapers or make a fleece lining for inside disposables. Fleece wicks away moisture and is softer.
5. Use Maalox. Dab on with a cotton ball before diaper rash cream. The Maalox cuts down on the acidity of the diarrhea-what makes it irritated.
6. Give him/her an oatmeal bath. It helps sooth the sore spots. Just make sure to dry well before re-diapering.
7. Let them run around without a diaper for awhile. Airdry the area.
8. Use liquid powder or baby powder. This also helps keep the area dry. Liquid powder may irritate if it has fragrance in it.
9. Feed them bland foods. If the foods are more acidic, so are the diapers.
10. If it doesn't resolve, talk to your doctor. They may prescribe a diaper rash cream to help.

And if you know of a tip I haven't suggested...I would love hear about it!

2 comments:

My friends said...

I don't know what A & D ointment is, but have you tried Aquaphor?

Anonymous said...

When Fuller was about 6 months old, he accompanied me on a business trip to Boston. During that trip he had an AWFUL diaper rash. We did almost every thing you suggest (traveling didn't allow for cloth diapers and never heard of the Maalox). But it turned out, he had a yeast infection! We had to get a prescription and it, along with these suggestions, helped him feel better fast.