13 Month Old Son Has BAD Diaper Rash - Please Help!

T., I had a lot of luck with a cream called Triple ointment (can be found a most WalGreens) and also recommended to me by a good friend is a cream called Willada found at whole foods grocery. My daughter spent her first birthday with Rotavirus (severe vomiting and diarrhea) which lasted for 9 days. We opted to have her go without a diaper as much as possible, kept her clean and dry and used above creams. It was still rough on her and took a while for her bottom to clear, but had tried every cream on the market and these were the ones which worked best. Good luck!

O.K.-the best thing you can do for a diaper rash is let it breath. I know this might be messy but when possible do not put a diaper on him. The more you can allow the skin to DRY out the sooner the rash will go away. Maybe you can put him in a large shirt and let him cruise around home without bottoms on. Creams are great too but letting things dry out will make the rash go away MUCH faster. Good luck!!

Cornstarch has always worked for my son. The redness seems to diminish almost immediately.

Good luck

K.

So I didn't read all 30 other responses so I'm not sure if you've already heard this but using liquid Maloxx, unflavored if you want, and quite a bit of Dr. Smith's (that stuff is really thick so be warned it doesn't wash off easily) worked for our son. We'd tried everything and he had a rash and burning bottom for over 2 months. We stopped using wipes too.

I also heard Acid Mantle (ask your pharmacist) works wonders.

I know you've received a ton of advice - I have been a anny for well over ten years so I have seen more diaper rash than any person alive - i swear :) i have found that the Butt Paste is the best thing.

but what works best if your child happens to be like mine and creams make their rash worse is to stop using wipes all together until it heals. i use warm wash clothes. then let it air out(as much as possible-no diaper) and use old fshioned cornstarch or powder w/ cornstarch in it. just keeping it dry has helped my boy more than anything. i try to avoid wet diapers as much as possible.

good luck

We used Dr. Smith's ointment on my son when he flared up. As a preventative we actually used the cornstarch baby powder (no talcum powder). That was very effective.

Do you remember what food your son ate prior to the rash? Try to keep a journal and see if that food causes the same reaction the next time he eats it. My son is allergic to 4 of the 8 major foods. It is something to keep in mind. Also, some medicines contain common food allergens.

Good luck!!

We've used bordeaux butt paste. It works great!!
Also, to help prevent diaper rash, we cake on vaseline about 2-3 times a day. B/c its petrolium based, it pretty much puts a waterproof barier on babes bottom. I've also put the vaseline on his legs, up by his diaper to prevent the diaper from rubbing
Hope that helps!
-S.

Hi, T.! My daughter had a bad rash like that once. I use Arbonne's Baby Care Herbal Diaper rash cream. I love it! It cleared up her rash right away. The cream contains zinc oxide and other anti-oxididants that are water-repelling. I have an extra one if you need it or you can order from Arbonne. The whole baby care line is excellent! I will never use anything else on my girls! Good luck!!

S.

Hi T., I'm so sorry to hear about your son. When my son had a really bad rash similar to what you're describing, our pediatrician told us to get a tube of Balmex and a tube of A&D Ointment. He said to put a little of each (like 1/4" or large pea size of each) on the side of my hand, mix it together with my finger, and then apply the mixture to his rash. We did this for every diaper change until the rash was gone, which was only about 2 or three diaper changes. It went away that fast! I believe The A&D ointment is supposed to help keep the moisture away from the rash and the Balmex is supposed to help "cure" the rash. It worked beautifully for my son. We still use it now whenever his bottom gets a little red to avoid it turning into a bad rash. Good luck! I know how stressful it can be knowing your little one is in pain.

The cream is a barrier cream - its job is to keep out moisture. However, it is irritating to the skin if you seal any moisture in. So first of all change his diaper every hour. Then, when he pees/poops and you clean it up just put him in the bathtub and use water instead of wiping. Finally, here's the big tip - use a cool or warm (be careful not to get hot!) blow dryer to completely dry the skin. The skin must be dry. Put on the cream (I used A & D) liberally. Keep doing these steps and he should clear up in about a D.. Good luck!

My pediatrician actually recommended Lotrimen, the foot fungus over the counter cream. It helps all fungal rashes...

Boudreaux's Butt Paste...you can find it anywhere...try Wal-Mart. It will heal and soothe. Call the doc after you get the ointment, too...just to make sure it's not something more serious.

My little boy used to get the worst diaper rash in the world whenever he drank any kind of juice. The best thing I found to do was to purchase corn starch (it comes in a box) from the grocery store. I sprinkled it all over him and them let him walk around sans diaper. It worked everytime, better then all of the many creams we tried!
L. H.

Go to the store and buy Aquaphor now! You can find it in the other diaper creams or with the hand lotions. It's a healing ointment that my son's pediatrician's nurse recommended to me when my son's rash had gotten so bad red welts started appearing and even drawing some blood. I liberally applied a thick coat of Aquaphor and then put some diaper rash cream on top of that. And it was like magic - at the next diaper change -- there was a huge improvement. The next day - the rash was almost completely gone. Now, we always have a tube of Aquaphor on handy.
Also: if he's having many runny stools, try giving him yogurt with active cultures in it - like YoBaby yogurt. The active cultures help regulate the digestive system.

If the other diaper rash creams are not working it sounds like it could be a fungal rash. Try miconazole cream. You can get it in the area of the store with stuff for women's yeast in fections or the foot cream area.
Good luck.

Hi,

Bactroban! You need a prescription, but it is especially for what you are describing. It will work! Unfortunately, you'll need to contact your doctor for a prescription.

Hope he feels better.

S.

I LOVE Balmex, my daughter just had a diaper rash and I globbed Balmex on her and it got better the next day, it was still a little red but you could see a big difference. Sometimes I see a little red on her and put Balmex on her and it goes away by the next diaper change. I've never tried anything else because I know this will always work. I put it on her everynight before she goes to sleep and she never wakes up with a rash. She is 15 months and has only had two diaper rashes and she got them because she pooped and I didn't change her fast enought. Good luck!

T.,

I used a cream called Dr. Smith's. It comes in a small, blue and white round container and I purchased it from Tom Thumb. I believe that I had to ask the pharamcist for it. My daughter had a really bad rash once and a friend recommened this and it works.

could it be a food allergy? The best treatment will be to let it air dry... take that diaper off and let him run around naked... it's not fun... put sheets on everything... but it'll help loads ... :( It is NO fun to see them like that... bordreaux's butt paste is what I used to clear up bad diaper rash. mine generally doesn't get it... only did bad once when he was sick (pencillin caused it).. good luck.. :(

We went through the same not too long ago.....we ended up taking him to his pediatrician after trying several different creams/ointments. It ended up being a staph (spelling?)infection. The doctor gave him an antibiotic and it cleared up within a week (we continued to use the creams liberally too). It's soo sad to see them in pain, I know how you must feel. If it doesn't cleaer up soon, you might want to get him checked just to rule that out.
Good Luck!!!

My son has had several diaper rash. The best method is to clean him with water and cloth, make sure he is always dry before putting the diaper on. Vaseline is the best rash preventer i found, nothing else worked for my son. When he has a rash just make sure he is changed more than usual, and use the above method. You can only try and see if it will work for your little one.
Good luck.

Ahh the myth of diaper cream.... Diaper rash is caused by too much moisture on the skin from waste that eats away at the skin. Most moms put diaper rash cream on to protect baby from future wastes setting on the skin. But what the cream also does is TRAP the bacteria thats on the skin in allowing it to continue to eat away at the baby's skin.

The miracle cure.... put Maalox on it!! I gaurantee you will see a difference by the next diaper change. The Maalox neutralizes the acid in the affected area and clears it up. It's also cooling and so helps to decrease pain. Also, if you can let your baby air dry and run around naked, that will help too. But really, the Maalox will do the trick. My pediatrician told me this when my baby was three months old. I thought he was nuts. But, he was absolutely right! And if the diaper rash doesn't clear up with this treatment, then that means it's not a rash, it then may become a yeast infection and you have to put athletes food cream on it to clear it up. But since the rash just happened today, i'm sure the maalox will clear it up.

take care! and let me know if you have any questions

Dear T. - It sounds like his diaper rash is really a 'yeast infection' which is not uncommon with boys or girls that wear diapers. So, you'll need an anti-fungal cream, like Lotrimin-AF, which is a 1% Clotrimazole. You can find it at your local drugstore or Walmart on the aisle with Jock Itch medicines or Athlete's Foot or even Vaginal Yeast infections. All these are caused by the same virus. Our doctor prescribed this over-the-counter solution and you just apply to dry skin about 4 times a day. You should see a difference within a day, and almost healed within 3 days. Hope this helps. L.

L. B. Shepherd, ###-###-####
www.my.tupperware.com/LauraShepherd
____@____.com

Hi T.!

Have you tried "Butt Paste" yet? You can usually find it at Walmart and most groceries stores... It was recommended by my son's doctor when he had a bad diaper rash once. She said it is the only past that not only prevents rash but also heals it. It works miracles for my little boy.

I hope that helps some!

F.

Hi T.,

Been there ... it stinks! If you are using wipes ... make sure to rinse them out with warm water so they do not cause further irriation.

If the skin is just red, sticking to regular diaper cream will work if you apply with each diaper change.

If there are small raised bumps, most likely it is a yeast infection. I used (by my ped recommendation) monostat (the generic version works fine) mixed with diaper cream. It can last up to 2 weeks. Letting your little guy run around with no diaper would be most helpful as well, especially outdoors.

Good luck!

T.,
A friend of mine in GA (where we used to live) sent me the below e-mail when her little boy was getting his 2-year molars & had VERY BAD diaper rash. She recommends Dr. Smith's but then there is a "recipe" to make your own later on. Good luck!

C.

"I did alot of reasearch & found that Dr. Smith's diaper ointment is the only one with an anti-fungal in it. That one always clears it up very quickly before it can blister up,
which is a candida (yeast) infection.

A doctor at the Children's Healthcare Urgent Center gave me the recipe to make my own if I couldn't find Dr. Smith's... you take one tube of triple antibiotic ointment, one tube of Lotremin and one tube of zinc oxide (Wal-mart's Equate
brand of this is really good and only $1.97) and mix together in a sterilized container. If you mix it yourself, it makes up a lot that will last you a very long time."

I've always used vasoline and it tends to be productive in getting rid of the rash. My daughter went through the same thing and it only happens when she eats pears. Hope I helped...

Randa

Hi T. - I read the other respones and I agree with Aquafor and Butt Paste being good. I use both. But my son had an awful rash one time and the girls at daycare told me to mix a tube of lotrimin and a tube of zinc oxide together and put it on. The next morning, his horrible swollen rash was completely gone. So this is now my little folk remedy. I've never used the trick since, as it's never been that bad again. The zinc oxide (pure zinc oxide) is usually behind the pharmacy counter - when I asked for it, my pharmacist knew exactly what I was doing and told me the remedy was a great one.

If you can let him go without a diaper for awhile, then that's a great way to help air it out and not hurt so much. Good luck!

Balmex dipaer cream is the best out there! I also use the Balmex protective ointment and just cover his little bottom w/it after the rash clears up.
It usually clears up the rash w/in a few hours. It has saved my life many of time.

Good luck!

Any ointment with zinc oxide is going to hurt. I woudl just use Aquafor and then give him oat meal baths. I would also see a Dr over this. When my ds had strep, he developed a yeast infection (beefy red rash). We ended up putting lotrimin on him. Recently, he developed a staph infection and required an antibiotic ointment for that.

T.-
I am a nurse of 28 yrs and a Lactation Consultant in private practice here in southlake, TX. You have gotten some good advice so far, but I did not see Arbonne diaper rash cream recommended. It is a botannically based cream that is incredible and it works on eczema spots as well. Make sure that your pedi does not think it is yeast or staph. If not, you will be quite pleased with this healthier alternative to the chemical recommendations. Call me if you would like a sample. Thanks, B. Nolen, RN, IBCLC

My friends and I swear by using Pampers Sensitive wipes. Changing to these wipes cleared up my nephew's bad diaper rash overnight. I also like to use Boudreaux's Butt Paste everyday. Hope that helps - good luck!