Diaper Rash from Swim Diaper???

Updated on September 05, 2010
C.M. asks from Denton, TX
11 answers

My son has had a diaper rash since Sunday. It appeared after he pooped and has gotten a little better although it still seems painful. I'm trying to figure out the cause. He did eat watermelon and a clementine that day. I have been wondering if it was the clementine, but that would be weird since he eats a lot of clementines and has never had this issue after eating them. He is 18 months and this is the first rash he has had since he was a tiny baby. I'm wondering if it could be the Huggies swim diaper. It seems like a vaguely remember him getting a few tiny rashes last year after swimming. Has this happened to your kids? If so, what did you do about the swim diapers?

For treatment I have only been using vaseline. I used butt paste and he cried so hard because it must have burned. I can't use the jock itch creams because he is allergic to the main ingredient. It is getting better, though. I just want to know if others have experience the same effect with swim diapers (my daughter doesn't have the same problem).

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J.P.

answers from Boise on

Is he teething? Whenever my son teeths, he gets diaper rash. And if the diaper isn't changed RIGHT after a BM, he can even get the sores. After trying various creams, a friend said that her doctor told her to just use neosporin. So, we use the butt paste on most of it, and the neosporin on the sores.

As far as swim diapers, most diapers have chemicals in them, and you then have the chlorine in addition to that. Have you tried washable swim diapers?

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S.R.

answers from San Francisco on

It definately could be from sitting in a wet swim diaper and/or in the water all day. My son got a rash between his legs from the swim diaper and swim trunks, to much moisture.

You say he eats clementines all the time, my kids love them too. My guess is they aren't causing it. You didn't say how often he eats watermelon. Watermelon can cause serious diarrea in little ones. I gave it to our son at about 1 yr, just a little, that was his first #2 blow out since he was a couple months. I waited a good year after that and it wasn't as bad. They eventually will grow out of it but it could take a year or two before it doesn't give him diarrea.

It very well could be a combo of watermelon and a long time in a wet swim diaper. Rather than vasaline, try Aquaphor. It has always worked great on our kids.

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J.S.

answers from Los Angeles on

I experienced this problem yesterday with my 18 month old son. We dressed him in a Huggies Little Swimmers diaper and swim trunks. He was playing outside for a couple hours and swimming in a wading pool when he started to cry hysterically. I took him in to change him and realized he had pooped. (which surprised me because he had pooped right before we went outside to play) His butt had a normal looking diaper rash but his little testies and the insides of his legs were BRIGHT reddish pink, looked like a terrible sunburn. I could barely clean him he was in so much pain. He has never had a rash like this before and the only thing I can link it to is the swim diaper. I guess it was too much moisture, too much sweat, the poop and I am assuming the different chemicals in the Huggies Little Swimmers Diaper. This is the day after and his legs and testies are still red. I am using Desitin to see if it helps. Bath time last night was horrible, he was in a lot of pain. I will not use those swimmer diapers again, I will look for a cotton undie for him. He has sensitive skin to begin with. Lesson learned the hard way for me and my little guy. :(

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C.P.

answers from Philadelphia on

Every time my son wears a swim diaper, even if it is for less than an hour, he gets the WORST diaper rash. He has been in horrible pain which wakes him up at night for over a week now. I have been using A&D which works the best for us, but like you said, he cries when I do it. It is utterly miserable and I think I am going to try those non disposable plastic swim pants instead. He cries even to sit in the bathtub! And this happens almost instantly ever time we use swim diapers!

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D.W.

answers from Indianapolis on

Our kids have had issues with diaper rash on and off while being in diapers. Our daughter just turned 2 and still wears diapers. Our son was finally potty-trained after his 3rd birthday.

The food they eat can affect their bottoms when they poop. Whenever our kids have something really acidic (in conjunction with diarrhea), they always get bad diaper rash.

Unfortunately, there are so many things that can cause diaper rashes (fungal/bacterial infections, allergies, etc). It's possible he's allergic to something in the swim diaper.

If it continues to get worse, you can have your pediatrician write a prescription for a compounded Rx diaper rash cream that combines an anti-fungal, antibiotic, antihistamine and anti-inflammatory. Around here it's called "Riley Butt Cream", and it's great when the rash gets really, really, really bad.

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A.N.

answers from Los Angeles on

Yep, it happened with my first son at the beach and he got it sooo bad. I had to change the swim diaper every 2 hours if not more and put on diaper cream after each changing. I thought it was a combination of the salt water and fruit. Butt paste should not burn, but the bum is sensitive so I would just recommend changing them often and using whatever cream or vaseline relieves the burn.

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L.B.

answers from Stationed Overseas on

They make cloth swim diapers which likely won't bother him as much. Like another poster said, disposable swim diapers are made differently, so it's probably what's causing the rash.
Let him go without a diaper at home if you can. That will help with the rash, especially if the diaper cream is hurting. IF it gets really bad though, take him to the doctor to get a prescription.
Hope that helps.

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L.M.

answers from New York on

Just a thought...

Could he be allergic to watermelon? Or could the reaction be from the watermelon?

Moisture is a cause of diaper rash, so it could be the swim diapers. To treat it I would recommend diaper rash cream like Balmex.

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J.D.

answers from Seattle on

It is definitely the swim diapers. My son just had his second terrible experience with them this summer. The first was after he had one on and went swimming in a lake and this weekend it was after swimming in an indoor pool with one on. It is very painful!

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A.D.

answers from Dallas on

It could be from the diaper, it could also be from the watermelon-has he eaten it before? I do remember my son getting a slight rash around his legs from the swim diapers. They make cloth swim diapers and if the pool allows them you might be better off. (Check with the pool though as some want disposables instead of cloth) or maybe try the Pampers brand, I know a lot of people don't like them as well as the Huggies though.
Also to help heal the rash try an oatmeal bath (I personally like CVS's brand better than the Aveeno-it's by the bubble bath & stuff). Just let him soak and play, don't use soap, the oatmeal draws dirt & acid away from the area and soap could aggravate the soreness. Let his booty air dry, then apply a heavy layer of vaseline or Aquaphor & a layer of butt cream over that. It's my surefire cure thanks to our pediatrician's nurse.

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A.Z.

answers from Portland on

He may be allergic to the chemicals in the diaper or the chlorine from the pool. I would switch to a cloth swim diaper and make sure he is thoroughly bathed after swimming to remove the chlorine from his skin.

It could be food as well, so I wouldn't rule that out. Some children have immediate reactions to foods, and sometimes over-eating certain foods can actually create an allergy to them. I did this with my first daughter. She loved canteloupe and ate it everyday for nearly a month and then started getting horrible blisters when peeing. We cut out the canteloupe and they went away. Returning whenever someone gave her some. We kept it out of her diet for over a year and when we reintroduced it she was fine as long as it was in moderation. So it may have been a pH balance issue with the food.

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