My daughter has really bad diaper rash, what else can I try?

Question

I've been trying to get rid of the rash she has forever, and it never goes away and gets worse at times. I use Desitin and pure cornstarch on her. I clean her thouroughly and give her time without a diaper so she can get fresh air to her skin.

She wears cloth diapers. Not sure if that makes a difference.

Hey thanks for the tips...as far as finding Berts Bees products...that should be very easy, I am from Maine and this is where the products are made!

Answer 1

If regular diaper creams aren't working maybe its yeast? Yeast rashes are dark red, usually worse in the skin folds, and often hade red bumps arounf the outside of the rash. If this sounds like yours, try over the counter clotrimazole 1% cream twice a day. That should do the trick. If that doesn't help, you may want to make her an appointment. Sometimes rashes can be caused by a staph bacteria which will require antibiotics.

Answer 2

My favourite diaper rash cream is Penaten. It is white, thick and sticky and comes in a blue tin. I have used cornstarch in the past and find that it can get quite 'cakey'. When cleaning your daughter thouroughly be careful not to rub too hard, you may be agravating the situation. Change her often, especially with the use of cloth because it does not take the urine away from her skin. With the arrival of summer it is a great time to allow her to go without a diaper (just be sure she does not get a sunburn). My suggestion for keeping the area clean would be to give her a warm to cool bath and add baking soda to the water. The baking soda is quite soothing. Avoid bubble bath ! Avoid perfumes, creams, gels... They can exacerbate the problem.
Baking soda bath & penaten cream ointment & change often to keep area dry.

Answer 3

Possibly her diet may have a lot to do with it, try giving her more water to drink for awhile, and perhaps the laundry detergent is too sensitive for her skin. You could also try a tsp of baking soda in her bath water, and continue without a diaper for air out her skin. Change her diaper often, if need be. If her rash is really bad, take her in to the doctor, to make sure it is diaper rash and not something else going on. Hope that helps.

Answer 4

Since you have tried everything I was going to suggest (especially letting her go a time without anything on her bottom which usually does wonders in clearing her up) I would contact the doctor and make an appointment. It is possible she is allergic to something or she has some sort of infection. Not all rashes in that area are rashes from the diaper. Some (especially long standing ones) are a sign of something else is wrong!

Good luck

Answer 5

My daughter had the same thing happen - its not a diaper rash - its probably a yeast infection. They told me to put Lotrimin (anti- fungal foot creme ) on it and let it sit for 10 min - then put the desitin on it- however my Mom who works at a drug store had this Bordeaux 's butt paste with zinc oxide (this is the magic ingredient ) in it and it all cleared up quickly. The doctor said to put it on for 7 days even when it clears up!! Good Luck! OH YEAH - lay off the wipes unless its a poopy diaper - then use it sparingly on the baby - a warm cloth is better!!

Answer 6

Try using pampers, and change the child every time she urinates. Also, let her sit in a bathtub of water for an hour. You'd be surprised how this will help the skin heal. Bleach in the cloth diapers, or some other detergent, could be causing an allergic reaction. That's why Pampers are so good. If this doesn't work, see your doctor.

Answer 7

First off w/ cloth diapers you want to make sure not to use any product that contain fish oils as they will make your dipes smell horrid. Try Burt's Bees Diaper Cream, it's safe to use w/ CD and has worked wonders on my youngest. A lot of different stores carry it now like Bath and Body, some salons, and many drug stores just try doing a search for it. Also make sure that she gets as much air time as possible, right after needing changed let her crawl around bottomless, most rashes are fed w/ moisture.
Toni

Answer 8

Best call the doc and he'll prescribe cortisone cream, she may have a yeast infection that's the only thing that'll help.

Over the counter creams may not be strong enough to take care of it if it is a yeast infection.

She also may be allergic to the cloth diaper, I was, they use lanolin in the cleaning process, it's a rare allergy about it does happen a serve rash is usually the reaction.

Answer 9

If the rash has been around for a while, it may have turned into a yeast infection. Cornstarch is really bad for yeast infections so I'd stop using that just in case. Use Lotrimin (yes, the athlete's foot cream) for a couple of days and see if it looks better. I used it on my three older children several times for yeast infections they got from antibiotics as toddlers.

Answer 10

Sometimes if you put on petroleum jelly on the area it helps. My daughter is 5 months old and had very bad diaper rash several months ago. The doctors recommended that I let her thoroughly dry before putting on a new diaper, and also put on petroleum jelly on the affected area, to help the healing and prevent more rash. In 2 weeks she was fine, I still let her dry and use the jelly so the rash doesn't come back.