How do I get rid of a nasty diaper rash?

Question

My daughter is 10 months old and she's had this really red diaper rash that has lasted for almost a month now. I have tried oat baths, special cremes (Aveeno, Panaten, etc...) and I even let her bum air out but nothing seems to be working. After giving her baths it may seem to go away but then it comes back really red. What can I do to get rid of this stubborn rash?

Answer 1

i asked at the pharmacy about this too my daughter was 12m when she had a really bad rash in the diaper area and all the way down her little legs to her knees... everything i did seemed to make it worse and not clear it up... he gave me a cream called clotrimazole cream.... it "kills the fungus"... what had happened is like most little girls her diaper rash ended up being basically a yeast infection.... and i thought what the heck i will try it.... in 2 days it was almost gone... or drastic improvement anyways... in about a week it was totally gone and I SWEAR BY THE STUFF EVER SINCE. i use it all the time any of my daycare kids seem to get a rash and it has helped them too :)

Answer 2

If you are using disposable diapers then the first thing to do is to get her out of them and into cloth diapers.

Cloth diapers breathe better than disposable diapers.

Cloth diapers are a lot softer than disposable diapers.

Cloth diapers don't get hot and sticky like disposables.

Cloth diapers cause less, if any, diaper rashes compared to disposables.

Cloth diapers are basically a one size fits all diaper, if you are using the standard rectangle or prefold diapers. If a diaper isn't thick enough, with cloth you double up, what do you do with disposbles? You can double up but then you have wasted the cost of two diapers and nothing on doubling the cloth ones.

Cloth diapers are cheaper in the long run than disposable diapers.

What else can I say about them. I'm incontinent and wear diapers 24 / 7 because of a medical condition. I've worn both disposables and cloth for extended periods of time to make up my mind which I would prefer. Myself, I wear contoured cloth diapers that I made for myself with elastic in the waist and leg openings. I do not get diaper rashes and I used to get them all the time when I wore disposables.

True, disposables are more convenient for the most part but the are very uncomfortable compared to cloth diapers. For all the reasons I stated above, I prefer the cloth diapers and that is now what I wear all the time. I only use disposables on long trips where cloth would be way too much of an inconvenience.

Laundering cloth isn't as bad as so many people make it out to be. I do two loads a week for myself. I was them in regular detergent without any additives. I use vinegar in the first rinse and nothing in the second rinse.

Never use bleach on cloth diapers because it breaks down the fibers and the diapers wear out sooner than they should.

Never use fabric softener on diapers because it coats the fibers and makes them less absorbent which causes leaking at times.

Not much else to say other than cloth is my recommendation, unless you hadn't already guessed that.

Good luck.

Answer 3

It sounds more like a yeast infection than a diaper rash. Your doctor can prescribe niacin. Or, you can try monistat.

Do you use disposable diapers?
If it's going away then coming back it could be an allergic reaction to the chamicals in her disposable diapers. You know how when wet, the diapers have those beads that turn to gel? Lots of babies are allergic to that. Try a fleece diaper, you can check out http://www.envirobabystore.com for more info.

Answer 4

Have you tried Desitin cream ? Old time remedy, always worked for me. Maybe even Monistat, as diaper rashes are a form of yeast infections. Air as often as possible. If nothing else otc works then maybe a real antibiotic rx is needed.

Answer 5

It could be a yeast infection. I think it's Lamisil that you'd use for that but double check with the pharmacist. My doctor also tells me to use the yeast cream on the bottom and put a healthy coat of A&D ointment on the top. Do not use powders because if it is yeast that will allow the yeast to attach to the particles in the powder and make it spread. A good way to know if it is yeast is if the outside of the rash looks prickly red. Another trick I used to have to do with my oldest daughter is to take vitamin e liquigels and break them open and then apply that oil to the area. She has always been sensitive to soaps in her private area. Good luck

Answer 6

I would say it is from a yeast infection. Try the OTC monistat (for yeast infections in women) and use physoderm (used to come in a green bottle and looks milky) in the baths. Physoderm and monistat worked great for my first one (boy) when he had terrible rashes. If it doesn't start clearing up after a week make an appointment with the doc.

Answer 7

you need to take her to the doctor because it's probably a yeast infection. Babies and toddler girls can get them just like adult women. It looks really really red, like someone slapped them down there, doesnt usually hurt. It does seem to go away after a bath or in the mornin when you change them but gets redder thru out the day and can look like little patches of dry red skin . I have a 4 yr old and 1 yr old and they'd both gotten yeast infections and that's always what it looked like. They give you medicine for it,its called Nyastatin . works great and starts clearing it up by the end of the first day that's it's applied.

Answer 8

It sounds odd but when my daughter was a baby she would always get bad diaper rash and well and I put Lortrimin cream (yes, the cream for foot fungus) on her bum and it clears it up quick! I swear by it. And let her poor sore bottom air out as much as possible.

Answer 9

there's a chance her diaper rash may be a yeast infection. If all the OTC diaper rash ointment have failed, then try using OTC monistat cream. If that fails, then its a trip to the pediatrician.

Answer 10

I was shocked to see that someone had already posted the remedy I use. Maalox and vaseline is what we always used. Like someone before me said, the vaseline creates a barrier and the Maalox takes the acidity out of the urine/feces. It works wonders! You can also mix a little Lotrimin in with this concoction and it gets rid of yeast as well. If that doesn't work, take her to the ped.