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Newborn's Diaper Rash..and A New Mommy


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I though babies that got nursed didn't get it :glare:

 

I'm obviously not very informed on the subject...so what do I do??

 

I have a petroleum skin protectant cream that says it can be used for diaper rash (I was using it for the circumcision area while it healed)...but I though you had to use baby powder...

 

I'm just confused...:001_huh:

 

I don't know if I should use different diapers, or wipes, or maybe get a special skin cream...lol

 

sorry if it sounds all dramatic and stuff...it's not a huge thing but it's bugging me...:blushing:

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I wish nursed babies didn't get rashes. :glare:

 

What works best for me: Lots of baths (there's nothing better than soap and water for cleaning). After the bath use the jelly. During regular, non-bath, diaper changes use lots of powder.

 

:grouphug:

 

:iagree:

 

I don't know about LOTS of baths, but definitely keep the area clean with water, not wipes. (I used to do sitz baths for baby, as full-on baths were a LOT of set-up and work!) Washcloths with water work well.

 

Allow baby to air dry. (This is a great time for tummy time on the floor.)

 

Then rub in the petroleum jelly. The key is to wait until the area is dry, and then gently, but THOROUGHLY, rub on the jelly. Don't just slap some on, but massage it in.

 

Hope baby feels better soon!

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Congratulations, Mom, on your new little bundle of joy!!!

 

1) When dd4yo was born, we were told by the doctor that baby powder isn't used any more. Who knows why!?!

 

2) The doctor recommended "Bag Balm" for diaper rash.

 

http://www.google.com/products/catalog?hl=en&client=firefox-a&hs=sBm&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&q=bag+balm&revid=482183316&bav=on.1,or.&um=1&ie=UTF-8&cid=8223651022190656588&ei=8VFjTdGbE4-Ttwea5v2wDA&sa=X&oi=product_catalog_result&ct=result&resnum=4&ved=0CEoQ8wIwAw#

 

You should be able to purchase it at your local pharmacy or discount store.

 

3) Check and change your child's diaper as often as you need to. Sometimes this means 4 diaper changes in 30 minutes. Ya gotta do what ya gotta do.

 

We use/used disposables. Even with the modern engineering of modern disposable diapers, dd4 had one episode of badbadbad diaper rash. It was the weekend I was sick, and Loverboy was in charge of diapers. It's not that he is unwilling to change diapers, or that he is an inattentive parent; he just didn't check her as often as I usually did.

 

4) If you use disposables, it is possible that the specific brand name that you use is irritating to your specific child's tender bottom. Perhaps you should consider a different type.

 

We hope that you are taking care of yourself, too, and have individuals around you to help you adjust to this new phase in your life.

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1) When dd4yo was born, we were told by the doctor that baby powder isn't used any more. Who knows why!?!

 

 

I do! Because the air borne particles cling inside of baby's lungs. So they say.

 

 

My boy had severe rashes. He had no skin on his bottom for days. The skin literally fell off in sheets and he screamed like death during changes. I became a master at changing him. Here's what I did for BM changes: lay down layers of towels on his change pad. Fill a peri bottle or sterile squirt bottle with warm water and gently squirt the water on the solid poop to get it off the skin. No touching! Air dry. Allow lots and lots of air time without coverings.

 

FWIW, my boy did need a prescription. The most expensive products did not work. Penaten worked a bit for mild rashes, but not the big ones. Anyhow, the prescription was called Fuciden. Within several hours the severe rashes were healing. It's a miracle drug! Now, I know my son was a severe case, and we now know he had what is called "leaky gut", where some material I was eating was being transferred to his system, and his body was unable to break it down. Sort of like an allergic reaction. Many diaper rashes are caused by food sensitivities, so I just wanted to throw that out there.

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I changed his diaper brand...and I stopped using the wipes so hopefully that helps out.

 

I'll use the cream for now and if it doesn't seem to help I'll go buy the butt cream or something. :001_smile:

 

Hopefully everything starts working out, I'm not to used to the mommy thing yet but I'm getting better...it's nice having help :grouphug:

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My 2nd had diaper rash (we call it nappy rash here) and I was told by a doctor (I went because dh thought his thingy might drop off- grrr, it wasn't THAT bad!), to put him in cloth nappies (which I did use for no.1 child) and of course to let it air dry as much as possible. That worked pretty quickly. Cloth nappies breathe better than disposables (not to mention are better for the environment).

 

I dont like petroleum jelly- I prefer a cream that is based on something that you could eat, such as edible oils or papaya cream or something made with beeswax . Petroleum is...well, not such a good thing, and the skin absorbs toxins. There are lots of better products out there.

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Cloth nappies ( diapers) tend to get changed more often, reducing nappie rash. The faster the baby is changed after wetting the better. Some people , when using disposables, tend to leave them on to long. I know someone who only changes the baby when she soils, or the nappy is so full it is ready to burst, she wants to get her money's worth. Not really very good for the poor bottom stuck in the nappie.

 

Airing the baby's bottom for an hour or so each day is very good for improving nappie rash.

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If the baby wears a diaper, he or she will have urine and all the nasty stuff against his or her skin, and unless an adequate barrier cream is used - definitely not just powder - diaper rash will happen. And even with barrier cream, diaper rash will happen sometimes - dd used to particularly get it in the heat.

 

We used a cream with castor oil and zinc, both as a barrier cream and as a treatment. For a really nasty rash we would also mixed a low dose cortisone-based cream with the barrier cream. The quickest solution to a bad rash is simply to have baby diaper-less for a few days - potentially messy, but highly effective.

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First, you have to know what kind of rash it is. If it is caused by yeast, then putting petroleum jelly or other diaper creams won't help. You'll need anti-fungal stuff for that. Do you or the baby have thrush?

 

If you're nursing, it can also be caused by something you ate. Try eliminating acidic things from your diet to see if that helps.

 

Also, just use water to wash the bottom, and let air dry.

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If you have any Lansinoh ointment for nursing mothers, this works great on diaper rash as well. It is natural lanolin and it would cure my cracks and sores as well as the diaper rash. I still use it on my older kids sometimes. It comes in a purple tube and I know you can get it at Walmart with the breastfeeding supplies.

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IMHO I would not use baby powder at all since it is not good for babies or adults.

 

With ds I used a generous amount of the white creams with zinc oxide such as Desitin or Balmex with every diaper change and it worked like a charm. No rashes.

 

This zinc oxide type cream was what we used in the hospital.

Edited by priscilla
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Using cloth diapers and wipes was the biggest help. As soon as I noticed any irritation, I'd let baby go coverless (just a cotton diaper) for a while and the air worked wonders. For a tiny new baby, lay baby down nekkie bottom on top of a diaper for a while after changing.

 

One of mine was seriously sensitive to disposable diapers and the chemicals in wipes.

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If you are still reading after 3 pages of advice...

 

When dd was tiny I had to change diapers. There was one brand that gave her a rash.

 

She didn't have many rashes after changing brand of diapers. Only when I was not diligent in changing frequently. I attribute that to a few things:

 

 

  • Lots of naked butt time. Newborn skin is sensitive. Keep contact of bodily waste to a minimum. Cloth diapers are great for lining the area where baby is lying.
  • Washcloth instead of wipes. A warm washcloth with a bit of baby soap or even just plain water is much easier on that sensitive skin than chemical filled wipes.
  • If baby must wear a diaper change it frequently. If you and baby are out and about check for wetness/soiled often. Learn to read baby's face so you see "the face" when he goes. Then change diapers as soon as possible.

 

A tube of Desitin did wonders for the few times dd had a diaper rash.

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If the rash is not symmetrical and sort of spotty then it might be thrush but if its symmetrical and red it could be a contact reaction to the diapers, the wipes, or just about anything.

 

If its thrush you need a specific cream to get rid of it, a pharmacist should be able to recommend something but canestan do a cream for babies.

 

If its a contact reaction you could try changing to cloth diapers or the most natural disposables you can lay your hands on. Something along the lines of tushies, unbleached etc. Drop the baby wipes and use water or water with a little bit of a simple baby wash and a washable wipe.

 

Naked bum time helps a lot too and shea butter.

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I havent read all the replies so I dont know if somebody has mentioned this or not but my la leche league leader said to expose their bottoms to the sun for a few minutes each day. I've never tried it but people have said that it works. If its cold where you live place him by a window where the sun is coming in. HTH!

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For DS I use some type of diaper rash cream (starts with a D...my mind is blanking, lol) at night and baby powder during the day. I also made sure his bum was completely dry before I put a diaper back on... I'm too impatient to wait for it to air dry (especially because DS is/was squirmy) and so I'd dry his bum with a blow dryer set on warm and low. He loved it! So much in fact that until he was about 16 months old he'd randomly go dig out my blow dryer, plug it in, get me, and then lay down and put his feet in the air! :lol:

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Finally got the baby got to sleep long enough for me to check the responses this morning :001_smile: and there's a lot! Thanks everyone for all the advice, he's already looking a bit better down there...time will tell :001_smile:

 

:grouphug: So hard when they are so small.

 

What works for us:

 

Cloth wipes with just water (even if using disposable diapers)

 

Corn starch sprinkled on (not baby powder)

 

Olive oil on bum

 

If really bad, I use A and D ointment.

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I noticed that our elder child, raised in a third world nation without baby wipes, never got diaper rash. We washed him with soap and water every time we changed him, and dried him well.

 

Our younger child didn't get diaper rash until we moved back to the US and started using wipes. I immediately switched back to washing with soap and water, and guess what? No more diaper rash!

 

Take my anecdotal evidence fwiw......

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If the rash is not symmetrical and sort of spotty then it might be thrush but if its symmetrical and red it could be a contact reaction to the diapers, the wipes, or just about anything.

 

 

 

That's super helpful! My second baby (and I) had thrush...talk about P.A.I.N.!!!

 

I thought that the pain from nursing was "normal". I think I have a high pain threshhold...

 

And I thought I could scrape the white stuff off her tongue...

 

The rash, I just attributed to not airing her out sufficiently...

 

I took her in after two loooong weeks and got the nystatin...

 

Now I'll know what to look for!

 

:)

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Lots of good info here :) Just adding my .02 since my ds2.5 was geting rashes and had eczema.

 

I used cloth diapers cut up and wet with water only for wipes. I used bleach-free diapers (7th Generation is what I use). Only then did his rashes stop.

 

Well for the most part. He is breaking out now. I think it is diet or weather related though. We have eaten a few things we don't normally eat and it has been real dry.

 

Oh I wish I could snuggle up to a newborn!

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