Monday, March 23

Dealing with Diaper Rash

I am having my first real experience with diaper rash and it is no fun! My seven month old has been extremely uncomfortable for the past several days. Since diaper rash is a fairly common ailment of babies in diapers, I thought it would make for a good post.

The most likely age of your baby developing it is between seven to nine months. The reason is because of a more varied diet combined with delicate skin. Diaper rash is caused by that delicate skin becoming irritated by chronic moisture. The following are some tips that have been successful in our case.

  • Less Moisture Change your baby's diaper often, as soon as it gets wet or dirty.
  • More Air This can be tricky, especially with a little boy. I suggest placing a towel in the dry bathtub and letting your baby lay bare bottomed.
  • Do not use baby wipes Even unscented ones contain irritants, so for the time being, use cotton balls dipped in warm water to clean baby's bottom.
  • Gentle Soap I recommend Dove or Johnson's no more than once a day.
  • Creams Desitin, Balmex, and A & D are all good ones. Only use the cream at night or nap time. During the rest of the day you should change the diaper frequently enough to not need it (creams can be quite difficult to get off).

Remember that prevention is the key with diaper rash!

2 comments:

  1. Hi there, I just discovered your blog! I have three out of four children with very sensitive skin and we always found that any Johnson and Johnson product gave our children diaper rash. I always bathed them with a little Dove soap and used petroleum jelly or zinc and castor oil on their diaper area to prevent problems. When cleaning the diaper area I just used Dove wipes or water only. If they had a tummy bug and got a rash I used to find that camomile lotion was terrific for taking the soreness out. (I actually managed to write a paragraph without using the word "nappy" for diaper). Mrs Q

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  2. Thanks for your advice. My grandmother also advised me to put petroleum jelly on my son's diaper rash and it cleared up overnight. I appreciate your comment, it is very helpful!

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