Treating Infant Diaper Rash
Commercial and Natural Cures, Plus Preventing Future Rashes
Jun 23, 2009
It's an awful feeling to open up baby's diaper to see a tender, red rash on her bottom. Diaper rash is no fun, for infants or their caregivers. If left untreated, a mild rash may blister and become raw, or even get infected by bacteria or yeast.
Letting a Diaper Rash Air Dry
The best thing to do when baby has diaper rash is to let it air out naturally. Remove the diaper, clean off baby's bottom, and let the rash air dry without applying anything to it. Exposure to air will speed the healing process faster than any synthetic cream or ointment. As often as possible, let baby play naked on a towel or run around outside without a diaper until the rash is completely healed.
Handling Diaper Changes When Baby Has Diaper Rash
When babies have a rash, imagine what it must feel like when a wipe is scraped across the surface of their tender bottoms! If at all possible, clean the diaper area with plain water. Forgo the wipes and squirt clean with a bulb syringe. If necessary, pat (but do not rub) with a soft, wet cloth. Let baby's bottom air dry before applying diaper rash cream; let the cream completely dry before putting on a new diaper.
Different Types of Diaper Rash Cream
Many different product exist for treating diaper rash. For normal irritation diaper rashes, over-the-counter creams should work just fine. Products like Desitin or A+D zinc oxide cream, or petroleum-based products like Vaseline or Aquaphor, work by forming a protective barrier to keep wetness away from baby's skin. In severe cases, a pediatrician may recommend the use of hydrocortizone cream. Though baby powder used to be used, it is no longer recommended.
Home Remedies for Baby Diaper Rash
There are also lots of natural cures for infant diaper rashes, which some parents swear by. Most involve some type of food products, which shouldn't in themselves be harmful (even if they don't do much to improve the rash.) But some remedies may further irritate a diaper rash, especially yeast infections, so always ask a pediatrician before trying an alternative treatment. Some common home remedies include applying:
- flour that is browned (or bunt) in a pan on the stove
- virgin olive oil
- whipped egg white
- Crisco
- aloe vera
- cornstarch
How to Recognize and Treat Yeast Infections
It can be hard to tell the difference between a yeast infection and a run-of-the-mill diaper rash. If normal treatments aren't working, the rash may be a yeast infection. These require external application of Monistat-7 or a topical antifungal cream to the affected area.
Preventing Diaper Rash
Almost every infant suffers from at least one diaper rash at some point in his or her life. Babies with more sensitive skin get them repeatedly. While nothing except potty training can completely prevent diaper rash, there are things parents can do to make it less likely:
- Use unscented wipes
- Change the child's diaper often
- Let babies go without a diaper whenever possible
- Apply diaper rash cream at every change, even before signs of a rash appear
- Try switching types of diapers, wipes, and cream if baby is prone to frequent diaper rash
Although diaper rash is a common experience for babies and infants, it doesn't make it any easier. Expose a diaper rash to the open air as much as possible, and choose from the wide variety of commercial and natural remedies available. If a diaper rash doesn't respond to treatment after a day or two, it's probably a good idea to call the pediatrician to make sure it isn't a sign of something more serious.
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