Diaper Rash

Almost every child gets a dia­per rash. Usu­al­ly it’s after pro­longed con­tact with mois­ture and the com­bi­na­tion of urine and feces, which irri­tate your baby’s skin. Oth­er known caus­es include over cleans­ing with soaps and antibi­ot­ic usage. In many cas­es, mild dia­per rash will appear with no known cause and will heal with­out treatment.

You can try to pre­vent dia­per rash by avoid­ing harsh soaps, over-cleans­ing and wipes with alco­hol or per­fume. Using strict­ly water as a cleanser may be all that is nec­es­sary. Change dia­pers imme­di­ate­ly after each bow­el move­ment, as well as when it’s nec­es­sary to keep your baby dry. If desired, apply a thing lay­er of oint­ment such as Desitin, Vase­lines, Balmex™ or oth­er bar­ri­er appli­ca­tion for pro­tec­tion against wet­ness. Avoid per­fumed lotions or pow­ders that can irri­tate your baby’s skin. If your baby gets a dia­per rash, make sure you change the dia­per often and avoid air­tight fas­ten­ing. Increase air cir­cu­la­tion with­in the dia­per by loose­ly attach­ing or by cut­ting the elas­tic bands around the legs on dis­pos­able diapers.

Leave your baby’s bot­tom exposed to the air as much as pos­si­ble each day. Prac­ti­cal times are dur­ing naps or after bow­el move­ments. Apply a thin lay­er of oint­ment, such as Des­tin, Vase­line or Blamex to your baby’s skin with each dia­per change. This helps to pro­tect the skin by seal­ing out the mois­ture and irri­ta­tion that comes with it.

Instead of wip­ing your baby’s skin clean, try rins­ing in a sink or tub, which is gen­tler on your baby’s skin Rou­tine use of tal­cum pow­der is not rec­om­mend­ed, as it can cause breath­ing prob­lems if inhaled by the baby. Call the office if the rash con­tin­ues to wors­en. A yeast dia­per rash, seri­ous skin irri­ta­tion or infec­tion may require med­ical treatment.