Diaper rash help!!!!!!

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Permalink Reply by Jamie Crawford on January 24, 2010 at 10:22am

I don't know if you can use this with cloths(just beginning my cloth journey;-) ) But my oldest had a horrible time with diaper rash, and the only think that made it better was corn starch. I would just dump a bunch in her diaper and within a day it was gone. Worked everytime!!!!

Permalink Reply by Tanashia Roberts Huff on January 29, 2010 at 4:29pm

Will definitely be trying the cornstarch when we get this yeast cleared up!

Permalink Reply by Tanashia Roberts Huff on January 29, 2010 at 4:28pm

Thx for the suggestions. We are just using warm water and a little olive oil with wipes now.

Permalink Reply by EmilyK on January 25, 2010 at 5:41am

Do you have a natural food store nearby? There is a sort of classic natural salve that uses comfrey, calendula and st.johns wort in a base of olive oil and beeswax. I found nothing worked better on a simple diaper rash. There isn't a specific company I'm thinking of that makes it, but I found a few versions of it at my natural food store that were made by little local companies. And if you want, I can send you a recipe I found.

Also, could it possibly be yeast? If it is, I would recommend boiling your diapers in a big pot with a few drops of tea tree oil (not a lot for little bums) and a few tablespoons of apple cider vinegar. I saw a big improvement when I tried that. My washer and drier just didn't have the intense heat to kill all the yeast that get into the diapers. Then for the rash itself, yeast can't survive in an airless environment. Even though they like damp and dark, they still need air. So I got a big pot of a rash ointment called Lil' Goats, and slathered it on. You can even put a little bit of yogurt on her bum on the yeasty spots and then put the ointment on to make sure no urine or stool gets to it.

Hope those help, let me know if you want that recipe, it's super easy.

Permalink Reply by Cherylyn on January 25, 2010 at 7:28am

Corn starch is awesome for diaper rash. I apply it directly to the bum, and my kids always like how it feels on their skin and it instantly helps them calm down when they've had a rash. The only kind of rash corn starch is bad for is a yeast rash. It will actually feed the rash. So, if you use corn starch and it's still not improving, it might be a yeast rash.

If it turns out to be yeast you can mix plain unsweetened yogurt with acidophilis and apply it directly on the baby's bottom. You can use acidophilis caplets from the store, and just open up a caplet and mix the powder with the yogurt. Make sure the yogurt is plain, unsweetened, because you want it to not have any sugar, and have probiotics to promote healing.

Be careful using ointments with cloth diapers, because it can cause the diapers to be less absorbent. Powder, like corn starch, and the yogurt mixture shouldn't cause any trouble with diaper absorbency. Good luck!

Permalink Reply by Cherylyn on January 25, 2010 at 8:19am

One thing I'd like to add is that it could be a newborn rash. A couple of my kids have had that, and we were told that no ointments, powders or treatments would help it go away faster, but it would eventually go away on its own. It looks bad, and it's usually not just on the diaper area but it will generally be worse in that area than other places. I'll try to describe it, in case that's what your baby has. I remember it being in different sized splotches (some small, and some quite big, covering half the baby's bottom) with an irregular border. The splotches were red, and when the rash was bad each area would be raised slightly compared to the rest of the skin. This newborn rash never seemed to hurt or itch my babies, which made it easier to wait for it to clear up. Sometimes the treatments like teatree oil or other ointments can actually cause more pain than the rash itself, so be careful when you apply these. This is one reason I like corn starch so much, because it's soothing to the baby when you put it on, and it helps promote healing.

Permalink Reply by Tanashia Roberts Huff on January 29, 2010 at 4:26pm

Thanks for all the suggestions. We saw Ped for 2wk well baby & it's yeast! So, we are using disposable Pampers sensitive brand, Nyastin, and Triple Paste Ointment. Finally seeing some improvements. Will definitely try the cornstarch when we can start using our cloth diapers again.