Never Ending Diaper Rash!!

Hi. I have used something called Domeboro when my son had a really bad rash that just wouldn't clear up. It's over the counter at the drug store and is a powder that you mix into water. Soak a paper towel or other cloth with it and lay it over rash, then put diaper over that. It was the only thing that cleared up my son's rash. Good luck!

Hi, have you tried sprinkling corn starch on it? That is all I have ever used on my daughter and it works every time. Good Luck!

L.

I'd recommend California Baby Diaper Cream. It has an anti-fungal componenet which has successfully cleared up my daughter's yeast infections. It can be bought at Target by the baby care items.

Hi K.,
I can't even begin to tell you how much your story parallels the story of my son a few years back. I sympathize with your situation right now and the constant trips back to the Dr to get him feeling better. I was equally frustrated and did not know what to try next. We also did the antibiotics, the Rx cream, homemade creams, switched baby wipes, etc. etc. It seemed like nothing helped.... until I somebody (in fact, 3 somebodies) told me about probiotics. I was skeptical at 1st but I was willing to try anything at that point. And you know what- it worked. And it has worked to prevent the yeast infection rash in both of my boys any time they were on antibiotics. It's a powedered probiotic for Infants and Toddlers and I got it at a natural foods store (here in the Des Moines area it's Campbell's Nutrition). Anyway, you just mix 1/2 teaspoon of it into their drink. The probiotic count in it is much more concentrated than that found in yogurt so it works quickly. I found that I would have to feed my then 1 yr old a whole lot of yogurt to get even a portion of the probiotics he would get in this powder. Like I said, I was skeptical of this "natural remedy", but it did in fact replace those good bacteria in his body that was being swept away by the anitibiotics and thus balanced his system again to prevent the yeast growth.
The brand was Udo's Choice, Infant's Probiotic. Here are the websites if you are interested in looking into it further: www.florahealth.com www.udoerasmus.com
This is a 2.64 ounce jar and it lasted me for about a year. It was about $16. A pretty inexpensive "fix" compared to the doctor co-pays and co-pays at the pharmacy. It was such a relief to me to find it and stop the crazy cycle of the diaper rash.
Good luck- Tami L.

Layer Lotrimin under Balmex.

Hi K.,

As your Dr. for a prescription of "Butt Paste" (that's actually what it's called). My daughter has a horrible diaper rash with open sores, etc. and this was the only thing that cleared it up. We also use corn starch on her now after every diaper change and that seems to help. Good luck!

C.

I never had the infection to kick off a diaper rash but I fought it alot with my three youngest kids and it turned out that the regular pampers was worked for me and didn't get a rash. I ususally bought the cheap diapers white cloud, parents choice, luvs all gave my kids problems. Pampers was $20 for 92 diapers 3 years ago when i stopped using diapers full time.

for sure different diapers will matter! i'd agree to maybe try a toxin free diaper like seventh genneration or something like that...we use cloth diapers and have never had a problem. i know it sounds daunting but if you look into a diaper service, they're often cheaper than regular disposables (seventh genneration is gonna cost you!) and all the yucky work is done for you! better for everyone! we love our service so much! good luck!

A child can definitely become allergic to a diaper. I had a LOT of trouble with disposables. I had more rashes per child with disposables than I had with all of the children I used cloth on put together! Now I only use cloth diapers unless we are going out of town for long enough to need to do laundry.
I used Aquaphor with amazing success on rashes except when there was a reaction to a laundry detergent.

I would give diaper switching a try. My first two couldn't use name brand diapers at all without bleeding rashes.

At around a year old, my son also had what we thought was a diaper rash, but it was a yeast infection. The doctor that we saw suggested Lotrimin. Like you experienced, it worked for a bit, but then the rash came back. Three weeks ago we started our son on Culturelle, and he's had NO infection or rash since! It's a powder that's added to his milk, once a day, and contains the same stuff yogurt does. We found it at ONE Wallgreen's, it's called "Culturelle, Probiotics for Kids!". The doctor did say that if he'd eat yogurt, this wouldn't be necessary, but he won't try yogurt. Good luck!

My first, who was born in June in Washington State, was naked all the time (well, not literally) and never had a bit of diaper rash. We bathed him outside for his first three months (waited for the heat of the day then bathed him in his little tub in the shade) and then he regularly got naked time until about November. Thursday is supposed to be beautiful (at least up here on the Iron Range); if you can let him run naked outside, it can go a LONG ways toward helping. My 2nd son, a MN, fall-born boy, has had off and on redness since about birth--I swear it's the free time outside! If it's yeast, I don't know that it will help, but it helps very quickly with the redness. Also--my husband swears that it makes a big difference if we dry the boys off appropriately after baths (I tend to slap a diaper on a vaguely wet boy; my husband is meticulous and dries every crevice.) Good luck! I hope something helps soon!

I haven't read any of the other responses but i would like to add my cents.
When i was a baby i had horrible rashes, changing diaper brands helped but the real problem wasn't found till i was about 9. I had eaten something sticky and was old enough to care about it. I grabbed a diaper wipe and a few minutes later i told my mom that my face was hot. My face had the same rash as i had as a child. Ever since then my mom makes her own wipes, i can only use completely unscented wipes on one of my girls and homemade on my other. Diapers are another issue i have with my girls that mom had with me. one diaper could be OK for one girl and cause a rash on the other. Try everything, you would be surprised at what causes reactions. If its not an allergy it could be a yeast rash. If you had thrush issues earlier on the same cream can be used.

My son also had a time where he was getting horrible diaper rashes which we couldn't seem to pinpoint. I finally realized that he would only get them after he ate or drank anything related to apples. Applesauce, juice (even watered down), pie, etc. He would turn pink, and then blister almost immediately. My doctor didn't think that could be it, but it was. Keep an eye on what he eats and drinks. We used alot of ButtPaste to help soothe his bottom and tried leaving his diaper loose or off while healing. Hopefully you will figure it out soon and he will feel much better. Good luck.

I haven't read any of the responses, so if I repeat info already given, please forgive.

First, do you have him on a probiotic? With all of his colds and infections and antiobiotics, he needs to have some "good" bacteria in his colon, otherwise he'll keep getting sick over and over. Antibiotics wipe out the good stuff; probiotics puts it back. My 9-year-old takes Floragen, but she can swallow a pill. You'll need to check to see if there's something you can give him; maybe a probiotic yogurt?

Second, he could very well be allergic to something in the particular diaper you're using on him. If plastic diapers keep aggravating, you might have to use cloth. Cloth will allow his skin to breath better as well.

Third, you might want to think about having him tested for food allergies/intolerances and celiac disease, since his body seems to keep getting infection after infection. Something is off-kilter in his system, and if it's not rectified, he will keep getting sick. One thing most people aren't aware is that, if one has a wheat or gluten intolerance or celiac disease, if any gluten is ingested, the anus area will itch and so will the buttocks as any unused/undigested gluten is "passed" from the body. Not saying that's the little guy's problem, but it's something to look into, especially since it seems to be unending infections. And if he is having staph infections as well...the staph infections could also be coming from his urine, which means he might have a systemic infection that isn't being found and treated.

Good luck.

First, the diapers can make a difference, try another brand.

A friend was just telling me Sunday about his wife having such a rash (they called it baboon butt) when she was in a nursing home and someone told him to use an athlete's foot powder and it cleared it up and kept it away. I would ask the doctor or at least a pharmasist if it is something you could use on a child. Don't know what brand they used either but have seen Dr. Scholl's in the home. Good Luck.

The super absorbant diapers are the worst at causing diaper rash....especially pampers. You might try adjusting your childs diet too. Ask the doctor if there is anything that could possibly make your sons skin more sensitive (such as certain juices) also as people do have skin allergies (I am allergic to nickle and cannot wear costume jewelry, watches or belts with a metal buckle because if any of it touches my skin...I break out) and certain foods can make skin more sensitive.

Hi K.,

Wow, poor little guy!! That is so terrible that you have been dealing with this for so long. I have a son who is now 5, but when little had some problems with his bottom. We found a wonderful cream that is called Proshield (comes in a aqua bottle). We got is through our hospital, but I have seen it in a pharmacy before-- GHC/UW health. We also had been given another skin barrier for him, that unfortuantely I don't know the name, but can describe. They were called lollipops. It is a sponge on a plastic stick and comes individually wrapped. I have also seen these in a pharmacy before too. It sounds like he just needs a good barrier while in the diaper.?. Hope this will help you a bit, your doctors office may be able to get their hands on the Proshield for you. Good luck!!

M. C

Hi K.,

Looks like you already have some great advice, but just wanted to suggest one more thing...you've gotten some good suggestions about acidophilus, but I,also, wanted to let you know that when you do put your baby on regular milk that you can get it with acidophilus in it. I don't know whether it would be more expensive than buying the additive yourself, or if this would be an option for you...just thought I would let you know. In our store, I've only seen it in the half-gallon cartons. I use acidophilus caplets, myself, for controlling yeast, and a friend of mine drinks the milk with acidophilus for controlling her yeast...they both do the same thing...it is your preference. I just know that sometimes we tend to put off doing things, and if it was right there handy you would definitely use it.

C.

My DD could only wear Luvs when she was a baby. Everything else gave her rashes. It would certainly be worth a try.

Try switching diapers for a short period of time and see if that works, we had the never ending diaper rash with my son when he was a baby. My mom said switch diapers and see if it clears up, and a few days after switching diapers the rash went away and didn't come back. When talking with your doctor ask them to call in Rx strength butt paste, it works like a charm. We used that all the time with the twins - they had formula issues with diaper rashes and switching diapers didn't work that time. Good Luck!!

M.

We had the same situation, but with only one round of antibiotics. I was so ticked at my doctor for not telling me that we should be using probiotics with the antibiotics for this same reason. My daughter was also 1 and she had never had a rash and I didn't even need to use any cream for her. Needless to say after 4 visits to the doctor and even an oral drug to fight yeast he ended up mixing a steroid and fungus control cream together and it did the trick. She had gone several months at that point totally diaperless in her crib and whenever I could do it during the day. She continued after that to have a very sensitive butt. All I can say is, it sucks and I hope something gets it under control for you. :(

Does he have any allergies? He could have an allergy to the antibiotics. I have seen a person being allergic to medicine where her hands and feet peeled so why not a butt on a baby? Ask the dr about possible allergies.

The only other thing I can think to suggest, if his stools are loose/diarrhea, is to add a probiotic to his diet. We used the capsules (Culturelle - we got ours from the pharmacy counter, but it's not a prescription) and broke them open and added this into the yogurt, which helped way more than yogurt alone. (My son was in the hospital for 6 days in Dec. for a really nasty stomach virus that caused him to become really dehydrated from the constant diarrhea - which of course cause a terrible diaper rash... he even had hives on his bottom from the diarrhea at one point.) And as far as creams, we used Triple Paste. A tad on the expensive side for butt cream, but worth it to clear up the rash! And some diapers are scented, but it should state that on the packaging. Hope your little one feels better soon!

K.

I feel for your little guy, my grandson had the very same issue and I will keep it simple. I used a product that I have available with an internet business that I operate in my free time.

It is all-natural and we no longer use any prescription for his diaper rash. It is an aloe cream and for about $10 we seen results that no prescription was able to give.

Please feel free to contact me on my cell @ ###-###-#### or via email @ ____@____.com

I live in Mora and would gladly meet you to give you more information or to deliver a bottle of "our cure to diaper rash".

Respectfully,

K.

Consider diet changes. My little guy was so sad for 8 months, Diaper rash constantly and tons of poopy diapers all day long. Turns out he was allergic to dairy, eggs, soy and peanuts. His diet has completly changed him...he is now happy boy and no diaper rash.

My toddler was on 5 rounds of antibiotics in a row to battle ear infections. This is a nightmare on the GI. So, I just got in the habit of dosing him with lactobacillus/acidophilus (not sure if I spelled that right). It comes in pill form, and I'd just empty the powder in his milk cup.

On a side note, if I ever needed to dose our breastfed infant antibiotic, I would take the probiotic myself for my baby.

There are a number of products and chemicals that are used in the process or in a disposable diaper, research it a bit you might be surprised to find out what is really in there. (My daughter is a cloth diaper baby because of the things in them.) Some babies are very sensitive to the stuff in the disposable diapers, causing rashes.

The switch to cloth was the answer for us.
HTH,
J.

I have become a huge advocate for probiotics. It puts the "good" bacteria back into the body that has been removed through antibiotics. My son takes one chewable everyday from a company called ReNew Life. There are also other good ones out there for small children from other companies. You can talk to a chiropractor to find out what brand they recommend. I use it in conjunction with the antibiotics/medicines that are given by the doctor. Check out the research - it is pretty amazing all the good things it does for your body.

Go to Whole Foods or some other health store and get some good old fashion anti-fungal cream (like you use for a feet rash).
The one at WF has lavendar in it which is why I like it. It works and it is gentle on the body and natural. He now has a yeast infection on his bottom but you can treat it without antiobiotics. Good luck!

We had a similiar situation with our son.....I know it doesn't happen to everyone, but watch the timings of the outbreaks....Our DS would end up with a severe (and I mean bloody) diaper rash by the end of the week and I would work all weekend to keep him comfy and to diligently keep him dry. It would almost clear up by Sunday night only to become full blown by Tuesday. I stopped leaving diapers at daycare and started packing a certain amount in the diaper bag each day when I dropped him off. I found she was only changing him 1 time during the 8 1/2 hours he was there! Needless to say, we changed daycare providers....I hope this isn't the case for you!

Hi,
My daughter used to get yeast rashes when she was on antibiotics. A nurse tipped us off to a good mix. Mux together vasaline (because it breathes better than daiper rash ointment), Clotrimazole Anti-Fungal Cream (for yeast), and some original Maalox (antibiotics make the poops more acidic and "burns" the skin). Put a bit of each in a bowl and mix it together and then slather on the butt at each daiper change.

We tried this and it worked wonders! I've passed it on to other moms and they have also had good success with it.

Good luck,
K.

If you are nursing- squirting some breast milk on his buttom at each change may be a magic ticket. It works on my baby- who is allergic to wipes and pampers.

Here is an articel about it.

http://www.mothering.com/articles/new_baby/breastfeeding/...

Hi K.,
Wow lots of responses!!!!
Most definitely the diaper you're using could be causing problems. Many of them have chemicals in them so look for an alternative that is free of bleaches, etc. But also look at everything you're using, what you're bathing baby in, the lotion you're using, the detergent you're using. Those things combined can cause a lot of problems. And I highly recommend the probiotics as well.
Hope everything clears up for you soon!!

L.

I have known several people whose kids have had "allergy" to certain diapers. Strage, but true! Not exactly sure though if the symptoms/rash were the same as what you are explaining, but at this point worth a try to switch!

Hi K.! This absolutely calls for probiotics. You will need to get this from a supplement as almost ALL yogurts have sugar in them and multiply yeast astronomically.
I use the Udo's Choice powder. Put it in applesauce or whatever- make sure there is NO added sugar in whatever he eats for now.
You can also buy plain yogurt and make a paste of plain yogurt(beware, many plain yogurts do have sweetener) and acidophilous powder and apply it DIRECTLY to the rash. It works wonders! Also, extra virgin coconut oil is an anti fungal. It works so much better than any diaper cream! Coconut oil is a solid below something like 70 degrees so you can slather it on like a diaper cream.
The options I listed are super cheap and very easy to find! I hope it helps!

My daught, too....she's over 4....
A mix from the doc that has worked well:
1/3 mix of ea...
zinc oxide
hydrocortizone 1%
nystatin cream

Hello, just a few ideas for prevention once he's all cleared up. I had problems with diaper rash when my daughter was a newborn so we switched from huggies to pampers. We have also put regular A&D ointment (in the gold box, not the blue cream) on her at every single diaper change - even if it's only pee - and she hasn't had a diaper rash in 2 years now. It works great!

It sounds like a nightmare. You might want to try some more heavy duty probiotics. The reason yeast infections happen is because the antibiotics take all the good bacteria out of your sons intestines and the yeast can then take over. So you have to put back the good bacteria so they can fight off the yeast. You may want to talk to a more holistic doctor who can direct you to some good stuff...otherwise look in kid friendly health food stores.
good luck!
A.

First of all, your little guy really needs probiotics (over and above the yogurt). Anytime anyone goes on antibiotics, they need to take probiotics at the same time, or their digestive track will become very imbalanced and the result is yeast (and decreased immunity and who knows what all else). It bothers me very much that doctors do not tell us this. Every other medical provider has always made sure I was doing it (midwives, chiropractors, homeopaths, ayurvedic specialist, etc...).

Make sure you get a good product. You will probably only find a good one at a health food store. It should be refrigerated. For such a little guy, you should be able to get a powder you can put in his milk or juice or a liquid product that probably tastes a lot like yogurt. Yogurt alone, though, doesn't have enough in it to really build his system back up. But if he likes it, it would be a great help, too. Make sure it has acidophilis and bifidus in it. If it is plain, even better--sugar feeds the yeast.

For the rash, see if you can get some tea tree oil. Tea tree oil kills bacteria, yeast and fungus--maybe more. I know there are some Melaleuca distributors among us and they would probably have a good product for you, but you could just drop a few drops of tea tree oil in a small amount (1/4 cup or so) of water and dab it on the rash. DO NOT put the pure oil on anyone's skin. That should work for any of the rashes that he has had so far.

Sorry, I didn't read your other responses first. I see I've been a little repetitive. I do agree with all of the stuff about disposable diapers (the chemicals are really bad) and about cloth (I love them and they are so soooooooooft, etc...) but I don't think by your story that diapers are the problem. If you switch, GREAT, but if you are too overwhelmed (I would be if I were in your situation), I would concentrate on the other things. After all, didn't he do fine in these diapers until this all started?

Try Huggies, Ask for a prescription called POOP GOOP seriously that's the name and it cleared my baby up in hours.

Probiotics in yogurt isn't usually enough, and is good for diarreha but not necessarily diaper rash. You can buy probiotics that you take in a pill form or powder form you add to a beverage much stronger dose.

I just went through this. I tried fresh air, the Mayox paste, anti fungal cream, changing laundry detergent, everything. The pediatrician blamed my cloth diapers. She gave us a RX diaper creme that didn't do a thing. My husbands co-worker, a pediatrician said it sounded like atypical eczema, because it seemed to be itchy. This surprised me, but older son battled eczema when he was younger, so I looked into it. I used OTC hydrocortisone cream and it cleared it up in 4 hours. This may not be what your issue is but it's worth checking into.

i agree 100% with you trying to give your baby the capsels of probiotics daily! it helps our son out a ton! typical diapers do contain a lot of chemicals and couldn't hurt to switch. we do cloth, but if that seems to big of a change, you could try seventh generation's brand of disposables. whole foods also has a brand which are chemical free. the bare bottom time is great too1 i tried a few types of diaper rash and found Alaffia, shea butter Blissful Baby Balm to be amazing! they sell it at co-op's and i'm sure online too. good luck!

We had similar issues with my son between 12 and 18 months or so. Nothing worked better than Triple Paste. If it was really bad, I'd smear on Triple Paste and put some Aquaphor over it as a barrier. The rash would be gone within 2 days!

Hi K., I haven't had a chance to read other responses, but wanted to reply quick- sorry if it's a repeat.
You may hesitate, but sugguest considering cloth diapers. I just started about a month ago. Baby #3 and she was 18 months. I didn't ever think of it as an option for myself. My dd was going through the same thing of rashes (that would even bleed=(!) antibiotics, creams, etc. All we could do was give her bum a break from disposables.
They really aren't as tough as you'd expect. They are SO cute and easy to maintain.
I feel much better putting fluffy warm fabric against my daughter's skin. And she hasn't had any rashes. If you want to hear more about my experience, msg me. =)
-S.

It sure sounds like you have tried everything! We were going through a similar situation about a month ago and a good friend of mine who is a Physician's Assistant recommended a concoction of Malox (I know, it sounds weird, but it's purpose is to dry up the area), Lotrimin, Vaseline and Desitin. Apply that to the rump 3-4 times a day. It cleared my daughter's fire engine red bottom up after the first night. It was also recommended to me to try soaking her bottom in water with Arm and Hammer in it...probably an "old wives" remedy that I didn't get a chance to try, but was going to be my next attempt. I hope it clears up quickly, it is excruciating to see!

I personally know that Luvs and Pampers have a higher rate of causing diaper rash--they are scented. Neither of my children have ever had diaper rash so I do not know anything about the creams...

We had the same problem with my daughter and the only thing that worked was alternating anti-fungal cream and Triple Paste. The Triple Paste is a bit more expensive than the rest of the creams.....but it works! It's available at Wal-Mart and Walgreens. Hope it helps!