Terrible Diaper Rash... Please Help!

Triple paste when he is wearing a diaper with A&D ointment. I would also let his butt air out several times a day for several days....no diaper etc.

Steroid cream scares me! NO WIPES...Use a clean warm wet washcloth. No chemicals at all. The Organic wipes may have an extra irritant.

I know since he isn't potty trained you need to remember, when he eats/drinks...within about 5 minutes he will need to pee or poop. That is when you put something under him like a diaper and read him a book. Then clean him immediately.

Maybe you can try bag balm. Its originally for cow utters but it seems to work on many things (dry skin, scars, rashes, etc.). Seems whenever I recommend it someone finds new uses for it. You can find it at Walgreens (and prob any drug store) in a green can. Good luck!

Updated

Maybe you can try bag balm. Its originally for cow utters but it seems to work on many things (dry skin, scars, rashes, etc.). Seems whenever I recommend it someone finds new uses for it. You can find it at Walgreens (and prob any drug store) in a green can. Good luck!

Bag Balm. Behind pharmacy counter at Target. Can also be found at Walgreens. Slather it on and diaper rash will be gone within 2 days.

Change the diaper brand you are using, let him be without a diaper as long as you can everyday. when you put a diaper back on put olive oil(not first press, but the light) on to coat the area plus about an inch past the affected area. Make sure you are not giving fruit juice, lower the amount of fruit you are giving and make sure it is low acid fruit until the rash is gone. Do not resume fruit juice, even watered down. Watch any other sugar intake including candy, stolen sips from others drinks, cookies, and other treats. My son kept up his rash until all of this was taken away. We felt like we were not giving him food options, but his rash got better quickly and his diet was much improved after that. Good luck for a healthy behind.

My little man had a hard time adjusting to milk and that gave him such bad diaper rash that his bottom bled. The doctor's office recommended the following mix, which did wonders. I mixed it up in a disposable ziplock container with a lid. It was:

(1) 4oz tube of Original Desitin (do not use the creamy version, it has something in it that hurts and do not use generic for this)
(1) 1oz tube of Bacitracin Antibiotic Ointment
(1) Tablespoon of Liquid Mylanta to help neutralize the acidic poo (fruit flavored is ok if you cannot find plain, but do not use mint flavored)

Good luck!

We use Butt Paste and A&D or generic a&d and you can get these almost anywhere. Try Butt Paste first, it works quickly and with out any burning. The other creams didnt work for my kids. Hope he gets better soon!

A recipe my pediatrician gave me and it works. You mix Vaseline, cornstarch and a original ( no flavor) Maalox into a paste and slather that on. I use the target brand anti- acid liquid as I could not find any Maalox without a flavor. It works as the anti- acid cancels out the acid in the poop that burns their behind and the Vaseline protects and gives moisture. It is kind of gross but it works overnight for my boy. Good luck hopefully he gets better.

My son usually had severe diaper rash whenever he was getting bigger for that diaper size. Trying the next size diaper might solve the problem

Jay

Have you tried using cloth diapers? Your child might be allergic to something within the disposable, organic or not :(

There are some great cloth diaper stores in the area if you'd like to learn more about using them. Cutie Poops and Bottoms in Orland Park does a Diaper 101 class. You can go to their website for dates and times of the formal class (cutiepoopsandbottoms.com) or walk in to get a quick demo of each diaper.

Good luck! I hope you find something to help your little one!

My daughter had surgury when she was 2 weeks old, the surgeon gave us a perscription for Stoma (SP?) powder. It's what they put on the open wounds for people who have a colostomy. You put the Stoma powder in a jar of Desitin and it works wonders. My daughter had really bad diaper rash from the surgury, we did this along with airing out as much as possible. It neutralizes the acid and dries up the skin in a matter of about 48 hours. Be sure to apply like "cream cheese on a bagel". (don't skimp!)

My son went through this as well. We never really determined what was causing it, but several things eventually helped. We slathered on Aquaphor or A&D (Desitin didn't seem to do the trick) to soothe and coat the rash that was already there, especially overnight when he had to be in a diaper. During the day, though, I wanted him to go naked, but was leary about messes on the carpets. I ended up using plain Gerber cloth prefold diapers held on with Snappis and NO diaper cover. That way he was in thin *breathable* cotton, but his messes were somewhat controlled. The cloth diapers and Snappis required, at most, a $20 investment, and I found it well worth the cost. I second what other moms said about the wipes, too. We used only cloth wipes with warm water to wipe him.

Good luck! It may not be as soon as you'd like, but this will pass!

R., I feel horrible for the little guy just reading about this! My first son had diaper rash a couple of times (although nothing like your son's) and our doctor told us to use Pepto Bismol. I thought she was crazy, but we bought it, put it on a cotton ball and swiped it over his bottom at each diaper change, and believe it or not, it did help. It's worth a shot! I hope you find something that helps to ease his discomfort soon!

Edit: I just read Cindy H.'s answer and it reminded me, my first son also had a yeasty rash when he was a baby. We used over-the-counter Monistat cream and it worked like a charm. Another idea to try!

You probably need to talk to your doctor to find out what is causing this horrible rash.
But in the mean time, let him run free, no diaper, no clothes. The best thing that help my daughter when she got this kind was to let it go free, the air kind of dry it a little bit, enough so when I HAD to put her a diaper at night the cream actually will stay. Right now he may be oozing and the ointments will not even stick well.
I am sorry for both of you, those times where so painful for both of us, I needed to clear of the poo so I had to clean her with water (no soap) and she would cry so hard and hug me tight, I felt I was letting her down, it was terrible.
I decide to not put any diaper and just let her pee/poo on the floor, even if she still got a little it was a lot less then with the diaper and for some reason the air seam to help a lot. At night I put her oitment and lost of corn starch. She was better the next morning but still let her be free that day too, and she was fine the next day.
So sorry for you :0(

Hi R.,

My son had very bad diaper rash and california baby aloe cleared it up. We would wipe him clean with water and a washcloth, dry him thoroughly and put california baby aloe on him. It cleared up his diaper rash within a few days.

Hope this works!

C.

As Kim M said...use water & washcloth to clean. DRY THOROUGHLY. I used Vaseline - great big gobs of it, to protect the area. Also, very cheap! Hardest part is the wiping and drying - takes a long time to wait for it to dry.

has he had antibiotics latley? My daughter got a horrible diaper rash that lasted on and off for months and nothing the doctors gave me worked. I actually had to give her acidopholus supplements orally and that is what made it go away. I have also found Earth Mama's Angel Baby Bottom Balm to be the most helpful diaper rash cream. I can find it at our local coop or order it online.

Both of my biys rarely had long lasting diaper rash, and I feel it is because I followed this:
#1 - most wipes contain a version of alcohol. Wipe his butt with water on paper towel or a washcloth.
#2 - as funny as it seems, blow dry his butt with either a blow dryer on cool or you blowing dry his butt by actually blowing on him (mine thought this was hilarious!)
#3 - Then apply (I used: ) Boudreaux's Butt Paste
When you put on diaper cream, it seals the butt so no water gets in. However, if you do not dry the butt before applying, you are in essesnce sealing the water AGAINST his butt making it worse.

Good Luck!!

Most helpful when my kids went through this-
I never used wipes- just iritated the skin with the rubbing and cleaning ingredients- for every diaper change I would use a squirt bottle full of warm water to cleanse the area and then pat dry with baby wash cloth- or blow dry on warm. It is kind of messy- had to do it either in the bathtub or laying on a towel which I then promptly laundered, but it really helped and made the changes so much better.
The cream I thought worked the best was a thick thick diaper cream from Walgreens- walgreens brand- it never fully came off with the squirt methods, stayed a little greasy, which I think helped.
Also, if you can, let butt stay naked, maybe a nap time when you can just put a towel underneath, or put on diaper loose to let lots of air flow in.
Good luck!

OMG poor guy! I feel your pain, I KNOW how hard it is having a baby in pain from a diaper rash, it's horrible! I will tell you, from my 9 yrs of mommy experience, Desitin is HORRIBLE, especially on children with sensitive bottoms. I never ever would have thought a diaper rash cream could make the pain worse but with ALL of my kids, any time I used that stuff, they would scream to the top of their lungs and stop as soon as it was taken off.

I highly recommend you go out and get some TRIPLE PASTE! It's the BEST and will provide him with instant relief. It's not the same as the butt paste so make sure you grab the right one, has a pic of a baby on the box. You can find it at Walmart, Target or Walgreens, I usually buy the 10oz for $17 at Target, it lasts forever with that size.

With your sons rash being so bad, it may take a few days to heal but the triple paste will definitely provide him the pain relief he needs. Please don't wait, go out and get it ASAP, sounds like he's in desperate need. Hope he feels better soon!!

You poor thing. The time my son had this horrible diaper rash was the hardest time for me (and of course him). His screaming during changes, his eyes begging me not to wipe him. Ug, it's so hard when they hurt.

I had him in the bath a lot. A couple times a day. What I also found helpful was Vaseline. I resisted this idea at first (his butt couldn't "breathe" after all) but it is very slippery, not sticky like the ointments. I put it on really thick. It portected his butt when he pooped, and more importantly made wiping less painful for him. The poop slid off easier. I'd reapply another thick layer each time. I even put the vaseline on the wipe if necessary. Good luck.

Triple paste works the best on my girls' diaper rash, but it sounds like a yeast infection to me. When my youngest would have diahrhea, she would get diaper rash, followed by a yeast infection. Our pediatrician gave us another cream, which cleared it up really quick. Unfortunately, I don't remember what it was called, but you need a prescription for it.

Good luck!

With my older daughter the only thing that worked was Lanolin (like you put on your nipples when you are breastfeeding)

When my daughter was a small infant, she had a severe diaper rash also, on the verge of bleeding. We tried the Desitin and similar products, but they actually made it worse, almost causing a burn. In the end, airing her butt out and using Aquafor turned out to be the best. In a matter of 48 hours, she was back to a pale pink. Because of her sensitivity, we used Aquafor for ever diaper change as a precautionary method until she was potty trained. Good luck!

another vote for TRIPLE PASTE...it works miracles and was our savior!! we too had tried everything and this was the ONLY thing that worked. (another good one our doc recommended but we didn't use as much was DRC) i also strongly agree to let him run around as much as possible without anything. poor guy, i hope with all these suggestions something works!

Try Boudreaux's Butt Paste. It is brown in color; looks like thick mud and there is no odor. My daughter would get diaper rash and she would scream when we applied desitin. Her doctor had samples of the paste so we tried it right away. There is no burning and the rash disappeared quickly. Do not get it on your carpet or clothing because it can stain.

when my little one got a bad diaper rash which teuned out was an allergic reaction. we had to go with out diapers for a while and put a cool rag on it to help with pain. i know it sounds crazy they will pee or poop ont he floor nut it really helpd clear it up in a few days. we would take her diaper off in the mornig for a bit after she woke up set her up with something to do and set her on a towl. we would put her diaper back on for a little bit tell she pottyed again then go again with out. well i hope this helps good luck o and dont use baby wipes only water on a rag or something like that the wipe soap makes it worse

Another vote for Triple Paste. It is awesome. We actually make a triple paste and cornstarch mixture that works great on the almost broken open diaper rashes. Good luck!

Try soaking him in the bath with about 1/2 to 1 cup of baking soda diluted in the water. This always helped my son. And, as suggested, if you can let him go naked, that will help a lot! Even a few minutes of his little bum naked in the sun will help, too! Sounds crazy, but sunlight is an amazing healer. Fixed my nursing thrush right away.

My best to you.

When my daughter was a toddler, she had acidic poops which created a horrible diaper rash. Probiotics really helped with balancing out the good bacteria with the bad flora with her system. Check with your doctor to see if this would benefit your son. Also, Bag Balm and Triple Paste are really great moisture barriers. I was able to get both at our local grocery store and Walgreens.

Maybe Triple Paste? It's medicated diaper cream, over the counter, and can be found by the other diaper rash cream. It's always worked for the worst rashes I've seen in my experience. I have a 2 year old, and I'm an OB RN as well. It's a little stronger than the rest. Try to keep the area clean and dry as much as possible. And maybe even using plain water on a wash cloth to clean his bottom instead of wipes. The wipes may sting and the alcohol may make it worse.
Any changes in diet? Teething? I'm sure the doc already asked you all these questions, but you never know.

I hope your little boy feels better asap! Good luck!!

our doctor told us (and we use it constantly) to make our own paste of 1/3 jock itch cream, 1/3 neosporin and 1/3 butt paste and it works GREAT!

are you nursing ? put breastmilk on it. also they using just coconut oil or olive oil on it. but first i would look at your sons diet to seee what he may not be digesting correctly and eliminate that from his diet for several weeks to see if taht helps ( like dairy) bleeding diaper rashes are not normal, especially when they are not healing. it sounds to me its not healing because it continues to be irritated by whatever caused it in the first place. good luck and i hope you are able to sort it out ASAP!

A & D Ointment! Works wonders! I have 3 kids none of which have ever had a serious diaper rash. The 1st sign of their bottoms turning pink i put it on and by the next day its completely gone.
A friend used desitin, their son had a rash so bad that he was bleeding everytime they would wipe him. they used my A&D and it started to go away. They never used desitin again!

You could try Burts Bees diaper cream. There's also a vitamin E cream that works well. Also, try washing him with only warm water either with a washcloth or run some water and put his little hinny under it every time you change him. You could try letting him soak in a warm bath or sitz bath of warm water and baking soda. I hope you find something that works soon. Have you considered what may be causing it, such as too much juice (any kind can cause rashes) or too many sugary foods, too many bread products just to name a few, or perhaps how you're combining foods such as cereals/breads with juice, especially o.j. can cause lots of acid and produce rashes.

Triple paste is wonderful, rinse the baby wipes out to get any chemical completely out, air it out--if you are brave or can be outside-let him go without a diaper. Best wishes! My son had terrible diaper rash from changing wipes once-turns out it was really chemical burn from the wipes!

The following advice was given to me by our ped. It did work to clear up my daughter's diaper rash...but it did take a while. And, it looked worse before it got better.

If you are still using wipes, stop until the rash is almost gone. Although it is brutal and exhausting, put him in and out of the bath tub for diaper changes. Let him soak multiple times per say in a baking soda bath.

At ever diaper change, take your hand and dip it into a tub of vaseline and desitin original. The combo of these 2 items worked for my daughter. It gets messy but your hands will be extremely well moisturized! Good luck, I know it is heart wrenching to see.

You did not mention how old your son was but what worked in a day for me was spraying some colloidal silver. You can buy it in a spray bottle at any healthfood store. If that don't do the trick diluted raw unfiltered apple cider vinager what do it. sometimes this has a little sting at first but would work like a charm. Like half water & half vinegar. It's good to keep skin dry as possible, moisture can be a problem.

Mix 30 drops of Grapefruit Seed Extract with 8 ozs of distilled water and keep spraying on his bottom. If you can, go without diapers. Hang out outside in the sun. If you are still nursing, express some of the milk and spread it over his bottom...if it can heal bleeding nipples, it should be able to help his bottom. The GSE is really what would help us. We made it a consistent spray on DD whenever her diaper was changed and that kept her from problems. We did cloth diapers too. You can pick up GSE at Fruitful Yield and probably Whole Foods too. It's usually by the yeast-free stuff.

I hope he feels better soon!

Oh, and Eucerin Aquapur is amazing too. Heals the butt quick.

It has been awhile since I've had one in diapers & luckily we didn't experience much diaper rash. I'm not sure how old your son is, so depending on how mobile he is, this may not work. I have heard that, if you can, leaving the diaper off as much as possible & exposing the rash area to air can help it heal. That could get messy for you & may involve sitting & watching him real close but it might be worth a try. A hospital close to you may have a wound clinic. I know Silver Cross Hospital in Joliet has one. They have patches (probably not the correct term), etc. that are applied with medicine over the wounds and are waterproof so they don't need to be changed for several days while the wounds are healing. Sorry I don't have more advice. That must be horrible for your son and you. I hope he feels some relief soon!! Good Luck!

We always used bag balm on really bad diaper rash. It typically clears it up in a day. You can find it @ the drug store. If you don't see it ask the pharmacist, they will know exactly what you are asking for. I would also reccomend letting him air out-ie leave the diaper off as much as possible.

Hi, I have to say the only diaper cream that worked for us was Dr. Smith's Diaper Ointment. We used to get it at Walgreens. I don't know if they still sell it but you can get it on Amazon.com. It is expensive but it worked for my daughter. We were even advised to put it under her neck when she broke out with a rash there. It was a life saver for us, Once we started using that we never used anothe diaper cream.
S.

Mylanta put directly on the skin, then take a blow dryer to dry it on the skin. Once dry, coat with aquaphor....will be gone overnight if it's truly diaper rash.

This was what we did forever-per our pediatrician.

no ointment or wipes (use water in a cloth or dip in the sink) of any kind and try to go diaperless! when you do need a diaper use a cloth diaper. also is the baby eating anything new? could be changing the stool to something more acidic and it's irritating to the skin.

nicu rn

Hi R.,

If you are using wipes, Stop. It would be best to gently rinse and clean him with lukewarm water and thick soft paper towels. Dry him with thick soft paper towels (we used Bounty). Let his bottom remain exposed to air as long as you can. [If his skin is really bad (i.e. raw/bleeding) then you can obtain a spray bottle and fill with warm water with baking soda (1 tsp baking soda to 500 ml water). Spray your child's bottom and gently dab with cotton pads. Also, you can spray down the soft thick paper towels and gently dab the baby's bottom to clean. The baking soda will help neutralize the acid from, say, the intestinal mucous, etc. causing the skin irritation.]

When ready to diaper again, we layered the following: Hydrocortizone (1/2 % with aloe) to reduce the inflammation; Bacitracin Zinc (500 units/gram) to prevent (or treat) bacterial infection of his skin and Clotrimazone cream (1%) to prevent (or treat) a fungal infection. In addition, we would apply Desitin Original (it has more zinc oxide and is thicker than Desitin creamy) to protect his skin from moisture and acid.

All of this just got us through the diapering process. You really need to find the cause of the excessive diaper rash. We had our son tested for digestive/nutritional issues by our pediatrician. He referred us to a pediatric gastroenterologist who tested my son for C. diff, which turned out to be the cause of my son's diaper issues. Once the C. diff was under control the diaper issues went away. I'm grateful to say my son tested negative for C. diff after treatment. I don't know if this is the cause of your son's issue, but should it turn out that he has it and he has issues taking, say, Flagyl, then you might want to read my post at: http://www.mamapedia.com/questions/10664927382747611137

Once my son's skin started to heal and we knew it was because the C. diff was getting under control, I gave my son's skin a break from all the medicated ointments and started to use petroleum jelly (Vaseline brand or generic--didn't matter). As with the ointments, I would put generous amounts on after his skin was dry.

I hope this helps.

Sincerely,
Donna

Hi - my daughter recently had a horrible bright red diaper rash. We tried a&d, and desitin but it did not go away. I finally researched it online and discovered that it was a yeast infection. I bought some over the counter miconazole (what women use for yeast infections) - and within a few days it was noticeably better, and gone within a week. You can buy a generic tube of it at target for around $5. We also fed her yogurt at least 2 times a day, which really helps with yeast infections.

You got some realy good advise, just wanted to advise on diaper change:

Do not use wipes! Put the baby in a tub lather your hands with baby soap, wash the butt, use shower head to spray, if you do not have detachable shower head use your hands and gently wash the butt. Then pat it dry. No wipes, very soft towels. Then use the creams (I personaly mixed A and D ointment with the very strong zinc oxide cream).
Every time you change him - wash the butt, no wipes at all, they have some very strong chemicals and sting like hell. Another thing, do not change him too often, let the creams soak in and penetrate the skin. Try to change him only when he did #2 or if his diaper is very full.

Good luck, hopes he feels better soon.

Cool water and good old fashion vaseline. Works like a charm. Let the baby's bottom air as much as possible and clean with cool water after every diaper. It's time consumming but oh so worth it. I never used anything but vaseline and it's inexpensive and works like a charm.

Keep him naked as much as possible. He will pee on things, but his rash will get better. And when you wipe him, use bath rags with water - no wipes at all. If you only have wipes, winse them out first under water first.

Bacitracin antibiotic ointment, you can get the Walgreens brand. Smear it on the rash a couple times a day. Get rid of the wipes until this is cleared up, use a warm, wet rag or paper towel instead. Have him run around outside with out a diaper to let the sun get at it too.

My son had a horrible rash when he was 2, induced by Augmentin antibiotic which was given because of a boil on his butt the size of a half-dollar. You want to talk about pain! Bacitracin cleared up the rash. Good luck!

awww. i am so sorry. when my son was 18 months he had the most horrible rash i had ever seen. i, too, went thru every possible over the counter cream and physician prescribed ointments, steroids, burn creams with silver, etc. i even paid over $100 for a prescription. i changed diaper brands and even tried cloth for a period. i looked to mamasource for help and tried pretty much everything. his rash lasted more than 2 months. it blistered and bled and my poor little guy was in so much pain. i ended up looking at all the otc ointments and found that the ORIGINAL desitin formula (the purple tub) has the highest % of zinc oxide than any other cream out there. the smell is kinda strong and it stains like crazy, but i really believe that this is what finally did the job. it still took about a week to clear up but it eventuallu did. the zinc oxide is supposedly what heals and prevents diaper rash. i've had another baby since and i use the original formula with every diaper change in hopes that my little girl will never have to go thru what my son did. i really hope something works for you soon. i know how helpless you feel. good luck and God bless you and your little one!!!

My daughter had sever diaper rash from tomato sauce..blistered and all. I conquer with aquafor. I put a thick layer everytime I changed her. it creates a great barrier from urine and poop...it worked in a couple of days, you just have to stay constant with it. I use it with my cancer patients for skin burns..it's a life saver!

I see a couple moms have already suggested what I'm going to suggest, but I figure I'll tell you again. What worked for my oldest didn't work for my youngest, which I found very interesting and challenging. For my oldest, we would slather on a huge gob of aquaphor, but with my youngest, the only thing that would work is a huge gob of Dr. Boudreaux's butt paste. As one other mom said, make sure you wipe with only warm water and a washcloth and make sure his bum is completely dry before you use whatever ointment you choose. We also did the Aveeno baths, which I know you said you tried, but we were doing 2 or 3 a day, and the frequency is what really helped.
Hope you find something that works for you soon.

My daughter had horrible diaper rashes and NOTHING helped...that was until I stopped giving her milk. Her poops smelled something awful and she got bad diaper rashes...and it wasn't all from the poop...also the urine. Now she is on rice milk and no more rashes!!

My little guy did bleed :( He was so sensitive. I would wash him off in the sink or tub with mild Johnsons & Johnsons every time he pooped and then used Triple paste. It is the best. I tried Aquphor and it just didn't do the trick. After one night his little cheeks looked so much better. Target for sure carries it, but I don't think walmart does. Good luck!

How old is your baby? It would help to actually keep the diaper off and let the area get air but if he's older that might not be possible. My son had something horrible - blister-like that opened up when he was in the NICU shortly after he was born. We rotated a few different ointments - A&D and Bacitran (Neosporin). Then would lay him on his belly with a diaper under him and his butt exposed to the air. It eventually got better.
And we also stopped using wipes and they had us use these guaze clothes that we just dipped in warm water and threw away. I would strongly suggest you stop using wipes until he's healed.

try coating his bottom with vaseline, then applying either butt paste, or the desitin over that. That usually helped alot on my son.

With the triple paste or Aquaphor- also try to just let him go diaper-less and get some sun on his bottom- air can be the best healer! I use to get bad staph rashes as a child and our ped use to tell my mom to let us run around the backyard naked-

try a&d i had to use it on my daughter

I used Lotrimin (sp?) cream on my kids. It is for athlete's foot. I'm not sure if it was the same cream that you have already tried. Poor baby!

Updated

I used Lotrimin (sp?) cream on my kids. It is for athlete's foot. I'm not sure if it was the same cream that you have already tried. Poor baby!

My daughter was the same way, but hers did bleed, and frequently. It was terrible for everyone. It would go away and then come back a few days later. We finally realized she is allergic to diapers. We switched to cloth six months ago, we have saved tons of $$$ and not a single red spot since!!!

My daughter had a diaper rash( 10 yrs ago) but she was allegic to the diapers and the wipes, I cut both of them out and everything was fine, maybe you should try that.
My cousin has a baby with diaper rash and her mother told her to brown some flour not with oil just putting flour in a pan and browing it and place that int he diaper like power, my cousin swears by it, maybe you can try that .
I hope everything works out for you and the baby i am so sorry that he/she is having this problem.

My son was on medication that he had a bad diaper rash. doctor said have him take a bath in baking soda. By morning it was gone.

only trick that worked for us was diaper rash ointment mixed with a litlte triple antibotic ointment. Mix well, apply.

As a precausion, add a bit of the ointment on his butt even after the rash goes away.