What’s one of the most common problems you might encounter if you have a baby? It’s a diaper rash. This skin condition looks like patches of red skin on your baby’s bum. Even though you are a careful parent, your child is bound to get it some time in his or her life.
The rash may cause the skin to be bumpy, scaly or raw. It is marked by red, tender-looking skin in the diaper region – genitals, buttocks and thighs. It typically happens when the extremely sensitive skin of your baby is combined with chemicals, moisture, and rubbing that occurs on the bottom of the diapered baby.
This painful rash thrives in a warm, moist environment. This skin condition usually annoys your baby. You may see that your young one is more fussy than usual during the diaper changing time. He or she may often fuss or cry when the diaper area is touched or washed. The discomfort diaper rash causes can alarm you as a parent.
Here are accessible remedies/strategies to cure your baby’s diaper rash:
- Diaper Changing Tips
Regular and frequent diaper changes are important. You must be vigilant when it comes to diaper changing, so change your baby’s diapers ideally as soon as it’s soiled. Even when you are sleep-deprived or it is in the middle of the night, you want to avoid any moisture from the soiled diaper to keep your baby comfortable. When your baby’s diaper is clean, he or she will feel like having a bare bottom.
It is also important to rinse cloth diapers two to three times to remove all the soap as you wash it since babies may be sensitive to detergents or fragrances. Superabsorbent disposable diapers could make your baby’s skin dry.
- Wash with water, not wipes.
When your baby has a diaper rash, it is most ideal to clean him with water and not wipes. Wipes could have other ingredients that could irritate the rash and the actual rubbing of wipes on the skin of your baby could make the rash worse. The rash is like a wound and it is best not to irritate it more.
- Keep it clean and dry.
Keeping your baby’s bum dry and making sure it is not wrapped too tightly is the most important way to prevent and treat a rash.
Giving your baby some time without diapers during the day may help keep the diaper area dry. Use mild soap or a soap-free cleanser when you bath your child. Be sure to pat the area dry and avoid scrubbing it.
- Increasing airflow.
Try to expose your baby’s bottom more to help heal the rash. The less time he or she sits in a diaper, the faster the rash will go away. Whenever your young one isn’t wearing a diaper, lay them down on a towel. Avoid airtight plastic pants and diaper covers.
- Use a good diaper cream/jelly
Want to soothe your child’s rash? Apply diaper creams to avoid him or her feeling itchy. You may use creams that contain zinc to soothe the skin and prevent contact with other irritants. This will then keep the skin from getting moist and worsen the present rash. Jellies like Vaseline may also be ideal to use.
When applying the cream, make sure that the area is dry before putting it since moisture can make the rashes worse.
- Switch diaper brands/sizes
Sometimes, it is the diaper itself that could be the reason why the rash is not going away. It can irritate your baby’s skin. Consider switching diaper brands or moving up a size in diapers.
- Avoid using powder or Cornstarch
Refrain from using powder on your baby for there is a possibility your baby can inhale it which can harm your baby’s lungs.
Cornstarch is a remedy that is not safe to use on babies due to the reason that they may also inhale the powder and could irritate their lungs. Also, cornstarch could worsen the diaper rash caused by the fungus candida.
A diaper rash can normally be treated with home remedies. Although diaper rashes can look painful or irritated, the skin condition is not life-threatening for your baby. The exception is when the rash gets worse after home treatment and when it gets infected. Call the pediatrician if you think that the rash is infected or develops pus.
Here are the symptoms of an infected rash you should look at for:
- Fever
- Blisters on the diaper area
- Swelling of the area
- Redness
- Rash that does not go away after treatment or starts to worsen
If you have difficulty soothing your child or if your kid seems to have painful diaper rashes, call the pediatrician immediately. These symptoms warrant a check-up by a competent medical professional so set an appointment with your doctor or consult with a virtual walk in clinic Brantford.