by Arianna Larson

Created on: January 09, 2010

In general terms, any kind of irritation or dermatitis that is located in the diaper area is referred to as “diaper rash”. Even though is easy to treat, is painful for your child, so the best is to try to prevent it.  An infant with diaper rash will have mild redness and scaling or puffy looking skin on the area of the diaper and in bad cases, pimples, or even blisters can occur. 

Most kids will suffer or develop diaper rash at least once in their infancy; and is usually most common to see this happen after solid foods have been introduced; however, babies that are breastfeed can also be affected given the diet of the mother. A breastfeeding mother should always pay attention to what she eats. 

Some other causes of a diaper rash are irritation from the stool and urine, diapers that are too tight and are chafing or rubbing on the skin; an allergic reaction to the soap, bleach or fabric softener use to wash cloth diapers, as well as any other new product like a disposable wipe or a baby lotion or cream can create a diaper rash; a bacterial or fungal infection would be another reason for a infant to develop a diaper rash, since the environment in the area is perfect for this kinds of infections to occur. Even to administration of an antibiotic to either the baby, or a mother who is breastfeeding could cause diaper rash.  In addition, if the child has a very sensitive skin, he or she might be more susceptible to this type of affliction. 

Armed with the knowledge of what the possible causes for a diaper rash could be, any parent could prevent this from happening. 

First and foremost, is very important to be changing the diapers as often as possible since keeping the skin clean and dry is with no doubt the best way to prevent diaper rash. Please note that babies usually urinate right after following asleep so if possible check the diaper shortly after, if this is not possible, the first thing that should happen after the baby wakes up is to get him/her a new diaper. 

When changing diapers is very important to wipe or clean the area very well, preferably with a warm damp cloth, avoiding any products that might irritate the area even more, like wipes that contain alcohol or that are scented. Also letting the area to dry completely will help to reduce the chance of getting diaper rash. 

Use products that are specially design to protect the skin (petroleum jelly or zinc oxide), such as Vaseline, Boudreaux’s butt paste, A+D or Destin ointments, etc; both name brand and store brand are equally good. Try to avoid the use of baby powder or cornstarch, since these can easily be inhaled and get into your child’s lungs or even make the rash worse. 

When drying your baby’s bottom, pat the area with a clean towel, don’t scrub, this will only irritate the skin. 

Washing your hands after each diaper change will avoid a bacterial or fungal infection from spreading to other parts of your baby’s body. 

The same recommendations can be applied to treat a little one that already has a diaper rash.

Finally, if a diaper rash that has been treated does not goes away in a few days or seems to be getting worst, should be check by the pediatrician.  Diaper rash is common and easy to treat and by no means indicates bad parenting so don’t be shy or ashamed to talk to the pediatrician about it.

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