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Two ways to prevent diaper rash are to prevent diarrhea if at all possible and to change the child's diaper more frequently. You can even let the child run around naked if possible, because exposure to the air will help to prevent a rash.

Sometimes when a child takes an antibiotic, they end up with horrible diarrhea. This is because we have good and bad bacteria in our intestinal tract, and the antibiotics kill off all of it. To get that good bacteria back into your child's system, feed them a type of yogurt made specifically for babies and young children such as Yo-baby. (Check with your pediatrician first.) Yo-baby and similar organic yogurts made with whole milk contain between four to six types of beneficial bacteria that are necessary to maintain a healthy digestive tract.

Also feeding your child bananas is said to help with diarrhea. In fact, if you feed a child too much banana it can cause constipation! Apple sauce is another good natural solution for diarrhea, while apple juice will make it worse.

Once your child already has a diaper rash, avoid using a diaper cream with zinc oxide in it. Zinc oxide will burn and make the rash more painful for your child. Find something that is more soothing that has ingredients such as lanolin or aloe. A great cheap diaper rash cream is A & D ointment. Its fairly inexpensive and nontoxic, and won't burn or sting a baby's sensitive skin.

Another great way to clear up diaper rash is to let the child sit in the bathtub three times a day. Obviously not everyone can do this, especially if your child is in daycare or if you have multiple children to take care of. But if you can, it works wonders. The water is soothing and helps to heal the rash. You can also buy herbal bath treatments from natural food stores that will make the bath even more healing.

If the rash is caused by yeast, a great treatment is colloidal silver. This can be purchased on-line or at a natural food store. When my daughter had a case of bad diaper rash, I looked on-line and was fairly sure it was due to yeast. I bought a spray bottle of colloidal silver for about twelve bucks, and would spray it on her skin and the diaper after every change. The rash went away within 24 hours! You can also use the colloidal silver for a variety of first aid situations like cuts, burns and scrapes.

Another way to prevent and heal diaper rash is to stop using prepackaged baby wipes. Most parents aren't aware that commercial baby wipes have citric acid and other chemicals in them that can sting and burn a baby's skin. Instead, try to use wet wash cloths, soft toilet paper, or cotton balls to cleanse a baby's bottom at each diaper change. You can even buy a special "wet bag" to put the dirty cloths in at places that sell cloth diapers.

Some people swear by using cloth diapers to prevent and heal diaper rash. Most disposable diapers contain chemicals that absorb the urine and help to keep odors down, and some babies can have reactions to these, resulting in rashes. Cloth diapers can seem to be more expensive than disposables, but most parents have found that although cloth diapers cost more at the outset, in the long run they save money.

Hopefully if you follow this advice you can prevent and heal diaper rash and your baby will be much happier and content.

Learn more about this author, Helen Richardson.
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