3 of 4

Write now Article Tools

I was raised to believe that baby powder was the best thing in the world for multiple problems. Everything from a rash to the battle to avoid sweating. It could be used for anything. I always remember my mother using baby powder on herself, on me, and even giving a huge bottle to my Dad. So I naturally assumed that when I had a baby I would be using baby powder or him or her. But the reality was quite different.

At first I used baby powder but it just seemed like it was a bad idea. Every single time I used the baby powder my baby girl would end up with a red bum. I started to think that maybe it was the baby powder I was using. Was it talc or corn starch. But it didn't really matter what it was because she would always have a red bum. But as soon as I ceased using the baby powder the redness would disappear. Or if she had a slight rash I would use A and D Ointment and it would take any and all redness away within two hours of using it. A and D became like a miracle ointment for me and my baby. But I still hadn't figured out the baby powder issue. I asked my pediatrician what he thought and he told me that lots of babies just don't react well to powders. He felt that they shouldn't be used at all on the diaper area. So after that conversation I have ceased to use any powders in the diaper area. I will sometimes dust her with baby powder after a bath but only on her back and arms and legs. No where else do I use the powder.

It just seemed to me like baby powder would actually end up causing chafing all on its own. It settles in every crack or crease and that cannot be good. So I have changed my entire outlook on baby powders. I just don't think its good to be used on babies. I have got to agree with my pediatrician.

Now, I will personally still use baby powder on myself after I shave. I like to use it in my arm pits an in my bikini like after shaving and it seems to help in my case and cause no chafing. But I don't have baby sensitive skin either so thats got to have something to do with it all.

I know that lots of people swear by baby powder like my mother did. But for my baby it just didn't work well. So I guess we each have experiment on our own to see what works best with our babies.

Learn more about this author, Kim Sharpe.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.

Add your voice

Know something about The dos and don'ts of using baby powder on baby's bottom?
We want to hear your view. Write now!