Becoming a parent is one of the greatest gifts life has to offer. From preparing for your new baby’s arrival to holding your baby in your arms. Everything seems so perfect until one day—BAM! Your baby has a diaper rash. Now your sweet, cuddly baby is a screaming monster. But don’t fret.
Curing diaper rash is an experience every new parent will take at least once (and anyone who has said their child never had a diaper rash is lying). It is so common for your child to develop a diaper rash at some point in time, whether as an infant or a toddler. You are not alone. All parents, even the most experienced parents, have had to deal with diaper rashes at some point in time.
What Is Diaper Rash?
Knowledge is power when it comes to baby care. The more you understand about diaper rash, the simpler it will be to cure and prevent it. So, what is a diaper rash exactly?
Diaper rash is a type of dermatitis, or in other words— a type of skin inflammation. Different types of dermatitis that your baby and children may encounter are cradle cap, dandruff, eczema, and contact dermatitis (a type of dermatitis that occurs when a substance, like soap or laundry detergent, causes irritation). The most common symptoms of diaper rash are areas of the skin that are red, raised, inflamed skin that can be red, bumpy, itchy, or swollen.
Types of Diaper Rash
Since there are various types of dermatitis, there are also various types of diaper rash. Some of the most common forms of diaper rash have revealed signs that you can help you categorize which one your baby may have:
Contact dermatitis: I talked a little about this one earlier. This is triggered by something that encounters your baby’s diaper area skin. It triggers an irritation on the skin and can be found on the buttocks, belly, thighs, and/ waist. Common irritants are: urine, feces, diaper wipes, disposable diapers, detergents, soaps. The creases of the skin are generally not affected.
Candida dermatitis: This is a type of diaper rash caused by a yeast. It is a yeast infection rash that is deep red with patches outside of the diaper area. Sometimes it can look like pimples or blisters. Occasionally you may witness tiny circular spots spreading out from the main rash area. Since yeast thrives in the dark, moist places, irritation may be seen in the skin folds in the thighs with this type of diaper rash.
Seborrheic dermatitis: This type of diaper rash looks a little different than the previous two. Seborrheic dermatitis causes a diaper rash with skin that is red with yellow, oily areas. The skin folds are also affected. Other typical sites where seborrheic dermatitis is seen are the face, scalp, or neck at the same time. This type of dermatitis also causes cradle cap.
Warning Signs of Diaper Rash
One of the funny things about diaper rash is that it does not always have early warning signs. One day you have a perfectly healthy, happy baby and the next morning – wham! You have an irritated baby with a sore bum! It is super sneaky and hard to predict.
Remember, if your baby’s diaper rash is peeling, there are raised bumps (papules), has fluid-filled bumps (pustules), or bleeding, it’s time to talk to the pediatrician.
Tushy Cream Recipe
From one mom to another, I loathed when my babies developed diaper rashes. One time, in particular, my toddler son had yet another diaper rash. We had been road tripping all weekend, and he was on his bum quite a bit. He did not complain one bit about being on his bum so much.
But, when I changed his diaper the next morning, WOWZA! What I saw was the damage of him sitting in his car seat for 4 hours at a time. It was a red, raised, tender little bum. He screamed when I even tried to wipe him with a cool, unscented wipe. So, I had to blot very, very gently.
Seeing how so uncomfortable and miserable, my poor boy sent me scurrying to the internet to find cures. Then I remembered a wonderful homemade tushy cream recipe that I had used with my first child. This recipe works better than any of the store-bought diaper rash creams.
It uses common items you can find at the drugstore: white petroleum, lanolin, Lotrimin (yes, the stuff for jock itch/athletes foot), cornstarch, zinc oxide, and Maalox. Just whip it together and place it in an airtight container.
We have even used this after the kids were out of diapers for occasional skin irritations like windburn (thank you Chicagoland winters), sunburns, chafing, and just chapped skin. Try it out and tell me what you think.
Ingredients
1/2 cup White Petroleum
1/2 tube Lanolin
1/4 tube Lotrimin
2 tbsp Cornstarch
1/2 tube Zinc Oxide
2 tbsp Maalox
Directions
- Mix together White Petroleum, Zinc Oxide, and Lanolin.
- Add to mixture: Lotrimin, cornstarch, and Maalox.
- Mix until smooth.
- If the mixture is too thin, add a little more petroleum.
- Store and label mixture in an airtight jar.
Discontinue use and contact doctor if diaper rash worsens or does not improve in 7 days.
