Saturday, November 10, 2012

Mommy Tip: Fix for a Diaper Rash

We have had surprisingly few diaper rashes, which is practically a miracle given how many kids we have.

Our kids have their diapers changed on a set schedule with additional changes when it gets stinky.  Generally speaking, that seems to head off most diaper rashes before they even have a chance to think about appearing.

But when they do get a diaper rash, it's AWFUL.

Ellie had a horrible diaper rash last week that we just couldn't seem to help her kick. Three days of diarrhea ended up turning her little rumpus into raw meat even though we changed her constantly. Diaper creams really weren't helping, and baking soda baths did little good. I'd pat her rump dry before putting on the diaper cream, but it didn't seem to make any difference. I was even waking her up periodically through the nights to make sure that she wasn't sleeping in a wet diaper.

After a few days, I called a good nurse friend and then our pediatrician's office to see if there was anything else we could do. Other than keeping her hydrated, there really isn't anything to help diarrhea until a child has had it for 10-14 days. Diaper rashes have to become infected before something can be done about them. Not what I wanted to hear.

Nothing makes a mommy's heart hurt worse than seeing her child in pain. Poor thing was even struggling to sit down because it hurt so much.

Diaper Rash Desperation
But there was one suggestion that the nurses made that honestly didn't make much sense to me. Use a hair dryer on a low/cool setting to dry her bottom before applying the diaper cream. I was already patting it dry with a paper towel, so I didn't really understand how using a hair dryer would be any different.

Seeing as how I had tried everything else though, I figured it couldn't hurt.
I shouldn't have doubted them! Within two diaper changes, her rash was looking a million times better and the pain had significantly subsided. Within 24 hours, it was almost gone.

A hair dryer? Really?

Really.

One more Mommy tip in my arsenal. :)

Do you have any diaper rash tips that work for your kids?

26 comments:

  1. OK that is one I haven't heard! One of my twins has had a rash for the last 3 days that is just getting worse (also started from a couple days of diarrhea) and the creams don't seem to be doing anything and he just screams when I change his diaper. I will need to remember to try this if it's still bad in the morning.

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    1. Ugh! So sorry that your little one is suffering! I hope he was better, but if not, I hope the hair dryer did the trick!

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  2. I have not heard that one either. When my son was in diapers, I discovered that Pepto Bismol, Maalox, or an off-brand worked wonders on diapers rashes. It clears it up pretty fast, and its soothing on the bum. :)

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    1. I've heard of this but never tried it. After you dab the Maalox on, are do you put a regular diaper cream on top of it? Or is it just the Maalox and that's it?

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  4. Oh, great idea! I can see why this would work but would never have thought of it. Pinned!

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  5. I haven’t heard of using a blow-dryer but I do always try to make sure my son’s little bottom is dry before I put the diaper rash cream on. I’m sure a blow-dryer is much more effective though--I will have to try that the next time he gets terrible diaper rash!

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  6. Kari, is the pepto bismal to be applied externally?

    When our son had a persistent diaper rash, I finally started to wonder if it was a yeast diaper rash, even though it didn't really look anything like the pictures I saw on the internet for yeast diaper rash(if you want to be truly horrified, look at the Google images for yeast diaper rash...yowza!). Our pediatrician said to apply Lotrimin (for athlete's foot) on him twice a day, then a layer of diaper cream, then a layer of baby powder for extra moisture lock-out (carefully applied so as not to get in the baby's lungs). This cleared it up so quickly!

    But I will also try the blow drier. Thanks for the tip!

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    1. I think yeast infections are worse! Caleb had one of those a couple of months ago and we were doing anti-fungal cream, antibiotic ointment, and diaper cream. Sometimes I just have to tell myself that they won't remember how much it hurts when they are older. :(

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    2. My daughter had what I thought was a diaper rash for almost 6 months-we were using diaper cream in the hospital. A couple times she was given prescription medicine for yeast infection, both orally and a topical cream and that only kinda worked. When she was 6 months we started giving her yo baby yogurt every morning. She has only had one diaper rash since we started giving her yogurt and she will a year old in 2 weeks.

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  7. My daughter had a rash that would not go away and our pediatrician told us about a cream called calmoseptine. You have to ask for it at the pharmacy, as there is no company that makes it for the shelves. It is the only thing that works for her.

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    1. The doctor gave us this same cream and I love it! It works so well!

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    2. I haven't heard of calmoseptine before, but it sounds great! Do you have to have a prescription for it? Or can it just be asked for at the counter?

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    3. You ask for it at the counter. I've has success at both CVS and Rite Aid.

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  8. Teej~ Yes just apply some to the bum, and their good to go! :)

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  9. I have never heard of the hair dryer tip. We have not had diaper rashes in quite a while, but if or when it happens again, I will give the hair dryer a try. Thank you.

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    1. Hopefully you are done with them at your house! But just in case, I hope it helps!

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  10. New follower from the blog hop. What a great tip! I wish I would have known this when my kids were babies! I'll be sure to pass it on to my mommy friends.

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    1. Thanks for the comment, Theresa! I hope your mommy friends find it helpful!

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  11. That's a great tip! Luckily we're out of that stage now. We used Pinxav and it was the best diaper cream we ever found. It's expensive, but SOOOOO worth it. I remember my son's little bum hurt so bad one time, I was in tears. I couldn't stand that he was in so much pain and then someone recommended the Pinxav. Stopping by from the Harvest of Friends hop!
    Michelle
    Heartfelt Balance Handmade Life

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  12. The hair dryer sounds okay. Will give it a try with the next diaper rash. My grandson had an awful diaper rash caused by changing brands of diapers. His poor little bottom looked like raw meat and he cried every time it came time to change him. I had some Aloe Vista cream that we use to use in the hospital (I am a nurse)and it soothed the pain immediately.

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  13. I have never heard out that but when my son had a bad rash I was told by the doc to get the cream out of the womans yeast infection kit and that worked perfect

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  14. That is absolutely brilliant! Simplicity at its best. Found you through Bloggy Moms.

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  15. A very helpful guidelines! Specially for new moms. Thanks for sharing.

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