New mothers are forced to learn so much of the basics of caring for a new baby by trial and error. This includes diaper rashes! What causes them? How do you treat a diaper rash? Are there products you should avoid that can cause irritation to the skin and lead to a butt rash on baby? Often mothers learn the answers to these questions the hard way. However, today, you are going to find the answers to these questions in this article! Keep reading to learn about the tips for preventing and treating diaper rash!
My Story
I knew next to nothing about infant care when I became a new mother. Everything I learned was by trial and error. Boy did I make lots and lots of errors!
Diaper rash was something I was not prepared for. I did not know the basics of skin care for babies. Really, I did even know that their skin was super sensitive compared to adult skin. Within the first two weeks of my baby’s life, she had the most extreme case of diaper rash. It had open sores and severely irritated skin!
My parents came to visit, and my mom was able to give me pointers on how to help my poor baby’s butt heal. I felt so bad for my baby. Guilt and pain filled my heart as I looked at her little bottom and heard her cry from being so uncomfortable.
The tips I learned to heal my baby’s butt rash and keep it away is what I am going to share with you here! So hang with me!
What Is Diaper Rash?
Diaper rash, also known as a butt rash, is when the skin in the diaper area on a baby becomes irritated. The skin may look red and irritated. There may be a patch of a more deeper red rash. In the most extreme case, there can be open sores on the skin. These kinds of rashes can be uncomfortable for baby and scary for mom. Be encouraged! There are simple steps you can take to prevent and treat these butt rashes.
What Causes Diaper Rash?
The main cause for a diaper rash developing is from moisture being trapped close to the skin. This can be from changing the baby’s diaper, sitting in a wet or soiled diaper for too long, or even sitting in the car seat for too long while traveling. Let’s look at other reasons butt rashes develop on babies.
- Moisture trapped close to the skin for too long
- Baby has been wearing a wet or soiled diaper for too long
- Sitting for too long while traveling
- Certain diaper brands
- Some brands baby wipes
- A&D with Zinc
- Teething
- Being sick
Preventing Diaper Rash
Prevention is the best treatment! If you can avoid a bad situation, you have already treated it! So how do you prevent diaper rash?
1. Avoid Harsh Chemicals and Scents
Those sweet baby smelling diapers and wipes may bring you a warm feeling of motherhood, but can be very irritating to your baby. Often these scents can be too harsh on a baby’s skin. Instead of purchasing diapers and make you feel good, get something that will make your baby feel good.
Not all babies skin are the same. Some are more sensitive than others. Certain brands of diapers and baby wipes may be too harsh on a baby’s skin and lead to a diaper rash. I know several mothers whose babies could not handle Pamper products because it would irritate their skin. Other mother’s babies could not handle Parent’s Choice diapers and wipes. Even though that brand contains no harsh chemicals! Every baby is different!
What To Look For In Baby Diapers And Wipes?
If you want to prevent skin irritation to your baby’s bottom, you will want to look for diapers and wipes that do not contain any harsh chemicals, perfumes, or dyes. Often the sweet “baby scent” you smell on diapers are very irritating to the skin. Not to mention the chemicals your baby’s skin is absorbing! Follow the tips below to help prevent butt rash from certain baby diaper and wipe products.
Avoid These In Diapers & Wipes
- Harsh chemicals
- Dyes
- Fragrances
- Chlorine free
- Alcohol free
- Paraben free
- Phthalate free
Look For This In Diapers & Wipes
- Organic
- Made from bamboo
- Eco-friendly
2. Air It Out!
Air is another natural healer. When you get any kind of scratch or injury, you always want to allow it to get plenty of air. Why? Because it helps the wound heal. The same is true of diaper rashes!
After your baby gets a bath or a diaper change, be sure to air them out super well before putting on a clean diaper. You want their skin to be 100% dry. If your finger feels a little “sticky” on their skin, they are not dry enough yet. The patience is worth it! Give them plenty of air!
If you do not allow their bums to get plenty of air and completely dry, moisture can get trapped. Trapped moisture can lead to irritated skin. This will lead to a butt rash.
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3. Change Them ASAP!
Change baby’s diaper ASAP after they pee or poop. Poop is especially irritating to the skin, as I’m sure you have experienced at some point in your life! The sooner you change your baby, the happier their butt will be!
4. Use Breastmilk
Yes, apply breastmilk to your baby’s butt! Breastmilk is medicinal. It has healing properties for the skin. Breastmilk is a natural antimicrobial, infection-fighting, and healing medicine. You can use it to treat baby eczema, butt rash, pink eye, ear infections, baby acne, and even cracked nipples.
After giving your baby’s butt plenty of air, squirt some breastmilk on their bum. I know, it may feel weird, but you’re doing your baby a favor! Your milk will help heal any irritation and prevent future irritation!
When my baby had open sores on her butt from a very bad case of butt rash, here’s what I would do. I laid my baby on a towel belly down. There was nothing on her butt. I would squirt breastmilk on her butt and let it air dry. Once it was dry, I applied more breastmilk and let it dry. After I did this for about 15 minutes, I would put her diaper back on. Within 2 or 3 days of doing this, her sores were healed! Guess what? She never had an issue with butt rash ever again thanks to my breastmilk!
5. Apply A&D Ointment
A&D ointment contains Vitamin E which is healthy for the skin. It is used to help treat and prevent butt rashes in babies and toddlers. Just remember to completely air out your baby’s butt before applying the ointment. We don’t want any trapped moisture, remember?
There is A&D ointment with zinc that I want to explain to you. My daughter’s first pediatrician recommended A&D with zinc to treat her butt rash. However, it made it 100 times worse! Why? Because what was not communicated to me was that zinc is a natural barrier. It does not allow anything to come in or get out once applied to the skin. So guess what? I would wipe my baby’s butt off with a wipe and immediately apply A&D with zinc. Never understanding that all that trapped moisture was going to lead to an even worse case of butt rash!
For this reason I would not recommend A&D with zinc for any mother. It’s a good idea in theory but not practical. There are so many other great tips that can treat and prevent butt rash that we don’t need the potentially harmful zinc!
6. Bum Baths!
One great way to prevent butt rash is to give your baby’s butt a little bath after they poop. Giving them a little bath will ensure all of the nasty is washed away and your baby’s skin is completely clean. We don’t want any small traces of poo remaining on the skin, as we all know how irritating and uncomfortable that can be!
If your baby already has a butt rash you are trying to heal, you may want to only do butt baths while changing their diaper and stay away from wipes. Some baby wipes can leave a little residue on baby’s skin that can lead to irritation. Cheers to bum baths!
Treating Diaper Rash
If your baby already has a diaper rash that you are desiring to heal, let’s talk about how to best help your baby’s skin to heal. Many of the ways to prevents diaper rash can also be used to treat it.
Tips For Treating Diaper Rash
- Air It Out!
- Apply breastmilk
- Use A&D ointment
Already you understand the benefits of using breastmilk on your baby’s butt. Breastmilk alone can heal any butt rash! Definitely continue to use that as a remedy. You can do what I did by putting your baby belly down with nothing on their bum and apply breastmilk.
Secondly, make sure to allow baby’s butt to get lots of air! The more air the better. You want a perfectly dry bottom before putting on A&D ointment or a diaper. Any trapped moisture will irritate the skin and prevent the butt rash from healing, and may cause it to get worse.
Thirdly, you can use butt paste and A&D ointment as you learned about above. Just be sure to always give your baby’s bum plenty of air before applying the paste or ointment!
Butt paste is super nice for rashes that are really bad. It has extra strong healing ability to help bring comfort quickly to your baby. You can learn more about butt paste by clicking below.
Finally, always be sure to talk to your baby’s pediatrician with any health concern you have for your baby. Including butt rash!
Leave A Comment Below!
What has helped your baby overcome diaper rash? If you have additional tips not mentioned in this article, share them with us in the comments below!
Want To Know More?
If you enjoyed this article, you will enjoy these other article on infant health as well! Check them out below!
Baby’s 1st Week – How Much Milk Does Baby Need?
5 Homeopathic Remedies For Teething
Potty Training: When To Ditch The Diaper?