Diaper Rash

Keeping your baby healthy and happy is every parent’s goal. Because diaper rash is so easy to get, it is the most common skin problem in infancy and it accounts for over one million visits to doctors each year!
Here are Barbara’s basic rules to help prevent this problem:

1. Change your baby’s diaper as soon as you see urine or stool (a minimum of every 2-3 hours).

2. You may use fragrance-free sensitive skin wipes if there is no rash. Pat skin dry with a tissue or dry washcloth after cleaning making sure that that all creases are clean and dry.

3. If there is a rash, use only water on a paper towel or soft washcloth to clean and again pat dry.

4. Use a barrier product that contains zinc oxide to apply to dry skin if there is any redness. Examples we recommend are Desitin Original (my favorite), Desitin Creamy, Boudreaux’s Butt Paste, Dr. Smith’s, Triple Paste, Balmex or Resinol Ointments. Apply generously! We also have a prescription product called Rosen’s Cream that is great for diaper burn (flat red diaper rash).

5. If rash does not improve in 2-3 days, yeast has probably developed. This rash is usually very red and bumpy. Use Lotrimin AF cream (over the counter) 2-3 times a day on dry skin; then cover with a barrier cream as above.

6. You may also soak your baby in the bathtub with warm water and baking soda or Epsom salt 1-2 times a day if rash is severe.

7. Do not use baby powder or corn starch in the diaper area. These products increase respiratory problems in your baby. They can cause pneumonia.

8. If the diaper rash does not improve with the above treatment, please schedule an appointment to allow one of our providers to keep your baby’s bottom happy!

By Barbara Cossman, MN, RN, CPNP, IBCLC