Diaper Rash: Causes and Cures

[mommie]

amy Jean...Id try plain yogurt...my son just had red bumps and I put it on 2 nights in a row at bed tome and its just about gone. had i been more consistent and kept it on during the day i probably would have seen quicker results. nice and easy and cheap and you may already have it around. otherwise I'd do virgin coconut oil...just smear some plain yogurt on wherever his rash is though its easy!

[Amy Jean]

Could someone tell me know to apply a bay leaf tea to a baby's bottom?  I'm imagining you let some bay leaves steep in water for a while...do you then just soak it up with a wash cloth and let that sit on baby's red area? 
Thanks for the help.

Amy
Rom 12:2

I always used some strong bay leaf tea on my babys bottom, worked way better than any rx cream, but this is only if it is a rash from a yeast, it is usually yeast if they had an antibiotic not long before,

[Mom2FourBlessings]

I am not sure if this has been mentioned before here or not, but this past week my 10 month old has had a bit of diareah and that horrible bleeding blistery diaper rash (kind of like a yeast diaper rash) that goes with it, the niastatin cream did not work however, so here is what I did,

Remembering that comfrey was good for skin ailments, one night before bed I sprinkled some dried comfrey leaves in his cloth diaper, then laid one of those paper flushable diaper liners on top of them and squeezed just a little warm water onto it to dampen the liner, then put his diaper on him.. the next morning his bleeding, oozing, blistered rash was just a bit pink in the worst spots and completely gone in others, I did that one more time and the rash was completely gone. it was amazing..

Just wanted to share..

In Christ,
Mom2FourBlessings

[LavenderMom]

I have a few tips for diaper rash... If the rash is yeast related, you can spritz the bottom with apple cider vinegar (real cider vinegar with the "mother"). Do this at every diaper change. This works great.  It stings a bit, but it also usually clears the rash up very quickly.
 A good natural baby powder can be made with arrowroot flour, bentonite clay, orange peel powder or lavender powder and a few drops of tea tree oil.  Shake this up very well and pat some on your baby's bum between diaper changes.  The bentonite clay absorbs impuritys.  You used to be able to buy Orange Peel Baby Powder at www.fromfieldsandgardens.com

Any salve made with comfrey, plantain, and calendula would work wonders on a diaper rash.  I imagine Eden Salve from Shoshannas Garden would be fabulous to use on bottoms.  From Fields and Gardens also has an herbal salve that works on sore bottoms.

It is easier to prevent diaper rashes than it is to clear them up.  Always smear a protective layer of olive oil or a good salve/balm on at night before bed.  Cloth diapers are less irritating than disposables.  Keep bottoms dry and clean.  The above powder is nice to use on a regular basis. It really keeps bottoms fresh.

One more tip, if you need to give your baby a probiotic, Kefir is a good alternative.  It is so high in beneficial bacteria and can be spoon fed or bottle fed to young babies.

[Whiterock]

LavenderMom,
Could you please post some of your baby related "recipes" in this thread...
Homemade Baby Care Products
Thanks!
WR

[LoveSunflowers]

Bump for LavendarMom...I'd love your recipes as well!
Jess

[CountyCork]

I have 6 kiddoes.  #5 had (and still does sometimes) horrible fanny troubles!  Then someone led us to Tender Tush, a product by Young Living. It is full of essential oils.  It's green, thin and slimy, and smells very herby.  A little goes a LONG way.  A tube is $26 and can last for a year if you use it correctly.  Our little gal would just panic when she had rash and we were going to wipe her bottom.  We told her "mama has the happy cream" and then she would giggle and let us wipe and then apply.  Immediate happy relief, and clear buns within a day or so.  Then when she would get rash (usually from food, a cold, or teething) she would come to me with her pants full and say "keem keem" which meant "I've got a load in my diaper and it hurts but if you give me the cream, I'll try not to cry!"  It's totally natural and wonderul and I could cry with thankfulness for it.  We use it on burns, bug bites, heat rash, chapped this and that, you name it, all the kids and mom and dad LOVE it for MANY things.  I have a friend who uses it on her face when she gets a skin problem she has from time to time and other than looking oily, she loves it, too.  Find Young Living on line and give it a whirl.

[HannahnSamuel]

Thanks for the tip, Mama!  My little guy has some type of bum rash almost constantly and I've been at my wit's end trying to figure out what I can do for the poor thing! Yesterday, despite my efforts w/ airing him out, ointments, etc., he got his little hands in his diaper and scratched til he bled!!!  Ugh... poor buddy.

[kcb]

There are lots of treatments for the rash itself.  But if you are dealing with a persistant rash, I would consider the baby's diet.  A good probiotic might clear up the whole problem.
 
My own story is that my baby (about 8mo.) had a persistant rash and kept getting re-infected before he could ever heal up.  Finally it got to the point where he had messy diarrhea every half hour or so during the day -- and I finally realized it was definitely abnormal.  The acidophilus regulated his bowel movements to twice / day and the rash subsequently cleared up easily.

You can use kefir or yogurt or whatever.  Or if you need something stronger, acidophilus capsules can be opened into baby food or directly onto the breast or finger.  Just make sure the product is refrigerated, even in transit to the store (like Solaray or Primadophilus).

[HannahnSamuel]

Okay... not to rain on the parade... and I'm sure many of you have probably heard about this... but I'm a little hesitant to use tea tree oil or lavender very much with my ds because:

A study published in ... the New England Journal of Medicine suggests that repeated topical use of products containing lavender oil and/or tea tree oil may cause prepubertal gynecomastia, a rare condition resulting in enlarged breast tissue in boys prior to puberty, and for which a cause is seldom identified.

(http://www.nih.gov/news/pr/jan2007/niehs-31.htm)

From what I gather, it doesn't sound like the occasional use of either would be harmful, but maybe we get a little too carried away with our wonderful TTO and lavender?? They are both GREAT, God-given products, but I just thought I should mention this for what it's worth.

A few more links:

http://www.webmd.com/content/article/131/118124

http://www.scienceblog.com/cms/lavender-tea-tree-oils-may-cause-breast-growth-in-boys-12497.html

http://abcnews.go.com/Health/story?id=2838840&page=1

[Simply Kristen]

Shoshanna Easling gives simple recipe for a Baby Bottom Salve (diaper rash) on this podcast:

www.backtobasicspodcast.com
under: Salves

[likemanywaters]

HannahnSamuel,
Considering those are government, and mainstream media sites, I would not trust them totally. They often slant things to make natural remedies look bad. Or get things completely wrong. 

[Mrs.Visser]

I'm not an expert in this area...yet, but if you're into herbs I've heard of three that are supposed to work for diaper rash. The "How To Herb Book" (you can get it at www.bulkherbstore.com along with many other good books and great herbs for great prices...I love it!) says you can use garlic oil for yeast types of diaper rash, and Plantain and Comfrey are good for skin conditions that are inflammed because they a contact healers and help with cell proliferation.  So of course I want the best so I use all three. I take some extra virgin olive oil and put it in a pan on the stove on low heat. Then I add garlic after it's been through the garlic press followed by fresh plantain from my yard and usually dried comfrey tops (leaves). You let everything simmer for an hour or two, then strain the herbs from the oil - make sure you press the oil from the left over herbs because there's a lot of good stuff in there that you want in your oil. Then I let it cool and apply it to the baby multiple times throughout the day.  Hopefully this will help!

[Nickole]

My almost 2 year old daughter has a rash on her bum.  It was on the front too, but that's pretty much gone.  Some bumps on her upper arm too.  Anyway, I am using GOOT and wondering how do you tell the difference between a diaper rash and yeast?  It does itch her.  And the area WAS all red, which I read means yeast.  Now just rash, not a whole solid red area.  It has been a few days now....One thing interesting is that when I took her to the pool this last week, right after I brought her home and changed her and her rash looked ALMOST gone!  See, chemicals are good!  Jk, but I am wondering if Chlorine kills yeast.  Probably.  Anyway, the rash came back.  Is this diaper rash or yeast, ya think?

[Simply Kristen]

Chlorine kills yeast.  Probably.  Anyway, the rash came back. 

Pool chemicals will dry out the skin. Sounds like its yeast or fungal.
Try sea salt baths.

[Nickole]

Chlorine kills yeast.  Probably.  Anyway, the rash came back. 

Pool chemicals will dry out the skin. Sounds like its yeast or fungal.
Try sea salt baths.

Hmm - I don't have those yet, but I did add it to my list!  Will Epsom salts work? 

[Simply Kristen]

Chlorine kills yeast.  Probably.  Anyway, the rash came back. 

Pool chemicals will dry out the skin. Sounds like its yeast or fungal.
Try sea salt baths.

Hmm - I don't have those yet, but I did add it to my list!  Will Epsom salts work? 

I dunno!
Just get that area dry and aired out. I'd stop with the GOOT.

Read this thread: http://www.welltellme.com/discuss/index.php/topic,3248.0.html

[Nickole]

Chlorine kills yeast.  Probably.  Anyway, the rash came back. 

Pool chemicals will dry out the skin. Sounds like its yeast or fungal.
Try sea salt baths.

Hmm - I don't have those yet, but I did add it to my list!  Will Epsom salts work? 

I dunno!
Just get that area dry and aired out. I'd stop with the GOOT.

Read this thread: http://www.welltellme.com/discuss/index.php/topic,3248.0.html

Aw, man, I passed that thread up thinking I didn't need it.  Got a whole list of threads to catch up on, so there's another.  THANKS!  Alright, I skimmed the first page and I do need to read that - it's perfect it seems b/c the GOOT ain't working.  And yeah, I know chlorine is bad bad bad. 
I'm going to try sea salt.  Not Celtic sea salt, though.  We shall see.  Thanks.   

[Simply Kristen]

And yeah, I know chlorine is bad bad bad. 
I'm going to try sea salt.  Not Celtic sea salt, though.  We shall see.  Thanks.   

Well, we swim in chlorine a lot. 
I guess you can't avoid everything. But until we have a muddy pond in the backyard that's how we will get our Cool excercise.

As for Diaper Rashes....our girl got one Yeasty looking diaper rash once. I let it dry out all day (no diaper/clothes) and didn't let her eat any sugar. It was gone fast.

[lotsaboys]

Hey Nickole, the rash definitely sounds like the yeast rash my 2 yr. old gets when we eat anywhere but home. He's had some other yeast issues and I haven't totally narrowed it down yet- but seems to be pasteurized, processed, or refined foods. Rather broad, I know.

I've noticed pool water clears it up, too and have used Miracle Skin Salve or something similar when airing out was impossible and it cleared up by the next diaper change or two. (As long as he didn't eat more junk and we loaded him up on probiotics.)

[Nickole]

Oh, yeah, we swim in the pool often too.  You can't avoid everything.  Ok, she's not potty trained (that's next month's project) so I am not sure if I can have her streak all day.     We have been eating a little junky as of late, but the junk is gone so I will watch that.  I tried a skin salve like Eden Salve, but no help there.  But would that be better than GOOT or should I use nothing at ALL b/c it needs to dry out, like when she DOES have a diaper on?

[Simply Kristen]

  I tried a skin salve like Eden Salve, but no help there.  But would that be better than GOOT or should I use nothing at ALL b/c it needs to dry out, like when she DOES have a diaper on?

You should use nothing at all. Any salve will create moisture and an ideal breeding ground for yeast.
Hmm... Can you watch when she pees/poops and let her "run free" for a while after that. Just be super vigilant about changing diapers. Sitting in wetness allows the yeast to live.

[Nickole]

  I tried a skin salve like Eden Salve, but no help there.  But would that be better than GOOT or should I use nothing at ALL b/c it needs to dry out, like when she DOES have a diaper on?

You should use nothing at all. Any salve will create moisture and an ideal breeding ground for yeast.
Hmm... Can you watch when she pees/poops and let her "run free" for a while after that. Just be super vigilant about changing diapers. Sitting in wetness allows the yeast to live.

Yeah, that makes sense about the moisture.  So I KNOW it's yeast b/c it was red before?  Is diaper rash and yeast the same thing?  So no ointment is ever good on these kinds of rashes?   

[Simply Kristen]

  I tried a skin salve like Eden Salve, but no help there.  But would that be better than GOOT or should I use nothing at ALL b/c it needs to dry out, like when she DOES have a diaper on?

You should use nothing at all. Any salve will create moisture and an ideal breeding ground for yeast.
Hmm... Can you watch when she pees/poops and let her "run free" for a while after that. Just be super vigilant about changing diapers. Sitting in wetness allows the yeast to live.

Yeah, that makes sense about the moisture.  So I KNOW it's yeast b/c it was red before?  Is diaper rash and yeast the same thing?  So no ointment is ever good on these kinds of rashes?   

I think it depends.
My daughter's rare rashes usually have to do with Butt Burning. hehe Like a poopy diaper sat too long.....
When she has those I use a salve (like Eden salve) or something else. That will heal quickly.
If I think it is yeast (usually when the salve makes it worse or it looks "yeast) then I will dry it out.

[Nickole]

Alrighty.  I'll stop bothering you now.   

[Whiterock]

I've had very good results with just a little bit of plain VCO, on what I know to be yeasty rashes. It seems to absorb into the skin better than ointments so maybe it doesn't create the low oxygen environment talked about in the other thread. I don't know. But it works for me.
WR

[lotsaboys]

This slipped my mind (can't imagine how ) that one of the things that has worked best for me is kefir or yogurt. Another moist thing, but kills the yeast!

[healthybratt]

Plain coconut oil kills yeast.  I've used it on my son.  I would think GOOT would work as well, although it might sting a bit.

[Nickole]

Plain coconut oil kills yeast.  I've used it on my son.  I would think GOOT would work as well, although it might sting a bit.

GOOT wasn't working, but maybe I wasn't applying it often enough?  I am trying plain coconut oil now. 

I'm kinda confused now about all the advise - do I want it dry or with oil? 

[healthybratt]

Plain coconut oil kills yeast.  I've used it on my son.  I would think GOOT would work as well, although it might sting a bit.

GOOT wasn't working, but maybe I wasn't applying it often enough?  I am trying plain coconut oil now. 

I'm kinda confused now about all the advise - do I want it dry or with oil? 

Normally the dryer the better, but I think that coconut oil absorbs well enough that you don't get that wet, sticky problem.  Also, if the area is dry before you apply, it can't seal in moisture that isn't there.  Instead, I believe it will seal it out, but I could be wrong.  I just know that my boy has gotten a touch of yeast on him in the front of the diaper and a couple of dabs of coconut oil, fixed him right up.