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Diaper rash advice

JonMcP
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Jane (14 months) is teething and seems to have looser stools than usual- something that I've noticed seems to coincide with her teething. Anyway, sometime overnight she had a loose bowel movement and didn't wake us up to change her. She must have stewed in it for hours, which resulted in the worst case of diaper rash I've seen on her and is clearly making her uncomfortable (the crying! the crying!).

I, of course, have the entire collection of baby books so I know the usual advice about changing her frequently, using a diaper rash cream, letting her air dry and so on. It's also not so bad that she needs to go to the pediatrician or anything- I'm just curious if you folks have any additional advice, or can recommend what you think to be the best brand of diaper cream. Jane and I thank you in advance!

Jon


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Submitted by JonMcP on Wed, 12/12/2007 - 9:49am.

MileHiDad
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Boudreaux's Butt Paste

This stuff was awesome, a little pasty to apply but once on, it worked wonders.
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Wed, 12/12/2007 - 10:21am

JPhillip
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ouchy...

Air dry for a few minutes or longer if possible and do this whenever possible. When a diaper has to go back on, a light coat of regular Desitin (not the "Creamy Desitin"). Watch out to make sure your wipes don't have anything at all that might irritate. Maybe switch to plain cotton pads/wipes and water like when she was a newborn.


Wed, 12/12/2007 - 10:43am

Tim E
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Desitin.

Desitin worked the best for us. The original fishy smelling version. Nothing else we tried was close to being as effective.


Wed, 12/12/2007 - 11:03am

paddyrat
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Butt Paste, Butt Paste!!!

We bought it for the name, but damn, it works!! And air drying is a good idea, if little one piddles on the rug while free of the Huggies, so be it. (just bop her on the nose with a rolled up paper...) Her relief is worth a clean-up in Aisle 3 every now and then.

Aye, there's nary an animal alive that can outrun a greased scotsman...


Wed, 12/12/2007 - 3:25pm

randyfielding
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All Praise Boudreaux's Butt Paste!

This stuff worked unbelievably well for my son's diaper rashes. I would never think of using another brand after seeing what it did.

- Randy


Thu, 12/13/2007 - 1:55am

jpod00
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Triple Paste

We tried Desitin and a few others, but not Boudreaux's. The Triple Paste was gold for us. Our boys used to bleed down there it could get so bad (from one poop, mind you). Of course it didn't help that they had bad acid reflux, which I believe made their bowels more caustic. The Ped recommended it and we never looked back.

One more trick, a nice warm bath, plain water.

Jim
Boulder, CO
Dad to Cole, Luke & Trev


Thu, 12/13/2007 - 2:03am

KevH
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Sometimes it's not diaper rash

Gavin used to get a rash and nothing ever worked, he was at the Doctors for a well-baby checkup and the Doctor said it was a yeast infection (I think) We got a prescription for Nystatin and it cleared up within the hour.

I'm Not a Slacker


Thu, 12/13/2007 - 8:17am

RenoDad
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Triple Paste

Butt paste was really good, but when things got ugly the triple paste was the best.

Greg


Thu, 12/13/2007 - 11:32am

Murray
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Our lotion routine is butt

Our lotion routine is butt paste during the day and desitin at night or when it gets bad. The active ingredient in both products is zinc oxide which our pharmacist tells us is the key to the prevention/healing of diaper rash. The butt paste has 12.8% zinc oxide and Desitin has 40% so . . .

The nice thing is that many drug stores carry generic diaper rash cream that has the same chemical make-up as Desitin, so you can save a few bucks and still make baby's bum a happy one.

"We don't need a license for this or anything?"


Thu, 12/13/2007 - 11:54am

dwesterhaus
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Butt Paste rules -

I have used Desitin and also A&D, but nothing works as well as Boudreaux's Butt Paste. With a little rash, that is all I have used; however, occasionally (under circumstances such as you described) the rash wasn't just a little problematic - and then, I have mixed in an antibiotic cream WITH the Boudreaux's. That seemed to get quick results.

Good luck -


Thu, 12/13/2007 - 1:09pm

JonMcP
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Thanks

Thanks for the great advice. The rash has cleared up nicely overnight and should be entirely gone by tomorrow if things continue in this direction. It doesn't seem to bother her at all, which is great.

We used Aveeno Baby rash cream that had some oatmeal crap or something in it just because it's something my wife had on hand. That stuff seemed to work, but I am going to check out Butt Paste and Triple Paste (a bunch of moms in one of our playgroups swore by Triple Paste) for future breakouts. I also ended up letting her go diaper-less for part of the day, but wasn't thinking about the two sippy cups of water she's had before I did it.... The good news is that she said her first phrase, "uh oh" (a bit of a relief because I was sure it would be "oh s#@$") but this was while setting about a 1/2 cup stream of urine loose on our new bamboo floors. My wife will never know about this.

Thanks again for the advice.

Jon


Thu, 12/13/2007 - 2:02pm

trophyhusband
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Don't take advice from a man wearing a tie

Hey 'Haus, you have more experience and cred than just about anybody here...but do you really think guys are gonna take diaper rash advice from a dude wearing a tie! :-)

JonMcP: you're right on with the teething connection. I don't remember the specifics, but I remember the pediatrician explaining that teething does make for lots more drool, which makes their tummies off (acidic? ...for all the drool coming out of their mouth, as more of more is pouring down into their tummy...), which makes the pH of their stool really harsh on their skin. If it's bad enough and goes on long enough, it could be or become something fungal, so KevH is onto something too...and if it is fungal, plain rash creams may make it worse.

We used a Burt's Bees cream (mostly a zinc oxide paste, like everything else) with good success. You can't beat the collective experience of the guys who have responded, based on what they've said, I'd go get some Butt Paste. Let us know if it works for you....

Geeze, we need to get Bourdreaux' signed up as a sponsor!

- Andy

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Thu, 12/13/2007 - 3:12pm

KevH
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Aveeno Cream

We use Aveeno diaper cream but that's because my wife works for the company that makes it so it only costs about $1 a tube.

This gives me an idea... Has anyone tried to get Johnson & Johnson to sponsor the convention? They are a pretty family friendly company.

I'm Not a Slacker


Thu, 12/13/2007 - 4:23pm

alenaspoppa
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Ditto the "Burt's Bees"...

Seemed to work wonders. I also try to put a little bit of talcum powder in the diaper whenever my daughter gets a little red. Seems to work.

My two cents...


Thu, 12/13/2007 - 4:53pm

randyfielding
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Talcum Powder

Talcum powder is no longer recommended by the medical community or the American Academy of Pediatrics around babies and young toddlers since the powder can be quite dangerous if inhaled. Also, there is still no scientific evidence that talcum powder helps to prevent or treat diaper rash, either.

- Randy


Fri, 12/14/2007 - 2:59am

JPhillip
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Powder

There are some baby powders out there today that are not old school talcum, but really they were only used back in the day as a moisture absorbent. Absorbing the moisture closest to the baby's skin helped a little bit in rash prevention. Today's diapers are so absorbent, powder is unnecessary, and as Randy said, usually not recommended. Many people still use the newer baby powders out of tradition, to satisfy an in-law, or they just like the pleasant baby powder scent.

As an aside, I'm guessing Mr. Poppa just said "talcum powder" as a generic expression for today's baby powder.


Fri, 12/14/2007 - 7:44am

randyfielding
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Talcum Powder vs. Baby Powder

Many people use the terms "talcum powder" and "baby powder" interchangeably, but there is a difference. Talcum powder is a powder composed 100% of Talc in a powdered form. Baby powder is a powder composed of Talc and other ingredients. However, baby powder's main ingredient is still Talc. Therefore, today's baby powders are still not recommended for use anymore. What is recommended are the creams that have been discussed above.

- Randy


Fri, 12/14/2007 - 11:16am

JPhillip
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Thanks!

Randy, Thanks for the clarification in the thread. We've never used any type of powder for that exact reason.


Fri, 12/14/2007 - 11:37am

alenaspoppa
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Baby Powder

I did use the term Talcum Powder to mean Johnson & Johnson's Baby Powder. I just put a little in her diaper sometimes after she's had a particularly wet diaper (i.e. in the mornings). She always says "Nice!", so I assume she likes it.

We also use Huggies liquid powder to avoid the inhalation issue.

ADDED NOTE: Reading some more on the subject, you're right. It does seem like the dangers outweigh any benefits. In the future, I'll avoid Baby Powder. Thanks.


Fri, 12/14/2007 - 12:53pm

Itux
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Corn Starch

Well, in many part of the world, people still use Corn Starch for minor and medium diaper rashes. It is cheaper and SAFE. For a little more problematic rash, I would recommend CALENDULA cream, that is 100% natural. Go Organic, it's safe for you, your kids and the world.

=====================
Congratatio pro erudio et auxilium
Itux


Fri, 12/14/2007 - 3:11pm

randyfielding
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Re: Corn Starch

Itux is right in stating that corn starch is a viable and safe alternative to baby powder that is used in many places. However, corn starch is still not recommended over the creams for one reason: corn starch can make a yeast infection worse if yeast happens to be one of the components of the diaper rash since the yeast will feed off of the starch. Also, the creams do not absorb the moisture like the powders do (which still keeps the moisture near the skin); they repel it. Therefore, to be as close to problem-free as possible, stick to one of the creams.

- Randy


Fri, 12/14/2007 - 6:54pm

JonMcP
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Wow

This has turned into a hell of a good discussion. Who knew so many dads actually knew what was happening inside a diaper (other than us dads, of course)?
I'm happy to report that this discussion has officially out-lasted my daughter's diaper rash. Thanks to you more "veteran" fathers for the great advice. I'm sure I'll need to come to you again soon for something else.


Fri, 12/14/2007 - 9:00pm

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