Much like death and taxes, diaper rash in babies is inevitable. If your baby develops a diaper rash, make sure that it isn’t in response to a recently switched brand of diaper or wipe. Many diaper rashes can worsen quickly, so it is important to start treatment as soon as you notice one and to make sure that wet and dirty diapers are changed promptly. There are many good over-the-counter barrier creams like Desitin, Beaudreaux Butt Paste and Triple Paste. If you find that these aren’t doing the trick, it is often because yeast has complicated the rash. Yeasty diaper rashes are often beefy red and worse in the skin folds with small red dots next to the main portion of the rash. Any over the counter anti-fungal cream (like those marketed for athlete’s foot) can be helpful and should be applied twice a day under the barrier cream. In addition, an over-the-counter strength steroid or anti-itch cream (like hydrocortisone) can also be applied under the barrier cream twice a day.
Call us if the rash looks infected (pimples, blisters), your child is acting very sick or if the rash isn’t getting better after three or four days.
