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I need some help from you experienced mamas!
My son is 11 months old and has been battling bad rashes for the last 4 months. Before that, he had only an occasional rash that would go away with more air time and a bit of cream. Now, it's almost non-stop. At first I thought it was because he had started solids and his poop was different. But the rash is not actually on his bum, it's around his thighs. If I give him a lot of air time and am extra careful it will heal, but then it comes back a day or two later.
Recently we used disposables while traveling and it went away, so I thought it was buildup (even though I am very careful, use very little soap and have extra soft water). Before I put him back in cloth I did two extra washes on a batch of diapers, but there were no suds even in hot water, so I guess it wasn't that. And after less than 24 hours in those diapers, the rash is back. I usually use stay-dry liners, but this time I tried disposable liners in case there was buildup in my liners. Didn't change a thing.
I don't think it's yeast because then from what I understand it wouldn't go away and come back like that. The only thing I can see is it started around the same time DS started crawling. The rash is around his thighs exactly where the side of his one-size diaper would rub. He does mark very easily on other parts of the body (from my husband's stubble on his cheek, for instance), so I wonder if it could be the friction from the binding of the diaper causing the rash... Especially since the rash is always better in the morning despite a soaked overnight diaper.
Can anyone think of something I could do about that, if that is what it is, or of anything else that could cause the rash? DS is starting to walk, but I doubt that it will make the diaper rub less on his thighs. I put it very loose yesterday and today to try and lessen the rubbing (I tried the opposite too, to no avail), and put the cover very loose as well. Still, as soon as he stayed in a wet diaper for a little bit longer, he got a rash. I normally change him about every 3 hours when out or when I see that he is very wet when at home.
Hopefully someone can think of something! I am really at a loss... Thanks in advance! |
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Hmmm, though one. I'm afraid I don't have any great suggestions except to say that it does indeed sound like some kind of friction thing. Maybe some kind of powder (cornstarch if you're not comfortable with talcum baby powder) would help? Sometimes making the diaper or cover snugger can actually help reduce shifting and friction but you said you've already tried that.
One thing though, don't assume that it's not yeast or some kind of bacteria or fungus. My dd had an intermittent rash like that and it lasted months and months! I would give her tons of air time (and every other trick you can think of) and it would get better only to get worse again. I'd use disposables for a long while and it would go away, only to start again the minute I used cloth (I had poor quality diapers back then so I used to take frequent disposable 'breaks'). I finally showed it to my pediatrician, she gave a special ointment with an anti-fungal and a bit of cortisone to help heal the skin. Within a few days it was gone and it never came back again. I have the feeling that the disposable were just a touch easier on her skin (I also hadn't discovered fleece yet) and just enough to keep the infection from flaring up but it never totally healed.
Karen.
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| Maybe a Sandy? the legs are different. maybe get one used? They do fit really different. |
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DD used to get rash in this area when I used to wash with detergent. She reacted to every brand I tried. It stopped, as did other types of rashes, when I switched to soapnuts.
If you want to carry on using your diapers, and don't think it's the detergent, you could buy a fleece blanket, and cut up really large liners that stick out of the diaper, that way the thighs will only be in contact with fleece, not terry. It won't leak so long as everything is inside the diaper cover. |
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| Thanks to everyone for your advice. I just bought some fleece and will make some liners to see if it is really the rubbing that causes the rash. I will also show the rash to our doctor on my DS's 12-month appointment if the problem hasn't been resolved. If nothing works, I'll try a different detergent, although he hasn't had any problem with that same detergent for his first 6 months of life so I doubt that this is the problem... Hopefully something will make a difference! |
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Hey ladies,
I am back at work now so I don't have as much time as I used to have to browse the Forum, but I just wanted to follow up on this thread as what happened is just plain weird!
I bought some fleece and my husband cut a few liners (bigger than the diapers as someone suggested), but they kept bunching up and we kept forgetting to make some more. I wanted to strip my stay-dry liners just in case there was a buildup there, but kept forgetting. So one day when I was out of liners I stopped using them altogether, and my son's rash disappeared! I'm not sure why, maybe he was reacting to too much polyester, maybe it's just a coincidence, but I haven't used a liner since and the big bad rashes have not come back!
My diapers are now covered in stains, though (no liner + blueberry season will do that to you), and clean-up is slightly messier, but I have a diaper sprayer and I'm not too concerned about stains, so I'll stick to whatever keeps my son rash-free! |
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Thanks for following up and I'm so glad to hear that things have improved!
I have to keep reminding myself that blueberries are so healthy, so good for him, so healthy, so good for him . . . :-) |
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