Diaper rashes, sometimes they can be cruel to little ones. When I was a first-time mom, I used to hear that babies got diaper rash due to the neglect of the mother or caregiver. But after Joana’s first rash, I realized it’s not quite like that. Diaper rashes in babies can be alarming, as they are painful and sometimes even more so than in adults.
A baby’s or child’s skin is much more sensitive than an adult’s skin, so getting a rash is much easier, especially because of diapers and urine. If moms keep an eye on the diaper, maybe the baby won’t get a rash, but there are cases like mine where that wasn’t enough. When Jojo was about 2 or 3 months old, I noticed some redness in the area of the rash. It was out of the ordinary, a very intense red the first time I saw it. This redness only got worse and I tried everything that doctors recommended. Creams, cornstarch, washing the area at every diaper change. We even tried nystatin (an antifungal cream) and nothing worked to get rid of the rash.
How I Got Rid of the Baby’s Rash
In the end, it was my mother-in-law who helped me figure out that diaper rash in babies can also occur due to an allergy! Yes, and believe me, my baby was in that situation for over 45 days. I used Diprogenta, a corticosteroid and anti-allergy cream. With the very first application, the redness started to go away! The important thing is that it was prescribed by a doctor; my sister-in-law is a doctor and thought it was the best option at the time. So talk to your baby’s pediatrician. Anyway, I started testing things and realized that what was causing the allergy and consequently the rash in my baby was the powder I used very occasionally. But this kind of allergy can also be caused by diapers. Then I started using cornstarch for diaper rash! Diaper rash in babies can be prevented by using cornstarch at each diaper change, did you know that? #tip!
But what is most commonly used and even recommended by pediatricians are creams for diaper rash. These creams come from a wide range of brands and I ended up choosing them with my other children. Hipoglós is the most well-known, but there are many options on the market today. There are diaper rash creams at very affordable prices like Babymed. It costs around R$ 2.36 for a 45-gram tube and fulfills its promise very well. Hipoglós is harder to remove, which may or may not be an advantage, but it’s up to the mom to decide whether to use it or not.
I have to admit that since I discovered this more affordable brand, I’ve never bought the more expensive diaper rash cream again, I just use this one and Mel does really well with it. Another great tip to prevent diaper rash in babies is to add a spoonful of cornstarch to the bath water. It also keeps the baby’s skin folds from getting chafed or sticky if the mom can’t dry them properly.
The main thing to prevent diaper rash in babies is to stay alert. Especially when the child starts eating solid food or purees, which make their stools even more acidic and prone to causing rashes more easily. Babies with diarrhea also tend to get rashes quickly, so in these cases, the best thing to do is use diaper rash cream; it protects and leaves a protective barrier on the baby’s bottom.
See also: Breastfeeding – difficulties and solutions Photo: Sellers Patton
