Diaper Rash

At some point, your baby or toddler will get a diaper rash. Diaper rashes are usually all about one thing: moisture. Constant moisture in the diaper area can lead to direct irritation, fungal infections, bacterial infections, and even mild skin breakdown akin to burns. The best diaper cream to prevent these rashes isn’t a cream at all. It is dry air, moisture’s worst enemy. Every kiddo in a diaper should get a good smattering of diaper-free time to air the area out and prevent moisture from building up or being in constant contact with the skin. If you do this enough, you probably don’t even need to apply diaper creams with diaper changes. 

Diaper rashes usually present initially with patches of redness that were either in contact with poop or pee for too long or just in the most humid areas in that region, like the thigh creases and between the butt cheeks. If there is mild redness forming in these areas, it is time to get more air to them, whether with diaper-free time or even having a hair dryer on the cool/no heat setting by the changing table to apply a good burst of dry air to the area. If we need to protect the area more, we can apply a zinc oxide–based diaper cream that will also help protect the skin. Zinc oxide is the active ingredient in mud, and if elephants and pigs know anything, it’s that mud can protect the skin from the elements and aid in drying areas out to prevent infection.

If the redness spreads with red dots/blisters or zit-looking things, we most likely have a fungal infection that can best be treated by over-the-counter clotrimazole antifungal cream and a good amount of air to the area. If the skin is so raw that wiping is painful for baby, you can also apply a bit of over-the-counter hydrocortisone 2-3 times a day for a few days to the really raw areas. If none of that helps, it is time to see the pediatrician to make sure nothing else is contributing to the rash.