6 Month Old with Redness Underarm ** Diaper Rashes**

1) could be a plugged sweat gland. Pediatrician can give you an antibiotic/antiviral cream.
2) I think it was baths with a little bit of peroxide that worked for my girlfriend's little girl. She had terrible diaper rash. Also, it could be the brand of diapers itself or the wipes. My daughter was always fine with any old wipe until about 4 months ago- now we can ONLY use Pampers Sensitive wipes! Good luck:)

Hi M.,
This happened to my daughter around the same age. I felt absolutely horrible because it looked so bad. What I realized was that I hadn't been drying her underarms well enough after bath, because she had a lot of chub under their. I immediately started putting diaper creme under her arms (we use Aveeno) and it healed within a few days.

About the rashes, as i said, we use Aveeno which seems to work great. keep it on all the time, every time you change their diapers, and change them often while they are rashy. If the rash stays for a while I would ask the ped. because it may be yeast or something else.

Hope this helps,
Good luck!

I use cortisone ointment on my kids when their diaper rashes are red and bumpy. I recommend ointment as opposed to cream as the ointment will stay on the skin longer and coat the skin. Depending on your kids' ages you may want to use 1/2% as opposed to 1% cortisone. You can check with your dr. (my pediatrician is the one who recommended it to me). If you don't want to use "medicine" on their bottoms you can try Aquaphor. That works great too. You can put baking soda in the bath water too. I also keep a hair dryer on the changing table so I can blow cool air on their bottoms to make sure it's dry before I put the ointment on (you don't want to lock the moisture in with the ointment). Good luck. It's best to nip a diaper rash in the bud asap.

It sounds like a yeast infection. It can happen in any area that stays moist. Your baby probably spit up and a little went into his arm pit and went unchecked. Its very common. You can try cleaning the area and putting straight cornstarch on it (not baby powder the perfumes can feed the infection) to dry it out. If it is stubborn and not looking any better in a couple of days, you can use some over the counter anti-fungal cream...like that used for athletes foot. 2 out of 3 of my babies had issues with yeast infections (both boys) in areas like that and those are the directions my pediatrician gave me!

My daughter had the worst reddness under her arms that it would crack and bleed. No matter how well I dried it. She also get sores on the tops of her ears were they connect at the head. Then the diaper rash OMG. This little girl has it all. I tried desitin, the butt paste, A&D, a few others. I spoke with my Ped. he recommended Hydrocordizone Ointment. It doesnt sting and it helped everything go away. I started using it when she was 6 months and still use it, she is now 4.

Hi M.,

Here's an article from another gal Tara Smith, ARNP, NP-C with Ageless Beauty Secrets that you may find interesting.
Not long ago, I discovered I was poisoning my baby.

It wasn’t intentional. In fact, I thought I was doing everything right.

But then she developed a rash…

At first, I thought it was an allergy, but it wouldn’t go away.

I suspected it was eczema, so I took her to the pediatrician. He confirmed my diagnosis and recommended heavy ointments and creams to keep her moisturized.

The creams would improve her condition a little bit for a couple of days. But the rash kept coming back and getting worse.

I knew I had to become a detective and figure out what was causing the problem.

So I took a close look at all the baby care items I had been using. Those sweet-smelling baby lotions, shampoos, and diaper ointments.

That’s when I began to figure it out…

They all contained parabens. And parabens are bad news!

Had I continued using these products, I would have been leading my daughter down a path toward early puberty, fertility problems, and, even worse, breast cancer.

The worst thing about it is that parabens are found in almost all personal-care products. You’ll find them in shampoo, lotion, shaving cream, deodorant, and more.

You probably use them on your body every single day of your life. And since your skin is the largest organ of your body, these nasty chemicals go straight into your bloodstream.

Once they get inside of you, they mimic estrogen, disrupt your endocrine system, and throw your hormones out of whack.

So I’ve been warning my patients about them. Especially since so many of them have come to me with hormonal issues.

Most of them are already aware that they need to stay away from hormone disruptors like plastics and pesticides. They also know to eat hormone-free chicken and eggs.

Types of Parabens

Parabens show up on ingredient lists under any of the following names.

Methylparaben
Ethylparaben
Propylparaben
Isobutylparaben
Butylparaben
Benzylparaben

But nobody has ever told them that what they put on their bodies is contributing to the problem and increasing their risk of breast cancer.

Here’s what you can do right away to stop poisoning your body with these estrogen mimickers and reduce your chances of getting breast cancer:

1) Read the ingredients in your skin-care products just as carefully as you do your food labels. Avoid anything that has the word “paraben” at the end of it.

2) Look for products with natural preservatives. Some of the best are grapefruit seed extract, citrus seed, potassium sorbate, sorbic acid, phenoxyethanol, and vitamins A, C, and E.

3) Don’t trust the “all-natural” label. Just because a product says it’s natural, it doesn’t mean there aren’t parabens in it. So be sure to check the ingredient list even if the front of the label makes it look safe.

I hope that some of this info helps.

Thanks and have a great day.

Like other mommas said, dry between the rolls really well after a bath. I wouldn't use any baby powder (contains talc which if inhaled is very bad for their lungs). It looks worse than it is- my son has a lot of redness in his neck rolls. He would get a lint, a little milk, anything in them but it didn't bother him- only me. :)
As for the rash- stay away from anything that is petroleum based because it is not breathable and does not soak in to the skin, it acts more like a barrier so that it's harder for the skin to heal. Either keep it dry as much as possible to heal on its own, or use Burts Bees diaper cream. It's mostly natural with minimal harmful chemicals that all the other creams have.
Good luck and way to go!
:)

I have the perfect product for this. Give me a call and I'll tell you all about it. You can use it for just about everything....no chemicals involved!! ###-###-####

My son had both problems when we was little. The redness under the arms is probably eczema. Sometimes it would bother my son and other times he wouldn't notice it. We went to the doctor and she prescribed an ointment (hydrocortizone). It worked within a day. There are lotions out there, but none of them worked as quickly for my son. My son would also get it on his face once in a while too and the ointment worked on that too. He is two now and I still use it when the eczema shows up. Best part is it doesn't sting him.

The only diaper rash cream that worked for my son was Balmex. Any other brand irritated his skin. The Balmex would work usually before the next diaper changing. Good luck!!

Underarms: My youngest is a big boy & had lots of little rolls. Sometimes he would get red under his arms & also in his elbow & knee areas where they bend in. I would clean him really well with soapy warm water, pat them dry & them put baby powder on the areas (I put the powder in my hand & then on him - since shaking the powder near the baby's face can cause breathing issues). It would take a day or two to clear up, but it would.

For diaper rash I use plain old Vasilne most of the time. Also, if you go to the pharmacy, they do have a stronger diaper cream behind the counter that you have to ask for. We have also had to go once to the doc & get a perscription for a diaper cream for one bad diaper rash.

About the underarms: you probably have not been drying her well enough under her arms after bathing... or if your home is rather warm, she might be sweating a lot. Make sure you gently pat the area dry with a soft cloth a few times a day until the irritation is gone. You can put a little bit of barrier cream on it (aquaphor or even diaper cream).

As for the diaper rash our favorite is 40% zinc oxide diaper rash cream (desitin or store brand). Don't be stingy with it, slather it on thick.

If your kids have been on antibiotics they may have a fungal infection in the diaper area. Our pediatrician recommends OTC antifungal cream for this (1% Clotrimazole).
Good luck!

hi-
not sure about the underarm redness, but here is some info on diaper rashes i posted earlier...

here is some great info from the Dr Sears website.... http://www.askdrsears.com/html/11/T081400.asp

SEVEN WAYS TO PREVENT OR MINIMIZE DIAPER RASH
If your baby does not have a problem with diaper rash, then you don't need to be too strict with these preventative measures. However, if you are constantly battling rash, here are some helpful hints to minimize it:

1) Change diapers frequently - at least every two hours in newborns. You can space this out as baby starts to urinate less often.
2) Change poopy diapers right away - this is a lot of trouble at first since newborns often have small, frequent stools. This will slow down as baby grows.
3) Try different brands - if using disposables, another brand may fit a little better and cause less friction.
4) Rinse cloth diapers - add a half-cup of vinegar to the rinse cycle. This helps remove alkaline irritants. Your diaper service can also do this.
5) Wipe well - be sure to wipe all the stool and urine away.
6) Use unscented wipes or just plain water - these are less irritating. You can even rinse out the wipes with water, although this takes more time.
7) Diaper rash cream - some lucky babies don't need any. More sensitive bottoms need cream with each new diaper. There are two basic types of barrier creams:
* Petroleum ointment (Original A & D ointment) - this is an excellent preventative every-day ointment. It's less sticky and less messy.
* White zinc oxide - this is thicker and may be better for babies who are more prone to rash.
FOUR WAYS TO TREAT DIAPER RASH FLARE-UPS
No matter how diligent you are with the above measures, your baby will still have a rash from time to time. Here are some tips to treating those rough spots:

1) Wash off bottom with water - don't wipe the sore areas. Instead, use a bulb syringe to gently wash baby's diaper area.
2) Gently dab or pat away any remaining stool. Blot baby's bottom dry.
3) Let it air out - leave the diaper off for a while, with no diaper cream on. Lay baby on a towel (with a waterproof pad underneath to catch accidents) with her bottom up. Do this as often as you can. This will help dry out the rash, which is important for the healing process.
4) Diaper cream - when you do put the diaper back on, use generous amounts of cream. Here are some suggestions:

*Zinc oxide - for the moderate rash.
*Acid mantle - this is a brand name sold in stores. It is outstanding for moderate diaper rashes. Can be used with zinc oxide over it.
*Butt paste or Triple paste - there are a variety of creams that a pharmacist can mix up for you that contain a variety of ingredients. These are good for severe rashes. One brand that is already mixed is called Triple Paste. Ask your pharmacist for some. It is non-prescription.
*Clotrimazole anti-fungal cream - for stubborn rashes, yeast may be involved (see below). You can add this over-the-counter cream to help.
*Hydrocortisone 1% cream - you can put this over-the-counter cream on twice a day beneath any of the other creams to help with severe rashes. It will help with the inflammation. Don't use this for more than several days at a time as long-term use can damage the sensitive skin in the diaper area.
*Soothe and heal by Lansinoh. This pure lanolin ointment is excellent for soothing sore bottoms.
*Mix your own - if you can't get a prescription, try mixing these together in the palm of your hand, then apply to baby's bottom:
**Zinc oxide
**White petroleum ointment
**Acid mantle
**Aluminum acetate (Burrow's solution)
**If you cant find Acid Mantle, then use Lansinoh (a lanolin ointment). It is available in the diaper cream section of drug stores.

IDENTIFYING SPECIFIC DIAPER RASHES
Here are a few diaper rashes that can be more than just irritation from the stool, urine, and diaper. They usually require more specific therapy:

1) Contact diaper rash - this is simply the regular rash as discussed above.
* Appearance - flat, red, irritated skin. When severe, skin will peel or blister and slough off.
* Treatment - as described above.
2) Intertrigo - this is a specific rash that occurs within the skin folds and creases around the diaper area where the skin rubs together.
* Appearance - Heat and moisture mixed with urine cause a red, burn-like appearance.
* Treatment - regular white petroleum diaper ointment.
3) Yeast rash - when the skin is damaged, yeast from the intestines can invade the skin. This especially occurs with antibiotic use or prolonged rash.
* Appearance - it is a red, raised, patchy rash with sharp borders, mostly over the genitalia but with satellite spots sprinkled around the diaper area. Click here to view a picture of a yeast diaper rash.
* Treatment - in addition to the above measures, there are two commonly used anti-fungal creams:
Clotrimazole - over-the-counter. Apply 2 - 3 times a days beneath the other creams.
Nystatin - prescription. Not necessarily better, just different.
Acidophilus - this is a natural bacterial powder that fights off yeast. Click on it to learn more.
4) Impetigo - this occurs when bacteria invade the damaged skin.
* Appearance - coin-sized blisters or red raised patches that ooze a honey-colored crust.
* Treatment - prescription antibiotic ointment as well as the above general measures.
5) Seborrhea - an inflammatory condition that can affect different parts of the body, but can be especially severe in the diaper area.
* Appearance - a big, red, sharply demarcated patch over the groin, genitalia, and lower abdomen. It can be more raised, rough, thick, and greasy than the other rashes.
* Treatment - hydrocortisone 1% cream (over-the-counter) 2 - 3 times a day. Don't use more than a week unless directed by your doctor.
6) Allergy ring - a variety of foods can irritate baby's bottom, especially acidic foods such as citrus and tomato-based sauces.
* Appearance - a red ring around baby's anus.
* Treatment - discontinue suspected foods. Breastfeeding moms may need to eliminate foods from their diet.

good luck!

We had a problem with a daycare lady not changing our dd's diaper often enough and she ended up with a bleeding diaper rash. I felt horrible and took her to the doctor. He said to use the diaper rash cream with the most zinc oxide, which was Desitin, and if that didnt work he would prescribe something. It worked like a charm and we didnt need a prescription!

Another thing we did was give her baths in an Aveeno oatmeal bath, for diaper rashes. I'm not sure if it helped, but it definately didnt hurt.

Melaleuca has a product that can probably help both situations. They make this awesome lotion called Renew that helps extremely dry skin and eczema. My daughters and I also get a bumpy, eczema like rash under our arms in the winter time, and the Renew lotion keeps it smooth and moisturized. I also put the Renew lotion on my daughter bottom when she had a bad diaper rash and it cleared it up. I was surprised that it worked better that the “Extra Strength” Desitin. Check out www.melaleuca.com and let me know if you want more info or just want to try out the lotion. I can help you!