Irritations in the Skin Folds of a Chubby Baby!

hi L.
baby powder, and lots of it, on and between all folds, several times a day. this will help prevent friction of his poor little skin. had same problem with my two youngest, who more than tripled their birth weights by 6 months! hope this helps. you may need to bathe him every night until he grows longer and the folds disappear.
A.

My 5month old has the same issue. I have found that if I wipe them clean with a washcloth and water then wipe it dry with a dry wash cloth (baby wash cloth, soft) it has helped keep those folds les irritated. Watch under his arms also, my doc suggested a yeast medication for the folds that are constantly irritated. It did help clear them up, not red anymore. Aquapher by eucerin in a good moisteriser for the sensative skin. Good Luck. Fat little babies are the best!

I have one and only one suggestion, but I feel I could almost guarantee it. When my first child was a baby, I discovered it for diaper rash and never again had a problem. Since then I've found it can be used for many other skin irritations and cuts for a quick, almost over night, healing. That is A&D Ointment. I buy and use it by the tub. Good Luck.

Hi L.,

I would stay away from the powders while he is broke out. The powder will act as an abrasive while the skin is broken and make the irritation worse. Once the irritation is clear, it can be used to help absorb the sweat from the the skin to skin contact, but stay away from it for now. Have you ever got sand in your bathing suit? The powder is much smaller than sand, but will irritate the skin in the same way.

Start with a baking soda bath. Put about a 1/2 cup of baking soda in the baby bath tub and let him soak for as long as he will. You'll be surprised at how much the reddness lightens after the bath.

To clear up the irritation I would do the following. Do NOT use baby wipes to clean the irritated area, instead use a warm wash cloth and soft as you have on hand with a little bit of baby bath. Get lotrimin antifungal cream, it will be with the Athlete's Foot treatments. Apply a thin layer of lotrimin to all the irritated areas, then cover with desitin to keep the lotrimin in place. When skin rashes last for an extended amount of time they are usually yeast diaper rash. Without a prescription from the doctor or using the lotrimin, the rash will not clear up as you've experienced.

If that doesn't work I would resort to gentian violet, which can be purchased from the pharmacy without a prescription, but it very purple and stains terrible. It will work though. If you want more info on that let me know.

Best of luck,
Trudi

Have you tried any of the Badger products? My son has a little bit of eczema and I use Badger baby balm on it and it helps soothe and keep his skin hydrated. The balm is very pure containing olive oil, calendula, chamomile, etc.

Definitely try Aquaphor. Cortizone and other steroid creams are fine once in a while when nothing else is working, but prolonged use can cause discoloration or thinning of the skin. So be careful with those. I've been told to use cortizone type creams for a week max, then give them a 3 week break before using them again. If you're not using them regularly, then they're a good quick solution. But don't use them for too long at a time. I really would recomment Aquaphor first. Then if it doesn't work, try something else. You have to be pretty consistent about any kind of treatment, though. Otherwise the problem won't completely clear. Hope that helps. Good luck!

We like Gentle Naturals Baby Eczema Cream for lots of things. Of course, we started it for eczema, but now it's kind of our cure all. I love it for diaper rash. It does contain petroleum, though. Congratulations on your little man!

My non-chubby baby had the same thing, I did two things....straight corn starch in the folds through out the day, and then Gold Bond Medicated for babies ( I used full strength cause that is all they had at the time) but have used the baby version on a few of the others. It took care of it after a few days I continued to do it through the summer even though it appeared gone.

Hi L.,

Looks like you've gotten lots of great ideas and advice. I agree with a previous mom that checking with your baby's doctor is a good start. It's probably not yeast if it's solid red (which both my chubby baby and my not chubby 2 year old have). I think yeast rashes have the small red dots as well. For my 2 year old, it has turned out to be excema and aggravated by certain foods. His gets better when he avoids dairy, has baths EVERY DAY, and I slather him with Vanicream right after the bath. You can get it at the pharmacy if you ask, they may have to order it, but it's a great cream without any yukky stuff in it. He still sometimes needs a few days of hydrocortisone on those spots when they become raised, aggravated, and itchy. Our doctor said to use it twice daily for a day or two, until the redness goes away. We've also used Dermasmooth which is a prescription oil that is supposed to be all natural. It works GREAT, but is expensive and I like to use it sparingly. My chubby baby has the same irritation spots, but hers is not excema - her skin everywhere else is smooth and un-irritated. So for her we do the baths, vanicream, Aquaphor or lanolin (like you used for sore nipples when nursing), and hydrocortisone when it's raised and itchy. The redness stays around most of the time, but I don't add to the routine unless it's irritated or sensitive. When it's diaper rash sensitive, I like to mix Mylanta and Aquaphor in equal parts and apply. It provides immediate relief and I usually see the rash/pain go away within a day or two. Good luck.
L.

Dear L. S,
Eucerin cream is what I used on my little Michellin Man.
Really try to keep it dry as much as possible under the diaper area.
But behind his knees, use the cream abundantly.
Get some hydrocortisone cream, the smallest % and try that also.
Good luck.

On our daughter's arms, legs and stomach I was advised to use cortizone. It works great. And I only do it every other day.

Try aveeno baby lotion. It doesn't have alchohol in it to like other baby lotions and was suggested by my pediatrician. My 2yr has mild eczema and also gets dried on the back of her knees and the creases on her thighs. The Aveeno has worked great for me. I just dry her off after bath and put the lotion on. If I'm not giving her a bath that night I just put the lotion on when I'm changing her to PJ's. Hope this helps.

HI, I would try Aquafor, or Lansinoh nipple cream (it's also a great rash healer). Have you tried baby powder? I know it's not recommended anymore, but that's because of the risk on inhalation. Just be careful. I've used on my daughter and it actually works really well. It will soothe the constant rubbing that is causing the irritation.

Hi L.! I had this problem with my kids too. What I did was to carefully wash the areas with a very gentle soap and rinse completely with clear water. Let it dry completely. As much as possible let the area bare to the air. This will help it to dry out and heal. When the area has to be covered, apply Acid Mantle to the affected areas first. Acid Mantle can be purchased at the drug store but you may have to ask in the pharmacy for it. This is a terrific cream for all kinds of rashes and I have seen it start to heal some horrendous ones overnight. Another good solution for rashes is Vitamin E oil. Rather than purchasing the oil, I used the capsules. Just poke a hole in one with a needle and then squeeze the oil on to the area and spread as needed. It may take more than one if the area is big. Good luck and I sure hope these tips help!

Hi L.,

My daughter had the same thing when she was young but it was under her neck. What it is (or at least what someone told me) was it was like a yeast infection. Because of the moisture and then it not getting much air. The best thing that I found was to keep it dry. I used power of all kinds a lot, and wiped it dry all the time. I wouldn't use lotions because that is just creating more moisture. I hope that helps you out a little. It worked for me. Good luck!

Try aqua phor. Funny as my daughter was so tiny when born and in infancy but she had these rubber band hands and around by her feet. I would forget to clean them or pull folds sometimes and they were so gross, same thing around her neckline. If it did get irratated especially with slobber, I put aqua phor on it.

Try straight corn starch, no lotion.

Perhaps these areas have a yeast infection? Get permission from your Pediatrician to try some over the counter yeast medication. If it is yeast, it will clear up immediately. Good luck!

For my chubby babies I kept a bottle of baby powder handy, and would powder the cracks (neck rolls, legs, groin, etc) several times a day, more in the summer. We totally avoided rashes this way. For my babies, itt seemed to me putting something wet or sticky (creams, ointments) would make the problem worse, whereas drying the cracks, and keeping them dry, was more helpful.

This is only a suggestion. When bathing the baby be sure to wash and rinse these areas very well. Then towel dry him. Before getting him dressed I would suggest taking a hair dryer on a low setting and drying these areas of concern even more. The problem is that when they are damp they are a perfect breeding ground for bacteria which will cause the irritation. Even when changing his diaper I would suggest holding the folds back and letting the area have a moment to air dry after using the wipes or wash cloth to clean him. Hopefully that would help.

My only other thought would be that it could be eczema, but if your pediatrician didn't seem too concerned perhaps I am wrong.

L.,
All of my babies have been chubby, my middle one most of all. I would make sure to dry her after baths in every little crack and roll. I didn't give baths every day because she had dry skin, and I didn't leave her in the bath very long. I used cornstarch (I cleaned out an old small spice container with holes in the top, to put the corn starch in.) after the bath and cort-aid or cornstarch depending on how they were looking between baths. just a little red-Cornstarch really sore and red, cortaid. Its what my pediatrician recommended, it worked well for me. Good luck
E.

I know you are trying to stay away from petrolatum, but the best thing I found was Aquaphor. It has been the only thing that clears up diaper rash, chapped lips/cheeks, etc. for my boys.

Hi L.,
Although I am not a baby I too have some skin fold issues... in part to having babies... and they can get irritated very quikly if I do not keep up on them. The thing that I have found helps the most for me personally is showering EVERY DAY, and after my shower applying Aloe lotion... I get mine from the "Body Shop"... my son is freakishly senstive and would chaffe at everything ... the wrong detergent, fabric softener, soap...even denim pants and we baught the aloe to try on him and it works for him as well.

You can go to the mall... or you can place an order through a Body Shop consultant. My ladiy's name is Erin Lorensen and her cell number is ###-###-####

I have tried regualr aloe gel... and it di dnot work as well as the aloe creamy lotion.

My mother also has the same problem and she uses the "body Shop" vitamin E line... I prefer the aloe... it does not have the anitoxident "bite" or sting that the E had with me. Good luck darling

Hi L. -

My biggest suggestion would be to ask your doctor about each of the remedies listed before you start something new. You don't want to make things worse and want to be careful about combining anything but I think you have some great suggestions and tips here.

We have always used "bag balm". It was created for the udders of cows when their nipples would get chapped and my dad actually remembers using it when he was a kid for its original purpose. Now it is in the mainstream medical market and you can find it in any pharmacy (or medicine dept. - its the cheapest at Costco). We love this product because you get a large amount that lasts forever and its only about $4. Its a lanolin base and so there is nothing scary in it. Be sure to ask your doctor first but this is a great product, especially for the price and the results.

Good luck!

My son sounds JUST like yours, although he has this irritation around his chest, where he drools. My doctor prescribed a cream for him, with the same ingredients as canesten. It worked but when I ran out of cream, I couldn't get an appointment with him, so I bought some of my own :)
It cleared it up. Now I use Spectro Cream, for children with Eczema... the rash hasn't returned

I used medicated baby powder in the folds. It worked great. Keep the area dry...don't use any lotions or balms in the irritated area of the folds.

Antacid works on the skin irritations... I used mylanta and a generic version of it, liquid form and would dap it on with a cotton ball if it wasn't to bad. If it was really bad I poured a little of it on and then let my boys air out a little.

Good luck-

My daughter was also a chubby baby! I made sure to dry her very well after bathtime and then I used Burt's Bees diaper ointment in the folds. Remember this will only be a 'problem' for a short time, as he becomes more active those fat rolls will disappear pretty quickly!!=o)