Needed: the Gentlest Wipes for Terrible Diaper Rash

Updated on March 10, 2008
A.B. asks from Kew Gardens, NY
21 answers

My 17-month-old daughter has persistent diaper rash. We believe it's partly yeast related -- it all kicked off about four months ago after she was on a course of antibiotics. Her whole diaper area is very red, and frequently little patches of skin break down, producing raw sores. As a result, diaper changes are very painful and difficult for her. We've moved beyond the readily available drug-store diaper creams and, on our pediatrician's advice, are now using a combination of clortrimazole twice a day (for the yeast) and Flanders Buttocks Ointment. This has helped somewhat.
We recently stopped using diaper wipes at home, and instead are using washcloths with warm water. This seems to make her much more comfortable, and the area is looking better. But we can't expect her daycare providers to do this too -- it's too messy and time-consuming. So I'm looking for recommendations for the most gentle, non-irritating wipes out there, to send with her to daycare. We have been using the BJ's soft cloths, which are hypoallergenic and alchol-free, but they still irritate her.

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So What Happened?

Thanks to everyone for your advice! Since many of you mentioned diet, I wanted to let you know that we already are feeding her yogurt every day, also giving a probiotic, and being very careful about sugar. We also had used Triple Paste religiously since her birth (we still use this for her twin sister), but found it wasn't helping in this case -- that's why the switch to Flanders (hard to find, but very good!). Fwiw, Desitin Original didn't seem to help when we tried it. Anyway, I'm planning to send her to daycare with a roll of Bounty paper towels, and ask them to use those for her with water only. We have seen such an improvement since we stopped the wipes at home, and I think this will make a big difference. Thanks again for all your help!

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A.V.

answers from New York on

my daughter is 12 now, but she never had diaper rash. I used warm water, and that was it. When she got a rash after a shot, I put the Balmex on her and globbed it on and it worked in 2 days. As for the yeast problem, I don't know how that works. Good Luck. Annmarie V.

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S.L.

answers from New York on

I don't know about wipes, but for bum cream i swear by Penatin cream. It's fairly expensive but is absolutely fantastic at clearing up many skin problems and amazing for bum rash. Desitin is the runner up.

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C.A.

answers from Syracuse on

try huggies extra sensitive baby wipes you can find them in almost all convenent stores and grocery stores they cost about $3.50 but there worth every penny my son had diaper rash and they were the only wipes that didn't make him cry or feel disconfort.

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M.C.

answers from Rochester on

The wealthy keep it simple.

They buy:

Daipers: Huggies Supreme - the deep red bags (less chemicals in manufacture and no scents - which are just more added cheap chemicals anyway). Babies get very few rashes with these.

Wipes: Huggies Newborn Wipes (unscented, alcohol free, ect.)

Cream: Desitin, Original for the occasional rash. (has 40% zinc oxide, whereas Creamy only has 10%) You normally need a prescription to get 40% zinc oxide in a hospital setting because it works the best!

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M.K.

answers from New York on

A.,

try cloth diapers

I used little g pants and diapers

they are very similar to regular diapers BUT the diffrence is the COTTON touching her bottom,
My kids are allergic to the material in the diapers and blister up because of it

I use Nystatin cream for the yeast, and Dr boudreaux's BUTT PASTE from walmart it smells good, and is sort of oatmeal ish
but is works good,

Also try giving your baby some yougurt the active yeast cultures can be helpful.

try dipping the babies bottom into the water at each change,
and NOT using a wipe,
PACK a few wet washclothes into her bag for the daycare to use
tell them you think its an allergy

they can toss the clothes if they need too,

But like i said what worked for me was CLOTH DIAPERS
http://www.gdiapers.com/

initially it costs more money up front, but long term its cheaper, NOT messy because you dispose of the insert
and i haven't had any rashes like THAT since.

I also when home use a prefold cloth insert sold at walmart
for pee's

and with poos just dump the poo into the toilet,swish the dirty cloth diaper around, to rinse it off, I have a special garbage can int he bathroom for the cloth diapers,
and wash them separately. BUT i am a stay at home mom.

Its really not as difficult as you might think, and no more nasty than rinsing off a poopy wash cloth.

PLUS every one thinks they are super kewl

M

OH and triple paste samples from your doctors office is good too.

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M.K.

answers from Syracuse on

My friend's son had an allergy to baby wipes and she would send a roll of paper towels to daycare with him and they would use warm water and paper towels to change him. I would think that your daycare provider would be okay with this. No matter how sensitive the wipes are, they all will probably sting or burn her. Good Luck.

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S.P.

answers from New York on

I have 22yo twindles (twins), so I went through the wipes, formula, food issues too. There are baby wipes that have aloe, shea butter and there are alcohol and fragrance free wipes also. I use these for my granddaughter because she has similar problems as your daughter. At home we use luke-warm running water to clean her bottom during these episodes. Her pediatrician also told my daughter to use a weak boric acid/water solution to help with the yeast problem. Talk to hers about this possibility.

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M.C.

answers from New York on

I swear by Pampers Sensitive wipes!!! I have a 4 year old and a 15 month old girls, and have used nothing but! Both of my girls have sensitive skin and my oldest only had diaper rash when I used something other then Pampers Sensitive wipes, I have never used anything other then Pampers Sensitive wipes and she has never had diaper rash.

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R.R.

answers from Rochester on

Make your own... there are lots of recipes around, try this one...Put dry (folded) paper towels in wipe box. In separate bowl, mix about 1 1/2 cups water, 2-3 Tbsp olive oil, 2 drops lavendar essential oil, about 1.0 ml of grape fruit seed extract (this is a natural bacteria inhibitor so the wipes don't get moldy). Pour this mixture over your dry paper towels in an empty wipe box. You may need to do this frequently, even with natural antibacterial agents, they will mold eventually (probably why your storebought wipes are irritating her- even "hypoallergenic" contains nasty chemicals). I find they last me about a week if I keep them in a cool area. If you don't like this recipe, there are endless variations, just google it. =) Also, Weleda makes an excellent Calendula diaper cream which is all natural. It works amazingly on my children. And get her on some probiotics! Rather than anti-yeast drugs, colonize the healthy bacteria that will fight the bad microorganisms from the inside out. Natrin's makes a children's probiotic and I'm sure there are other brands...

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S.S.

answers from Glens Falls on

My friend's son had diaper rash and was screaming through diaper changes until she started using Huggies wipes with Shea Butter.

It sounds like your pediatrician has you covered with ointment, but I always recommend Triple Paste. My son had diaper rash pretty bad and another mommy told me to try Triple paste. It cleared up in 3 days, literally. This was after weeks of trying all different products.

Good luck.

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A.H.

answers from El Paso on

I know how hard it is to look at the baby's bum and know how painful it is to them. My son has only had a really bad diaper rash twice and is now 10 mths old. The first time I started making my own wipes. I take a clean wipes container, take some paper towels, cut them in half, and triple fold each one. I put them in the container and then in a bowl I put between 1/2 c - 1 c of water, add in about a tablespoon of baby bath and about 1/2 tablespoon of baby oil, stir it up and pour over the wipes. Let it sit and then flip it over and let it sit again.
Now I am in the process of changing him over to cloth diapers, I had to use them for 3 days after he finished his antibiotics. His poor bum looked aweful. So I used what I had and in 3 days his bum was back to normal. I just went out and got some prefolds and gerber rubber pants, so tomorrow is our switch over for good day. lol

Good Luck!!!

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S.M.

answers from Syracuse on

Im not sure about any wipes (my kids are older) but I can tell you I know of a lotion that helps diaper rash, the rash from drooling, eczema, Psoriasis, rosacea, severe dry skin you name it, its amazing!

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S.L.

answers from Binghamton on

Can your baby be diaper free for a part of the day? Maybe on weekends if she is in daycare? I think the best cure for diaper rash is no diaper. Roll up the carpets and watch for signs that she has to go, squatting, distractibily, suddenly getting quiet. Have a potty ready and plenty of dish towels. She may surprsie you with being interested in pottying too. You never know. I know that Americans start to train late but I come from culture where we start pottying at around 4 months. We just pay attention to signals that they have to go and offer the potty. My daughter is 13 months old and goes in her potty 5-6 times a day (poops in her diaper maybe once a month). She hasn't had diaper rash since she was a newborn.

Just something to think about:)

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P.N.

answers from Glens Falls on

I believe you can locate specialized products online. My suggestion would be more about the condition itself. Do you let her go without a diaper at all? Of course the time would need to be supervised, and in a situation where clean up is possible, but getting air to her skin would help. Also, using cloth diapers for part of her day would let air get to her skin.
Have you looked at her diet in hopes of rebalancing her system so the yeast would go away?
Sugar feeds yeast and it is in so many foods. You may want to look at that part of it.
Good luck !

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D.S.

answers from New York on

MY son gets extremely red and raw and no wipe is gentle enough. Not only from the make-up of the wipe, but also the motion of the wiping is irritating. We went to the pharmacy and bought dry wipes and use them with water. If that is too much for your daycare to do, fill an empty wipe box with these dry wipes and let them sit in water. Not that they are floating in water but the consistency of a regular wipe.
I hope that helps.

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D.R.

answers from New York on

my first and third babies had/have very sensitive bottoms, ive tried many things and i will share with you what i swear by.... you have to deal with the yeast infection first, i always used nystatin or lotrimin af. then...the first thing to do is forget the wipes. i just keep a roll of soft paper towels and a bottle of water with the sport top on the changing table. i used to make a box of them, just fold up a pile of paper towels in quarters into an empty wipes container and pour water over it. that would work out fine for day care. i wouldnt use the same box for more than a few days though, and wash it in the dishwasher every few days. i do love the other mom's suggestion about cutting the roll in half, quicker than folding all of them, but i used to just do it while watching tv. ive tried all the wipes, some super expensive, not one was as good as water. the problem is the real messy poops, you end up rubbing so hard sometimes it defeats the purpose. i use california baby's calming diaper area spray with the wet paper towels, it's natural, a combo of essential oils, it works great and is super soothing, smells nice too, you only need a few squirts. then coat her bottom with triple paste, especially at night. and let her sit in a bath with 2-3 tbsp baking soda, no soap, dont rinse it off, pat very very dry, air out, spackle with triple paste. original desitin is great too, and cheaper, i save the triple paste for the bad rashes. good luck, D.

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K.H.

answers from Buffalo on

Explain this to the day care provider and supply them with a tupperware bowl full of whatever you want them to use. If your child had an allergy, they would have to comply. If you are accommodating to their convenience when you make the request, they should be willing to comply. You can give them wet wash cloths, bounty paper towels....or, if you buy a package of wipes that are non scented, low chemical type....take an inch of the brick of wipes out and wring them out under running water...give them a couple rinses to get the cleanser off....and then re moisten them with plain water (filtered water is best). Send those wipes in a ziploc baggie or tupperware container. Don't do the whole brick at once, they do not keep long after being rinsed out, they will mildew. But you now have almost completely plain wipes that are disposable.

Consider an early try at potty training....its not unusual for girls to start this early....
Time without a diaper would help greatly!!!
You will know within minutes of the need to change, unlike diapers.
Or how about a cloth diaper without a cover.....air can circulate and moisture is noticed immediately.

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J.G.

answers from New York on

I've always been partial to the Pamper's Sensitive wipes. They come in scented and unscented. I would go with the unscented for your daughter if I were you. Good luck!

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C.H.

answers from New York on

A.,
I would try the dry wipes in a wipe tub with only water like suggested by many others. I do have another suggestion. Try feeding her yogurt. I am sure you have heard that yogurt is great to help a woman battle a yeast infection, why not try feeding it to your daughter. My youngest daughter is almost 9 months old and she has had a rash on her neck for months. My pediatrician has given me almost a dozen different creams/ointments to use. I noticed that after one of her many ear infections and a round of anitbiotics the rash got worse. It sonds kids of gross that my daughter had a yeast infection on her nect. but the pediatrician said it is very common and there is really no way to avoid it because the neck is always wet from drooling and always warm. Eventhough the bib absorbs the drool it is still sitting there. My daughter is the typical baby (3 chins and lots of drool. lol) I started giving my daughter yogurt (Yoplait's YoBaby) at least every other day and it has really helped. Since you have tried to treat the rash from the outside and results were not that great, why not try treating it from the inside. Most kids love yogurt and YoBaby even has one with fruit and cereal already in it. Good Luck!!

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D.

answers from New York on

I have 2 words for you...TRIPLE PASTE. It works better then any diaper rash cream I've ever used. It's a bit expensive but well worth it. Also you can as your doc for a rx for nystantin cream. That is what we used when my son had thrush and it worked great.

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A.J.

answers from Albany on

Pampers sensitive, & target wipes are the ones that comes to mind first.

However, I really do not think that there is one that exists (I love wipes - think they are the best invention EVER - and have tried them all) that will soothe her.

What I would do is use an empty wipes container and fill it with soft baby washclothes soaked in water. Send in another empty wipes container for the dirty ones to be put into so you can easily take them home & launder them. Even if the water is cold it is still gentler on her skin. All wipes contain ingredients that are gentle on a healthy bottom but very irritating on a sore one - even the sensitive kind. The washcloth soothes, the wipes sting.

I have had many a diaper rash/yeast infection in this house that required prescription ointment. It was a hydrocortisone & nystatin based cream. We call it "the good stuff" because it clears up the diaper rash & yeast almost instantaneously! Really! Load her bottom up with it before bed and the rash is almost completely gone in the morning! Ask your dr. about it.

Also in my experience I noticed that even after this has cleared it may return very very easily if you do not keep up the diaper changes quickly and cleanse the area thoroughly. So try and enlist the daycare as best you can. that is why you pay them big bucks - to care for your baby! I have worked in a daycare and they will not mind giving her fanny a little extra lovin'.

Warm baths help too & remember to gently cleanse her bottom. I used to let my babies sit in a bubble bath of gentle baby wash and play to help. She may resisit the baths because it does hurt initially, but it is so important.

And I also love acidopholous for these issues too. That stuff works wonders. She should be old enough to chew a tablet. The strawberry ones are best.

Good luck.
A.

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