When my daughter was first born, I spent a small fortune on diaper creams and name-brand baby powder (she's prone to diaper rash). She would still get a diaper rash every so often, even though I used the creams with every diaper change. When circumstances forced me to cut back on my expenses, I began using corn starch (from the baking dept.) and pure petroleum jelly (vaseline) from the dollar-store. She has not had a single diaper rash in 4 months! Not only is it much, much cheaper, I think having fewer chemicals against her sensitive skin is much healthier (and really - who is going to get close enough to a baby's butt to smell that baby powder scent?!)
I work at a daycare in the infant room and I've seen a lot of rashes. One family uses a home solution that works amazingly well. They bring in a plastic container with a combination of Desitin (or similar), pure cornstarch baby powder, and Lamisil.
It's creamy and seems to provide instant relief for the baby. After a few applications their is no rash in sight. It works! Of course you should always consult with your child's doctor about his/her individual needs, but ask about this combination.
The nurse needs to make note that Lamisil is not approved for children under 12 years of age. I'm sure it is quite effective but safety has not been established and therefore should not be recommended.
When my son was a baby, and very prone to diaper rashes, I tried every cream on the market. I took him to the dr. with a bad case of it. He took one look at him and said "bag balm". It used to only be sold a feed stores for the bag of cattle that were unhealthy. Now it is sold at Wal-mart. That worked better than anything I ever tried! Good luck with your little one and God Bless!
I am glad that the cornstarch and vaseline is working for you. When my daughter was a baby (I am now a grandmother) I found that Desitin was an excellent diaper rash ointment, but it was quite messy, and difficult to wash off. They now have a creamy verison which is easier to handle. Wishing you and your baby many years of happiness!
I'm an OB/GYN nurse as well. We use plain petroleum jelly on our babies (as well as my own 3). Corn starch is supposed to have bigger particles and considered a bit safer, however, it is a food stuff and can grow yeasts and other infections easier, esp. in moist, warm spots. I would recommend a zinc cream of at least 35% concentration for breakouts and like Sandy said, an anti fungal cream for yeasty rashes (ask the pharmacist for the generic brand). If for whatever reason, you have to use powder somewhere on your baby's body, spray it in your hand away from baby's face.
As a nurse, I want to caution readers about using baby powder to prevent diaper rash. The powder is thought to contribute to allergies since the baby could breathe it in through the nose (or mouth?) during the diaper change. I'm not sure if corn starch could cause allergies as well, but I would try to stick to the creams. My daughter has not had much diaper rash but the few times she has had diaper rash it seems to respond well to Lamisil cream. If the rash is caused by yeast (bumpy bright red rash), try generic Lamisil with every other diaper change if it's ok with baby's doctor.
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