Good Baby TipsTips for keeping your baby happy and healthy

Diaper rash is the most common kind of skin inflammation (dermatitis) that infants face. Every baby has it at one time or another. But fortunately, it is rarely a serious condition and can easily be treated at home. Do not get worried if your baby develops diaper rash but do not treat it lightly either. Take immediate measures for its treatment.

How would I know my baby has diaper rash?

Diaper rash mostly appears in the diaper area. Your baby has diaper rash if he has mild redness and scaling on or around his buttocks, thighs and genitals. In a more severe case of rash pimples, blisters and sores can also form. If the rash gets infected the skin might become bright red and swollen. If it is still left untreated, the rash might start to spread even beyond the diaper area. If your baby’s skin looks like any of these, he has diaper rash.

Another symptom of diaper rash is that part of the diaper area affected by the rash gets slightly warmer. The baby also becomes very uncomfortable, especially during diaper changes. He also cries and makes a lot of fuss while the diaper area is being washed or touched.

What causes diaper rash?

There are several causes of diaper rash as the diaper area is the most suitable damp and dark area for rash to develop. The causes of the rash vary which is why sometimes its treatment fails. The major causes of diaper rash are as follows:

• Irritation: The most common cause of diaper rash is simple skin irritation. The baby’s skin is much more sensitive than an adult’s and is very prone to irritation. This irritation can be caused by the rubbing of the diaper against his skin if it is fit too tightly. It can also be caused if the baby is left in a wet pamper for too long. The prolonged exposure to ammonia and moisture can cause irritation and make the skin look red. A baby is more prone to diaper rash if he has frequent bowel movements as stool is more irritating than urine. You can know that your baby has a simple case of irritation if the diaper area is red but the folds of skin, a more protected part, are not red.

Other than this, irritation can also be caused by any new product that you introduce to your baby. Sometimes some new brand of wipes or diapers does not suit his skin. At other times it could also be a new soap, detergent or bleach that you use to wash his cloth diapers. Diaper rash can also be caused by some ingredients in baby powders, lotions and oils.

• Changes in Diet: Sometimes babies can also develop diaper rash when solids are introduced in their diet. Solids can change the constituents of the stool or lead to more frequent bowel movements, both eventually causing diaper rash. If a baby is breast-fed his diaper rash could also be a response to something in the mother’s diet.

• Use of Antibiotics: Sometimes when antibiotics are used to kill bacteria causing diaper rash a balance is not maintained. This imbalance can worsen the rash. If a child is breast-fed, the mother’s use of antibiotics can also cause him diaper rash.

• Bacterial or Yeast Infection: A mild diaper rash can grow and spread to areas outside the diaper too. The damp and moist area of the diaper is most suitable for the growth of germs, bacteria and yeast. Once the rash gets infected by yeast it becomes bright red and pimply. A bacterial or yeast infection can be differentiated from a mild irritation rash as it is present even in the folds of the baby’s skin where irritation rash is not.

• Plastic Pants: Rash can also be caused by plastic pants that tightly fit over diapers. These pants raise the heat and moisture level in the diaper area, making it a more suitable place for diaper rash to start and germs to grow.

How do I control and prevent diaper rash?

The most important factor in aiding the healing of diaper rash is to keep your baby’s diaper area clean, cool and dry. Practice the following healing and preventive measures to reduce the chance of your baby developing rash.

• Change Diapers Promptly: Keep checking your baby’s diaper frequently and change it as soon as it gets wet so that his skin is not exposed to the moisture and ammonia for a long time.

• Clean the Diaper Area: Whenever you change his diaper make sure to clean the diaper area well. Use plain, not hot water, with or without a mild perfume-free soap. Do not use wipes that contain alcohol or fragrance and make sure the baby’s diaper are is completely dry before putting on a new diaper. Do not scrub his bottom with a towel. Scrubbing can irritate the skin. Pat him dry or leave to air-dry.

• Air-time: Giving your baby some diaper-free time always helps with rash. The most appropriate time, when there is least chance of messy incidents, is right after his bowel movement.  You can also lay him on a big towel and engage in playing with him while he is bare-bottomed.

• Avoiding Plastic: Rash can also be caused by over tightening the diaper. Keep it a little loose so that the diaper area can breathe. You can also use a larger sized diaper for this purpose. Avoid using diapers with plastic edges or plastic pants that fit over diapers as they trap in the heat and moisture.

• Washing Cloth Diapers Thoroughly: If you are using cloth diapers, washing them thoroughly and keeping them clean is very important. Soak heavily soiled cloth diapers before washing them and use hot water to wash them. Use a mild detergent and skip fabric softeners as they may contain fragrances that could irritate your baby’s skin. Double rinse your baby’s diapers if he already has a diaper rash or is prone to developing diaper rash. You can also put half a cup of vinegar in the rinse cycle to get rid of alkaline irritants.

• Creams & Ointments: Use creams with zinc-oxide and petroleum at every diaper change to keep the moisture from reaching your baby’s skin. Some steroid creams can also be used but never apply them without consultation with a doctor.

• Wash Your Hands Thoroughly: After changing your baby’s diaper, wash your hands thoroughly every time to avoid the spreading of bacteria to other parts of the baby’s body or to your other children.

• Avoid Cornstarch or Talcum-powder: Both these products are not recommended for diaper rash. Talcum powder can get into the baby’s lungs and cornstarch makes a yeast infected rash worse.

When do I call the doctor?

Diaper rash is usually not a serious condition and it can be treated by following the simple home remedies suggested above. However, sometimes the diaper rash gets worse or persists for longer and you need to consult with a doctor. If your baby has the following symptoms, he needs professional medical attention. Do not delay taking him to see your pediatrician.

• The rash has appeared on the baby’s skin in the first six weeks.
• The rash seems to be infected.
• Pimples and small ulcers are formed.
• The baby is suffering from fever.
• The baby isn’t eating as he usually does or appears to be losing weight.
• The rash spreads to areas outside the diaper, such as arms, face or scalp.
• The rash persists for more than one week even though you have tried the home remedies listed above.

Cloth diapers or disposable diapers?

Parents often have this question, whether they should use cloth or disposable diapers. As far as diaper rash is concerned, there is no convincing evidence in favor of either. Some doctors suggest that cloth diapers are better as they do not hold too much moisture and allow more air to pass. Some suggest that disposable diapers are better as they are more absorbent and keep the baby’s skin drier. So it is a parent’s call which kind to use. If you use disposable diapers make sure to check if that brand suits your baby. Change and try another if a certain brand doesn’t seem to work out. If you use cloth diapers make sure to wash and clean them thoroughly as suggested earlier.

In both cases, the most important thing is that you check your baby’s diaper frequently and change it as soon as it gets wet and keep the baby’s bottom as clean and as dry as possible.

Heat rash is a mild skin condition often suffered by babies when they get over heated. It is also known as prickly heat or miliaria. Parents often worry if their child is in pain because of heat rash. It is not a serious condition and not painful but it can get very itchy if proper measures are not taken. Even though the condition is not serious itself it is an indicator of the fact that your child’s body is too hot. If you do not take immediate action to cool him down, other more serious conditions like heat exhaustion, heat stroke or dehydration might take place.

What is heat rash?

Heat rash appears on a baby’s skin as hundreds of tiny pink or red eruptions, each surrounding a pore. Sometimes they resemble tiny water blisters. The rash usually occurs on the baby’s cheeks, neck, shoulders, skin creases, diaper area and wherever clothes fit him snuggly. Although heat rash is more common is hot and humid climate, it can also occur in cold weather if the child is over heated due to heavy clothing.

How is heat rash caused?

Heat rash is caused by excessive sweating and a hindrance in the passage of that sweat out of the skin. The sweat glands normally release sweat through the duct onto the skin’s surface. When perspiration cannot reach the skin’s surface because of folds of skin or tight clothing, the sweat may break through the walls of the ducts and become trapped inside the internal layer of skin, causing inflammation. This is known as heat rash. Babies and younger children are more likely to get heat rash because their sweat glands are not fully developed yet.

How can heat rash be treated?

Most heat rashes clear up themselves in a few days. If it persists for longer, seems to be getting worse and is not responding to medicine, consult you baby’s doctor. Usually the baby can be relieved of the rash in the following methods:

• Avoid heat: Foremost, it is important to get rid of what causes the rash; heat. Move to a more airy place if you are indoors. In outdoor areas look for a cooler and shadier place and try to get the child some rest time if the rash is being caused by him running around in a hot and humid weather.
• Avoid heavy clothing: If a baby starts to get very hot and develops heat rash remove his clothing if possible. If not then dress him in lighter clothes. Always opt for cotton and natural fibers instead of nylon or polyester which trap heat. When a baby has developed heat rash try to give him as much nappy-free time as possible.
• Keeping the skin cool: To directly cool the affected area of the baby’s skin give the baby a cool bath. After a bath, let the skin air-dry and do not use towels, they can cause friction and irritation with the rash. Like a little nappy-free time, allowing the child some nude time also quickens the healing process.
• Applying cream: Use calamine lotion directly on the baby’s skin taking special care to avoid the eyes. You can also use a hydrocortisone cream if your doctor advises so for a severe rash. Avoid using any other cream or lotion on the baby’s skin as it traps moisture and makes the rash worse.

Some important things to remember about heat rash are that when adopting the above ways to cool down your baby’s body temperature, keep an eye out for it. The baby might get chilly and need to be warmed up again. To avoid heat rash, make sure your child is wearing light clothes whenever you venture outdoors in a hot and humid climate. Clean the sweat prone areas with wet wipes to avoid clogging of the pores by excessive sweat. Heat rash can also be caused by fever. If your baby has fever, in addition to following these above steps investigate into and treat the baby’s fever which is the real cause of the rash. Remember, heat rash is caused by fever but fever is not caused by heat rash.

What is Cradle Cap?

Cradle Cap is harmless; this is the first thing you should know about it. It is aesthetically displeasing but usually harmless for the baby until it aggravates to a degree that it looks red and swollen, then it may cause itching.

Cradle Cap is a condition of the skin. The human skin is always producing new cells and shedding off old ones, a process that we do not notice. Babies suffering from Cradle Cap have hyperactive seborrheic glands that are responsible for producing oil. Their skin produces new cells at a faster rate than it sheds them, which results in flaky or dry skin that looks like dandruff, or thick, oily, yellow/brown scaling or patches on the head.

Sometimes this skin condition can also occur on other parts of the baby’s body, for example around the ears and eyebrows and creases like armpits or even the diaper area. Then this condition is known as seborrheic dermatitis as it occurs where there is the greatest number of oil-producing sebaceous glands.

Why does Cradle Cap occur?

Cradle Cap can occur in any baby, there are no risk factors that make one baby more prone to it than the other. It usually occurs in the first six weeks of the baby’s life and usually continues up till three months of age. Most often Cradle Cap resolves itself and no treatment is required. However, in some cases the condition may prolong to several months or beyond.

The exact reason for the occurrence of Cradle Cap is not agreed upon. The most common consensus is on the opinion that it is caused by hormones passed from the mother to the baby, through the placenta, just before birth. These hormones are thought to over stimulate the seborrheic glands, producing more oils and making scaly patches appear over the skin.

Cradle Cap is not infectious or contagious. Some suggest that it is an allergic reaction or is caused by poor hygiene; however, both these views are wrong. Cradle Cap can occur in any baby and mostly goes away itself.

How do I treat my baby’s Cradle Cap?

No treatment is really required for Cradle Cap, it goes away by itself. However, it is unpleasing for parents to see their baby’s skin like that. If it bothers them, they could try to shampooing regularly with a mild shampoo and brushing the baby’s scalp with a soft brush or terry cloth. Don’t be afraid to shampoo the baby’s hair, in fact it should be done more frequently, about 2-3 times a week.

For more persistent cases of Cradle Cap, sometime the oil treatment is helpful. However, it is important to know that oil helps to build scales by clogging the pores and allowing the scales to stick, if used in a large amount or allowed to stay on the scalp. If oil is being used, use a small amount. Rub it into the baby’s scalp; leave it on for a few minutes (it will help to loosen the scales) and then comb out the scales gently with a soft brush or tooth-comb. Be sure to shampoo the baby’s head afterwards so that the oil does not stay in.

For even more persistent cases that are not resolved by oil or shampoo, doctors may suggest stronger medicated shampoos. But do not use an antiseborrhea without consulting your pediatrician first as these shampoos contain small amounts of sulfur and salicylic acid and may cause irritation to the baby. The doctor may prescribe some other lotions or creams to treat the redness and scales.

Can I prevent Cradle Cap from coming back again?

If the Cradle Cap has completely disappeared, it is unlikely to come back again. If your child is a year old it rarely comes back before puberty. However, preventive measures include washing the baby’s hair frequently, about two to three times a week. Take care not to over do it as it may stimulate the oil glands and produce more oil.

If the condition keeps persisting off and on and does not finish completely you might need to keep using antiseborrhea shampoos in frequent intervals. However, consult your pediatrician before any such step and let him/her decide if your baby still needs those shampoos or lotions.