Talk to me about rashes

shan417

So DS has had this poor rash for a while now.  I think it started because I continued taking my iron pill with orange juice and didn't think about it irritating him.  It seems like every time it almost clears up, it starts back again, but we have also been going many places due to the holidays and eating many different things.  I did read the FAQ but it doesn't say how to tell a rash from EBF.  It started out red and a little swollen, and has become very raw between his bum cheeks.  It isn't anywhere else, and we have used both cloth and sposies with no change.  Pedi said it's from pooping so much.  I've used CJ's, coconut oil, Desitin, A&D, and breastmilk.  It does seem like it is slowly healing up, but is there anything else I can do for the poor little guy to make it heal faster?  Which cream is best? Nothing shows any immediate difference. How long does a rash usually take to clear up?  TIA

Unknown

This content has been removed.

Unknown

This content has been removed.

TJ1979

When it's between the cheeks only, that is usually food related. I'd lay off the acidic foods first and see if that helps.

shan417

SecretAgentKate said:

Oh and do you use cloth wipes? Disposable wipes make rashes worse in my experience.

That's Interesting. I do use cloth wipes with just water.  Any suggestions to keep him from peeing everywhere if I let him lay out naked? Lol

TJ1979

shan417 said:

SecretAgentKate said:

Oh and do you use cloth wipes? Disposable wipes make rashes worse in my experience.

That's Interesting. I do use cloth wipes with just water.  Any suggestions to keep him from peeing everywhere if I let him lay out naked? Lol

Pee pee pads.

unaveragejane

I agree with PPs that it sounds like acidic poo rash. Baking soda in the bath water can help. Just add enough to turn the water milky. I would just let his bottom sit in the for a few minutes. Also be sure to pat him dry between the cheeks after you wipe. It can take a few days for the burn to heal. Air time will help. If you are worried about pee fountains, lay a prefold or burp cloth across his nethers. It will still allow air to his bum.

freezorburn

I used to make a pad out of a large bath towel, put that on the floor of the bathtub just so he would have something soft to lie on, and let DS hang out on that for a while.

Unknown

This content has been removed.

shan417

SecretAgentKate said:

i would lay down a towel with a prefold over it and lay him on his belly.  tummy time + diaper free time in one.

Until he poops everywhere :P Great ideas though!

Mandmeesh

Chickypoo2468 said:

Are you patting dry? You have to pat the crack.

This. And what @unaveragejane said. Patting dry between the cheeks was the first piece of advice/help from MK on this board. It changed my life

shan417

Sometimes I do. I will be more diligent from now on if MK says so!

blondolphn

My pedi recommended boudreaux buttpasre or the triple butt paste when we had a nasty rash. Higher amount of zinc.

freezorburn

When we had a very stubborn rash I found that being a good moisture barrier was more important than zinc content. In fact, one zinc cream (CA Baby), which is supposed to be CD safe, caused DS to scream in pain. Honestly not sure what ingredient in CA Baby was causing the irritation, but I decided after that that I could survive without zinc.

Grandma El's is pretty awesome for rashes that need both moisture barrier and oxygen to heal.

shan417

Thank you everyone for the suggestions!  We'll be sure to get some nakey time today and pat dry and use something high in zinc.  @freezorburn I'll have to look into getting some Grandma El's.  Can you get it in stores or do you order it online?

@Chickypoo2468 You mentioned GSE somewhere.  Where do you get it and what size of bottle?

Also, somewhat related, is it possible for DS to wake himself up because his prefold feels wet, even if his skin doesn't seem to be bothered by it?  We were up A LOT last night and I was wondering if that was part of the problem 

JEPES1348

We've only had 2 mild rashes, and both we're moisture-related. I diligently used a cloth wipe dampened with water only, patted dry, and then used CJ's as a moisture barrier. Both rashes cleared up in a day.

freezorburn

Where to buy Grandma El's

DS went through a phase when he would wake up every time he was wet. This was mostly when he had that stubborn rash, because I think the pee irritated the rash. It even happened with sposies. Earth's Best in particular (we tried a bunch of different brands during this stage, as we were still filling out our CD stash) seemed to heat up a bit when he peed, and the rash was very sensitive to warmth/heat. Fleece liners help a little bit, but really he had no tolerance for being wet so we just had to change him as soon as we knew he peed, and he certainly let us know. 19 diapers a day through this phase. It got better eventually.

shan417

Chickypoo2468 said:

Are you patting dry? You have to pat the crack.

I have been patting dry and slathering on coconut oil, which seems to help, but it's still always a little red in his crack.  We use a lot of prefolds.  Do fleece liners or pockets make a difference?  I don't have enough pockets to notice if it gets better but I could get some liners if it will help.