Daycare mystery

GMH1183 · August 2011

I send my?5 month old DS to a home daycare run by a woman and her mother with 12 kids.?DS has been there for about a month and?has developed a pretty nasty diaper rash (didn't have one at all before sending him to daycare). They say they change his diaper every hour and certainly go through a ton of diapers. Every weekend we work to get rid of the diaper rash, but then we pick him up from daycare Monday night and it is back with a vengance. They say they use A&D at every diaper change. ? ? I can't figure out what is going on! Why is he getting such a bad rash at daycare? I am able to get rid of it over the weekend every week. I'm thinking about switching daycares becuase it gets so bad and there is no explanation! Help.

vmm0016 · August 2011

This sometimes happens at our daycare. I swear Keira pees like every 30 minutes sometimes. I just asked them to be more proactive about changing her diaper (I actually told them I change her diaper every 30 minutes) and it has gotten better.

superned · August 2011

Two thoughts:

1) Are they using different wipes? Your DS could be having a reaction if they are using different wipes.

2) My DD has very sensitive skin and I have to be very gentle when I use a wipe on her. Any rubbing or friction and her little bum gets red, then the next time she has a dirty diaper, she gets a rash. If it were me, I would switch to a wipe for sensitive skin (or even cloth wipes with only water) and ask them to blot him clean, not wipe.

GMH1183 · August 2011

I wondered that about the wipes as well. We bring in the wipes so theoretically they should be using the same ones we do at home (sensitive skin, fragrance free). But, they don't seem to go through them as often as I would think, so it makes me wonder if they're using different ones on him. I have already switched him to chlorine free diapers (DH cannot tolerate any chlorine) and have been thinking about doing cloth wipes, but not sure if daycare would be on board with that. Thanks for the ideas.

monkski · August 2011

maybe after they use wipes, they dont let it dry enough before putting on the diaper?

hoping4sticky · August 2011

I was also thinking the wipes or she is lying about the frequency of changes. I would have a sit down talk to explain the seriousness of the situation and if doesn't change soon think of moving.

jenn_darrin1515 · August 2011

I know my dds do sometimes end up with diaper rashes at dc or at my mom's - I;ve seen my mom do a change and she does a way too thorough wipe than is necessary when the girls just pee...so when they are there we would ask her to not wipe when they just pee - just let them air dry...b/c even the most sensative wipe can be irritating to their newborn skin, especially with frequent use/rubbing...just my experience.

Leap08 · August 2011

Do they wear gloves during diaper changes? I know a lot of daycares are required to wear them. If they do, he could be having a reaction to the gloves.

jen5-03 · August 2011

Are they using your wipes on your child? Or are they just having everyone bring in a pack and using one pack at a time until it's gone? There are generally rules about using the diapers that you bring - in my state they have to write their name on the diapers - but there aren't any rules about the wipes.

And what are you using to clear up the rash? A&D? Or something else? If you're not using A&D on the weekends, he could be reacting to that.

GMH1183 · August 2011

Good point about the community wipes. I will have to ask. We do use A&D as well as aquaphor at home. The gloves idea is also something I will look into. Thanks for the ideas ladies!!

KaylaO1024 · August 2011

GMH1183:
Good point about the community wipes. I will have to ask. We do use A&D as well as aquaphor at home. The gloves idea is also something I will look into. Thanks for the ideas ladies!!

If we use scented wipes, A always starts getting a rash and as soon as we change back to unscented, it goes away!

seahorse102410 · August 2011

It happens to us if he poops during his nap. I don't know why he does it sometimes for a while and then doesn't. But if he does one day we get an AWFUL diaper rash.

1026pumpkin · August 2011

Ditto the community wipes idea. We had a similar problem, noting DS would get a rash for a week once every few weeks, then I realized DC was using one pack of wipes for ALL kids, and rotating through which kid's pack they used. Most of the other parents also use the same Kirkland/sensitive wipes we have at home, but 1 or 2 use a different brand, and he'd get the rash when their wipes were in rotation. I just asked DC to only use sensitive wipes on him and haven't had a problem since.

UsedToBeGoldie · August 2011

my guess is that your child is sitting in poop a LOT Longer than he does at home.

Poop is mostly what causes diaper rash - not pee- since diapers these days do a great job keeping the wetness away from the body - but poop is there no matter what.

when you have many babies in a house it's hard to notice that one has pooped - b/c you are smelling poop all day long - it doesn't stand out as fast as it does with 1 child in your home.... so i'm guessing your child is in poop too long.

it's still not acceptable - if he's getting rashes all the time- they aren't doing something right. 12 kids with 2 teachers is a lot- esp if most are young. I'd be looking for another daycare.

reason 4billion and 3 that i don't like in-home daycares.

GMH1183 · August 2011

UsedToBe: this is exactly what worries me. I talked to the daycare about all the ideas regarding wipes given above and it seems like everything is in order there. They say they change DS diaper every hour, but even if that is true he could still be sitting in poop for 45+ minutes. Judging by the shape and location of the rash I would also guess this is the problem. But DS is the only baby under 12mos. However he is not one to cry because of a dirty diaper and honestly DH can barely even tell if he has a poopy diaper at home. Is there anything I can do about this really??

stephanithaog · August 2011

12 kids for two people is far too much. As a former daycare employee, I know that the ratios are supposed to be 2 babies to 1 worker 12mo and under, 3 kids to 1 worker 12-24mo, and 4 kids to 1 worker over two years.

They probably cannot keep up with all of the kids and their specific needs. Sure, they change the diapers every hour. Do you know how long it takes to change 12 kids? A while! Average 3 minutes per kid, give or take, plus washing your hands after each one, and counting the wiggle worms... It really isn't quick. Also I'm assuming it's just one person changing while the other watches the kids, right?

I would definitely look into another daycare for your child's sake.

GMH1183 · August 2011

stephanithaog:
12 kids for two people is far too much. As a former daycare employee, I know that the ratios are supposed to be 2 babies to 1 worker 12mo and under, 3 kids to 1 worker 12-24mo, and 4 kids to 1 worker over two years.
They probably cannot keep up with all of the kids and their specific needs. Sure, they change the diapers every hour. Do you know how long it takes to change 12 kids? A while! Average 3 minutes per kid, give or take, plus washing your hands after each one, and counting the wiggle worms... It really isn't quick. Also I'm assuming it's just one person changing while the other watches the kids, right?
I would definitely look into another daycare for your child's sake.

The daycare is in compliance with the state ratios. There is no way to find better ratios here without hiring a nanny which is not an option. All 12 kids are not in diapers!

emberlee3 · August 2011

Have you tried using a thick barrier cream like Desitin on daycare days? It is more protective than A&D. I like A&D and use it almost exclusively, but when DS has diarrhea (pretty much the only time he gets rashes), I switch to Desitin to clear it up.

Is he eating the same food at DC as at home?

KathrynMD · August 2011

they should be changing poop diapers immediately, not every hour. that's what our state mandates.

also, my suspicion would be that they are wiping your guy too agressively and breaking the skin, thus creating an environment for diaper rash to develop. Also - how often is he pooping? Starting around 1, DD only pooped 1x a day on a pretty regular schedule.

ETA - nevermind - I see your guy is 5 months, so probalby pooping 4+ times a day. Ditto PP re using a thicker cream w/ zinc in it like Desitin. A&D is ok for preventive, but once he's got the rash, zinc is better.

superned · August 2011

UsedToBeGoldie:
reason 4billion and 3 that i don't like in-home daycares.

I'm not trying to be snarky, but I would love to hear the other 4 billion and 2 reasons.

I am a huge advocate for family child care, especially for infants and toddlers. Yes, this program needs to be doing more to make sure the OP's baby doesn't get rashes, but I don't get the "in-home daycare" bashing.

randp · September 2011

are the diaper rashes really bad (broken skin, etc)? DS had one as a baby that wouldn't go away - it was raw and was so sensitive i could barely use a wipe on him without him crying. we needed to get a special cream from the ped - the cream was actually to treat a yeast infection. this cleared up his rash.

if it's not the above, i have found that if i use triple paste for a few days, it will clear up the rash. there is a much better barrier on the tush than w/A&D.

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