Diaper Rash can happen for any number of reasons. Most often it is associated with infectious diarrhea or food intolerances. Here are some tips on prevention and treatment:

1. AIR OUT THAT BUM, and ONLY USE WATER WIPES, and HYPOALLERGENIC DIAPERS
2. Avoid eating too much acidic fruit (citrus fruit, strawberries, tomato, blueberries, pineapple, tart apples, plums, peaches, grapes and raisins). This is true for mothers who are breastfeeding their infants. Children should also avoid foods that loosen stool: apple juice, pear juice, cherry juice, apricots, peaches, peas, prunes and plums.
3. If your child has a mild rash, wake your child if his or her diaper is dirty. It only takes minutes for certain stools to cause ulcerated skin that is hard to heal.
4. Try my favorite recipe for homemade diaper paste: Liquid Antacid – (but Mint Stings so use Mylanta’s Cherry etc), cornstarch, and 40% Zinc Desitin Diaper cream (truly the best diaper cream available).

  • ADD 3 heaping spoonfuls of cornstarch into a plastic cup
  • ADD 5 spoonfuls of antacid to the cup AND mix well
  • After cleaning and air drying the child’s bum, Cake the rash with Desitin maximum strength
  • Pour the antacid/cornstarch mixture over the Desitin/affected area and then sprinkle with cornstarch to keep baby dry.
I always urge my patients to slather on 40% zinc Desitin in newborns as prevention. I have never seen a bad rash in any patient who uses this 40% zinc paste around the clock for prevention. Inevitably a rash seems to pop up only at a time when parents take a break and try a less adhesive clear ointment. Nothing works as well as the purple desitin! I know “it’s thick and sticks to everything”, but that is the goal.
5. Consider a BRAT diet for diarrhea (Banana, Rice, Applesauce, and Toast). In addition you can give nuts, apples, potatoes and low fat carbohydrates. After 5 days of diarrhea, stop giving milk products or add in lactase enzyme pills. After 5 days of diarrhea, one’s gut has lost most of the enzyme that it needs to digest the lactose sugar. When high lactose loads are not digested they will make diarrhea worse.
6. Your pediatrician should ALWAYS see the rash in case you need a steroid or antifungal/antibiotic.