The rash that just won't quit

Colleen - posted on 11/30/2010

Buy "Pinxav"....It is the best stuff on the planet..It gives your child instant relief. When applied, it gives a cold feeling immediately so the rash no longer burns. This stuff will change your life. It is sold at Drug Mart. If you don't have one by you, google it right now.

Glo - posted on 11/30/2010

Have you tried yogurt? I know a lot of doctors tell you not to give your child yogurt until they are older. And I have no idea why? But my mother in law suggested it so I gave it to my son when he was about a year old because he had a rash we just could not get rid of. It worked. Turns out the rash was a yeast infection and something in the yogurt kills the yeast in his system. Within days the rash I could see it was clearing up and a week or so later there was no signs of a rash anymore. I just gave him a few teaspoons of plain yogurt each morning with his breakfast. He loved it.

Hilary - posted on 11/30/2010

Hello, I saw a question about Bepanthen so thought I'd reply. Bepanthen was my life saver for my baby girl twins, its an ointment type cream so it rubs in well and you only need a very thin layer to work really well, so its good value too. It's a bit more expensive than other treatments but you need less of it. My other suggestion is to do with the nappies you use. I tried a number of different ones available in UK before settling on Huggies as my girls reacted badly to some cheaper brands. If you're using reusables or terry nappies could it be the detergent, or steriliser you've been using. You've prob tried all these things but they were the ones that caused me problems. It would be very early to potty train your little one, but if the rash is causing distress may be it would be the least of two evils to get out of nappies? I've heard of some people having their little ones out of nappies at 2yrs which wouldn't have worked for me but they're all different. Good luck

Tara - posted on 11/29/2010

It sounds almost like a yeast rash. It is fairly common in some babies (my oldest girl is prone to them). We had a situation like you have with weeping/bleeding rash and discovered that coconut oil (available at any health food store) is an excellent antifungal. We tried it on our daughter and within 24 hours the weeping/bleeding had stopped, and within 72 hours, the rash was almost completely gone. Now, everytime she seems to be getting really bad, we just start putting on coconut oil at every change and it clears up right away. The really nice thing about the coconut oil is that it doesn't have to be refrigerated - it's actually a solid at room temperature :D

April - posted on 11/27/2010

Hi Jessa!
I just wanted to tell you that the probiotics should do the trick. A constant diaper rash is a sign of yeast build up in the body (which is not good). I have had my son on probiotics for a long time after this happened to him and I started researching it on the internet. After we started him on a probiotic it went away. Let us know if this does the trick for you. Just always be sure to buy a really good one from like a health food store and a probiotic should always be refrigerated. I buy one that is made especially for kids, its in a powder form that I mix with applesauce and the key to a good probiotic is that the numbers should be in the billions, not millions.

Terri - posted on 11/27/2010

You've already had so many good suggestions and comments.. yet I wanted to quickly add. Two of my four children were unable to wear all but one type of diaper because they would get YEAST infections. Does your child have any sores in the mouth? Because one of the worst rashes happened when my daughter not only had the bottom end rashed (so red w/ bubbles and sometimes even blood) she developed thrush. Which is yeast in the mouth. Certain foods would also do this to them.. and as a teenager (and almost a teen) we have seen many gluten intolerance symptoms and my son (the almost 17 yo) is practically on a gluten free diet unless he cheats and suffers the consequences (it's a hard diet to keep esp when you're 17 and all your friends are eating pizza). I, too, tried everything under the sun including monistat, this purple stuff we got at the natural food store (I can't remember what it was called) and putting live cultures on her bottom. Look into the yeast aspect. And air and cloth diapers are definitely going to help. If you can't afford to go cloth right now (after you look on ebay, I'm getting mine from target.com) I would say at least get organic ones that are chemical free. And most importantly, if you are a believer, pray and ask for wisdom.

Jessa - posted on 11/26/2010

OMGoodness! I can't believe I never thought to try the probiotics! We had him on the probiotics and other supplements for quite sometime when he was younger and the gluten issues were very apparent, but had stopped when we thought all was well (mainly because the cost was so high and when we thought he was fine we needed the money for other things, like paying the hospital bills that had already been created...)

I will get started with that again today! We got nothing to lose, nothing else has worked and everytime it seems that the rash is clearing up it flares up again over night. We think we found something that is gonna work and then it all of a sudden stops working. And quite frankly I don't have much stock in what the doctors say anymore as they haven't been able to help with anything else for him in the past, all it does is cost a fortune.

Heather - posted on 11/26/2010

Yvette - Excellent post. I didn't even think of probiotics perhaps b/c my daughter's (17 months old) not had any health issues. We've been giving her probiotics since she was a month old, and I can only wonder how many ways they've helped her. We used BioGaia drops (Target pharmacies will usually order them for you) for many months, but now we use powders and sprinkle them on her food or mix in her milk. Really like Baby's Jarro-dophilus b/c it mixes well. We're currently using Udo's Choice Infant's Blend probiotic, which is dairy free as well. I wonder if they make digestive enzymes for little ones, and if they'd also help?

Yvette - posted on 11/26/2010

Hi Jessa, I feel your pain. I had this issue with my son when he was about the same age and tried the remedies that you mentioned and yes they didn't work for Justin either. What finally worked was probiotics, you can get this supplement from the health food store, they have specific ones that are for small children that are in powder form. The one I recommend, because it's also non-dairy, is UAS Laboratories(brand). Within a day or two his rash should go away. The cause of my sons rash was definitely candida(yeast overgrowth). This will certainly remedy the symptom, until you can make some changes in his diet. I still use probiotics, it has kept his symptoms at bay and I do limit gluten products as much as I can. He is also lactose intolerant, so I don't give him regular milk either, he mostly drinks rice or almond milk. I truly believe gluten intolerance comes first which then brings on the candida. Most people are gluten intolerant they just don't know it. It definitely rheaks havic on our digestive and immune systems. My daughter and I also have the same issue. So it is definitely genetic. I hope this helps. Let me know if you have any questions.

Attracta - posted on 11/25/2010

Hello sorry to hear about your little boy it must be awfull. Have you tried the Aleo Vera proplollis cream from Fover living. it is really amazing i really think this would work for your sons rash.

Megan - posted on 11/24/2010

Have you tried going soap free as much as possible? I know my son was really soap sensitive when he was little. No body wash, no shampoo. We all had to switch to cetaphill (sp?) and soap free hair cleanser so it did not contaminate the tub. It was expensive at first, and we never found something for the laundry that was soap free, we went with all free and clear for that. It was challenging but well worth it.

Jessa - posted on 11/24/2010

We are going to talk to the doctors about doing the allergy tests to see if its something he's eating or coming in contact with. Right now it's just limited to his diaper area, which is why we were hesitant to call it food related, but now I am not so sure. I just don't know and it kills me to see him hurting like that.

I am also going to look into cloth diapers, though I know nothing about them except they make great cleaning or burp rags, lol.

A - posted on 11/24/2010

I had the allergy testing scratch style wwhen I was in high school. The scratches themselves did not hurt; I was uncomfortable from the burning though since I was allergic to everything- but they also tested me for like 50 things all at once, too. I would imagine they would only do a few at a time with a little one. I dont think the scratch tests would hurt him (my son gets worse boo boos falling down or playing with the dog and the dog scratches him) and those never bother him. Its never a pleasant thing to subject your child to pain (I hate getting my son his vaccines) but when its for the greater good sometimes you have to do it. I mean, I would imagine he's already IN pain if his rashes are that bad. If it could help ease his pain with that its worth a shot. I can only imagine what its like to have a child with those kinds of rashes....

I was just watching someones children and they do not change their childrens diapers like they should and the children had horrible rashes and were squirming when I cleaned them off and put some cream on them. I almost cried about it feeling so sorry for the children. If it were my son I'd want to rule out every possibility! Good luck with everything :)

Tanya - posted on 11/24/2010

HI! I have a friend who was battling with this with her little one. She has found that the rashes have stopped since she has taken her off all dairy. She said you could notice the biggest difference in that first week.
So perhaps try and swich over to soy products with everything or something similar which isn't dairy?
Good luck and I hope it all gets better soon for you

Kimberly - posted on 11/24/2010

I would think it is an allergy since no creams etc are working. My son had allergy tests when he was 2 and it really wasnt that bad. It was basically little scratches on his arms. Kinda like when your skin is dry and you scratch it with something and it goes white. He didn't cry or anything, the only thing he didn't like was holding his arm still. If he has had problems with gluten before then that would definately be the place to start.
I would also try wiping him bum with a washcloth instead of wipes. They might irritate the rash and make it worse.

Nicole - posted on 11/24/2010

My daughter has some serious sensitive skin and had the same issue for quite some time i had been battleing a diaper rash for what was endless weeks and a doctor gavve us some antifungal cream that made it worse to where i wiped her bottom and just lots of blood from open sores and her screaming in pain. It broke my heart to where everytime i just bathed her instead of wiping her bottom. my mother is a mary kay consultaant and i was very very reluctant to try the satin hands cream its the thicker lotion its a three step the hand lotion the srub and the thick over night cream.

i ended up using it when all else faild and i kid you not what i had been fighting for WEEKS had cleared in just a few days i used the cream let her roam diaperless for about 20 min add another layer of satin hands and then a thin layer of vasiline . i used the no dyes no scent version of the satin hands. it worked wonders. and i still use it. i learned to dilute jucies and give less tomato products because high acid will make babys bowels and urine highly acidic and cause rashes.

Heather - posted on 11/24/2010

California Baby's diaper cream is good

Cindy - posted on 11/24/2010

STAY WITH THE CORN STARCH... IT TAKES A 2-6 DAYS TO HEAL... TOTALLY STICK WITH THE CORNSTARCH... WIPE THE BABY'S BOTTOM LOAD ON TONS OF THE CORNSTARCH AT EVERY DIAPER CHANGE... DON'T LET BABY SIT TOO LONG IN A SOILED DIAPER (KEEP CHECKING). OTHER THAN THAT .... START WITH OVER THE COUNTER CORTISONE CREAM IF THAT DOESN'T WORK... GO TO THE DR. FOR STRONGER CORTISONE CREAM.... MY SON HAD AN INSANE RASH FROM PAMPERS AND HUGGIES YEARS AGO... SO...ENDED UP W/THE CORTISONE CREAM AND CHANGED TO WALLMART, SUPERSTORE... COSTCO *NO NAME BRANDS* OF DIAPERS AND WIPES... ALSO WE USED COTTON LINERS (A REAL PAIN - BUY KUSHIES FROM SEARS OR OTHER ONES... AND I THINK TOYS R US MAY SELL THEM) BUT TOTALLY WORKS . STICK WITH BABY OATMEAL (NO MIXED OR RICE). NO JUICE. NO APPLESAUCE (PEAR SAUCE IS OK) OATMEAL BATHS ALSO WORK.... (CAN HE BE TESTED FOR EXCEMA?--THEN IT WOULD BE DAIRY AND EGGS TO AVOID...START WITH THE CORTISONE CREAM AND CORN STARCH REGIME) GOD BLESS YOU... THIS WILL WORK!

Crystal - posted on 11/24/2010

My youngest is allergic to apples. Anytime she eats anything with apple or apple juice in it she cracks and bleeds and it takes days to clear it up. Apple juice is in a lot of baby food and the snacks. Just a thought. I always use balmex. It works better to prevent the rash if their poop is what is causing it.

Susanne - posted on 11/24/2010

Ive used cloth nappies on my two youngest children and they never had nappy rash. The only time you get nappy rash with cloth is when you arent changing them often enough

A - posted on 11/23/2010

Oh, and as far as the diapers thing...when I switched to cloth (we still use disposables at night) I noticed my sons rashes went away (but he hardly ever got them anyway). They are expensive to start out.

My son will be 18 months next week and we're poor right now as well, and my son has been ready for a while so we just started potty training. He knows when he has to go, can control it, and can communicate with me if he needs to go or has gone. But he hates sitting when he goes so he just goes wherever he is and I try to catch it in a plastic pail or the potty container. I just clean up any messes he makes and we're saving on diapers and he's always dry. Its actually a lot easier (IMO) than changing diapers :)

A - posted on 11/23/2010

Have you looked into food allergies? Food allergies and skin problems (and asthma) go hand in hand. I'd keep looking until I found the answer. Good luck! My sister's children and myself have food allergies and I have rashes all the time and so did her kids until she learned what they were allergic too and started avoiding those foods. Is it just limited to the diaper area?

I'm not saying thats what it is but if the doctors don't know you have to keep looking....

Rachel - posted on 11/23/2010

for the cloth diapers being expensive... you can find cheeper ones... many diaper services will sell you old ones cheep ... and there is ebay too ... I myself am thinking about going cloth and seing the price of some ... well they are expensive but you can find cheep ones that are still good. and if you are crafty you can look up online how to make your own cloth diapers.... just an option

Vegemite - posted on 11/23/2010

Hi Jessa it's bepanthen nappy rash ointment, my typo sorry. I just get it here in australia at woolwoths/coles (like walmart) it's also available in chemists. It's a Bayer product so should be available world wide, the active ingredient is Dexpanthenol so maybe there is an equivalent where you are. My doctor also said to try a cream that isn't zinc based but he recommended bapanthen as a good one.

Sarah - posted on 11/23/2010

My niece had the same kind of problem turned out to be a bad case of thrush and every now and again she will break out in it she was given nappy creams for weeks was told it was nappy rash and it was so sore it was cracking and bleeding she was given canastan in the end

Jessa - posted on 11/23/2010

We have tried switching brands of diapers and wipes as well as the various types of wipes in the different brands. Nothing changed :(

I thought about the whole sun thing, but where we live right now its about 20 degrees during the day so that's not an option right now. He gets about 15 minutes after every diaper to run around in the buff to dry out, but it hasn't seemed to help, although it has helped some towards potty training as he has used the potty successfully 4 times now :) I didn't think of the which hazel though, I will have to check that out and see if it does anything for him. Right now he is getting a bath every day and if he makes more than 2 dirty diapers in a day he gets extra baths after the dirty diapers to make sure he is completely clean and that the wipes didn't leave anything behind. We have tried using an antibacterial soap to wash his bottom, but it didn't seem to do anything. We have tried 3 different body washes with him, most of my other kids had reactions to the Johnson's & Johnson's products so we have always had to find a different solution for the body/hair soaps.

We haven't tried cloth diapers yet, but right now I don't think we could afford to switch as I understand it is expensive to get started with them. As you can imagine with all this lil guy has been through we are a bit buried in medical bills to say the least.

Sarah - posted on 11/23/2010

Sorry to hear what you and your little one are going through. Have you tried other brands of diapers? I found with one of my boys, I could not use one of Pampers varieties.

Bonnie - posted on 11/23/2010

I know you have tried a lot of things to help your little one out. Have you tried switching out the clothes washing detergent you wash clothes in, and his soap/shampoo that you bathe him with?

I like using goats milk soap, for my dry, but sometimes raw and weepy skin. I have psoriasis and have had to switch out products from time to time, that irritate my skin. I am about to try witchhazel for my face again, kind of like a toner, since my facial skin is breaking out with psoriasis and blackheads, etc. (I used toothpaste on some of my blemishes and that helped to clear them up, not something I would suggest for your kids bottom though.)

I was wondering if you could use something like witchhazel on his bottom, then let him air out a little. In the house, you would have to lay out some towels for possible pee accidents. I remember my mother cleaning up the babies bottoms, then allowing them some time to air out.

If you have a fenced in private yard, you could also think about allowing the sun to reach that area to help. The sun helps my psoriasis clear up, just a thought. I hope that you can get it worked out, your little one has been through a lot.

Louise - posted on 11/23/2010

is your little one in cloth or disposable? cloth will certainly give rash, he obviosly has a strong urine has it been tested? try QV cream FROM THE CHEMIST it repairs your skin while it protects,

Jessa - posted on 11/22/2010

We know a good bit about the gluten free stuff, when he was first born the gluten I was eating was coming through the breast milk and caused all kinds of issues. It took the doctors weeks of hospital stays and visits, etc. and they weren't the ones who found it, our friend who owns a health food store suggested it. We had to keep everything for him and I gluten free for his first 9 months. They did all the tests, which we now know may not be very accurate, and they came out fine. Last time his symptoms cleared up from the gluten within 36 hours, he was awake, his skin cleared up (at that time it never affected his diaper area only the rest of his body, we kept thinking it was some severe eczema or something). So this time we went nearly a month no gluten just to see and there was no change. We have been told that the tests for gluten intolerance and Celiac aren't valid if they don't have gluten in their systems, so we are trying to get the doc to run the tests now and see if that could be it. But I am hesitant to call it that when his diet doesn't seem to be affecting his rash.

He is currently recovering from the measles, but that has only been for the past week or so and this diaper rash has been well past 3 months.

We did try the mylanta on his rash, one of the remedies we found online was a mixture of equal parts mylanta, anti-fungal ointment, desitin, and triple antibiotic ointment, it worked for about a week then stopped.

I hate the thought of subjecting him to all the allergy tests to see if that could be it, but I fear that is the direction this is all heading. He has already spent 2 months in the hospital and had two major surgeries all before he was a year old. Just taking him to the doctor for a simple ear infection bugs me now cuz he has been through so much already.

Catherine - posted on 11/22/2010

I don't have a great idea for you, but I want you to know that you're not alone!!! My son has had a terrible rash for weeks now, and I feel like we've tried everything. We just started a new cream today, Bactroban, so hopefully this will work. Good luck!

Kimberly - posted on 11/22/2010

1: My cure for diaper rash is liquid heartburn medicine. works like magic.

2. How long did you try going gluten free for? My daughter has Celiac's and if she gets glutened the rash lasts for upwards of 8 weeks.

Stifler's - posted on 11/22/2010

Have you tried Betadine ointment? Might sound strange but it might work. I used to use it when my ears got infected or my belly button and it cleared it up straight away.

Jessa - posted on 11/22/2010

The diaper rash creams/ointments are all zinc based. When we were using them we noticed the rash getting worse instead of better so we switched to just the vaseline. We haven't used the regular diaper rash ointments in over a month now. What is bepanthem? I have never heard of it, is it something available at the local walmart or target?

Vegemite - posted on 11/22/2010

hi i had the same problem with my youngest and my doctor said that it may be the zinc in the creams. I don't know if those creams you are using are zinc based because we don't have those where i live. He suggested a switch to bepanthem and now there's no more rash. It's good you don't give them juice it's just about the worst thing for their teeth and ribeena

Stifler's - posted on 11/22/2010

Yeah I never give my kid juice he does enough poos a day lol just asking as a lot of people on here seem to give their kid juice

Jessa - posted on 11/22/2010

He doesn't get juice, strictly water or milk with all of my kids and myself. We do that for a few reasons, juice is too expensive we would rather the money go to fresh or frozen fruit thats better for us and because we learned with our first lil one that it caused diarrhea if we gave him lots of juice so we just learned to stay away from it.

Stifler's - posted on 11/22/2010

Oh my gosh that sounds horrid :( Does he drink lots of juice because that can cause acidic urine.