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Surviving Diaper Rash

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The entire time Brayden was in diapers, he never had a diaper rash. I figured I was pretty hot stuff and an amazing preventor of the rashes. Kaitlyn came along and only ever had a rash from yeast. Again, more evidence to support my amazing abilities in avoiding diaper rashes. And come on, it was so easy. I really couldn't see how a diaper rash was even possible.

Then along came McKenna. And she got diaper rashes! I was doing the same things I had done with my first two children. Despite that, the rashes would come. And they were bad! I did some research and significantly upped my game, and they would still come sometimes! McKenna has eczema, and I am sure that contributes to her propensity for rashes. Brinley has a milder form of eczema, and she also will get rashes at times, though not as often as McKenna did.

I share that with you to let those of you with rash-less children know that a baby with a diaper rash is not being neglected and you do not have super-mom powers. And I also share it so those of you with children with rashes know that you are still a great mom! 

Now, there are many ways people treat a diaper rash. I asked my readers on Facebook how they survive the diaper rash, and I have included a list of their answers below. You will see many answers! Why are there so many answers? Probably in large part because babies have different skin types, so different things will work for different babies. Another reason is that there are so many things on the market to help with rashes, and when you find something that works for that baby, you hold fast to it! 

How I Survive a Diaper Rash
First, let me share my method with you for a diaper rash. This is a diaper rash, not a yeast rash (caused by thrush). As soon as you see a sign of a rash, start trying to get rid of it. If you fix it fast, you won't get to the point of extreme pain for your baby. You can fix a rash before it starts in a few hours. Once you have a full-blown rash, it can take days to fix. 

First, I change diapers at least twice as often as I do on a normal basis. I don't want the baby sitting in a soiled diaper at all. 

I rinse with water. Water is amazing. I don't typically give my babies with eczema a bath daily, but I find a daily bath (or more) during a diaper rash is very helpful in speeding up the healing process. I also will use a peri bottle (like you get at the hospital after you give birth) and spray the baby off during diaper changes. 

I love Baking soda for a diaper rash. A diaper rash is acidic and baking soda is a base, so it helps neutralize the acid. It helps heal very quickly. During baths, I will dump some baking soda in the water. I will also add some to the peri bottle if things are getting bad. But note here, the baking soda can potentially sting your baby. So I spray it on, then I wipe it off with a wet wipe (we use Huggies Natural Care Fragrance Free Baby Wipes). If you spray it and leave it, it might really sting your baby, so wipe it off well. Then let it air dry.

Once we have the area clean and dry, I put some Aquaphor in the palm of my hand and add a drop or two of Lavender oil. I mix that up and then put it on the rash. Lavender oil helps heal broken skin. I then follow that up with some Desitin Maximum Strength Paste in the purple tube. 

For prevention, we use Desitin Maximum Strength Paste in the purple tube. With McKenna, I used it at every diaper change. With Brinley, I only need to use it at night. If her skin gets a little bit red at all, I use the Desitin until it is back to normal color.

For Brayden and Kaitlyn, I used Boudreaux's Butt Paste at night. I think you need something on each night to prevent diaper rash. 

How You Survive Diaper Rash
Here is the list of your ideas. Try different things until you find what works, and once you know what works for your child, stick to it!

Creams/Ointments
Diaper Change Care
  • No Wipes--wet wash cloth
  • Air drying
  • Water. Wash with water and air dry
  • Frequent diaper changes
  • Bare bottom time
  • Organic Diapers
Home Remedies
  • Breastmilk on cotton ball
  • Coconut oil for yeast (or for all!)--great for prevention, too
  • Lavender
  • Corn Starch
  • Baking soda
  • Oatmeal bath: plain oatmeal in a towel and tie it up. Put in the bath with baby and squeeze it often to get liquid out.
Recipes

If you have anything to add, please do so! Comment and share what you do to survive a diaper rash.

If you liked this post, you might also like: http://www.babywisemom.com/2013/11/surviving-cold.html


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Diaper Dabbler {Giveaway}



I think this is one of the best stores I have ever encountered.

When Brinley was a newborn, I remember wishing that there was some inexpensive way for me to try out the various brands of diapers to see which one we liked best. Little did I know this company existed!

Diaper Dabbler (http://diaperdabbler.com/) offers a variety of diaper packs for you to try out! Their packages include:
  • Mainstream diapers--diapers like Huggies, Luvs, and Pampers.
  • Store-Brand diapers--from stores like Costco or Target.
  • Eco-Friendly diapers--diapers like Earth's Best, Seventh Generation, and Honest Company.
They offer some prepackaged sets, but also allow you to order your own custom set, so you can sample only the diapers you would actually consider buying (for example, as much as I would love to have Target be on my radar, it is too far away for me to use for diapers, so I wouldn't want that in my set). 

In your pack, you will also get a card that has the diapers listed and you can rate each diaper as you try it. You will get several diapers from each brand so you can give it a real try before you make your final judgement.

Isn't this awesome? I think this would make the perfect baby gift, also. You can even order it with wrapping--pink, blue, or gender neutral. Ah, the things we get excited about as mothers ;).

Today, Diaper Dabbler is offering giveaway for a pack of the winner's choice!

And if you don't win, they are also offering an exclusive $5 off coupon for you readers! Fabulous! The code is 5BABYWISEDD and is good through February 15, 2013.


For Your First Entry: 
Become a follower of this blog. Then leave a comment. If you are already a follower (the thing where your cute face pops up with all the other cute faces of people following), comment telling me so.

Sample Entry
I am a follower!


For Your Second Entry:
Go to http://diaperdabbler.com/ and look around. Leave a comment here stating what pack you would be interested in (or list your own custom pack). 

Sample Entry
I would get the Teetering Toddler Size 3 pack.

For Your Third Entry:
Like Chronicles of a Babywise Mom on Facebook. Already do? Tell me so. Comment saying you like it.

Sample Entry
I like Chronicles of a Babywise Mom on Facebook!  


For Your Fourth Entry:
Like Diaper Dabbler on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/DiaperDabbler. Then comment saying you did so.

Sample Entry
I like it!


For Your Fifth Entry:
Check out the Brand Research & Info they have provided--then comment saying you did so: http://diaperdabbler.com/research/

Sample Entry
I read it--very helpful and interesting!


For Your Sixth Entry:
Blog or tweet about this giveaway. Then comment saying you did so. Include the method you used.

Sample Entry
I blogged it (valscreations.blogspot.com)


For Your Seventh Entry:
Blog or tweet about this giveaway. Then comment saying you did so. Include the method you used.

Sample Entry
I tweeted! @valplomwan


Entry Rules
  • You must leave a comment in order to have an entry.
  • You must leave a separate comment for each entry. This is not so I can get lots of comments--it is because it makes it a million times easier to choose a winner. It takes less time, and less time is good. Plus, it makes sure I don't miss an entry.
  • You don't have to do all seven entries...for example, if you just want to follow this blog, you can just do entry one.
  • One entry per comment.
  • Up to seven entries per person.
  • You must fulfill the rules of each entry for each entry to count. If I see the entry is not valid (did not meet entry requirements), I will disqualify your entry. Trust me, I check.
  • Entries will be accepted until I choose the winner February 1, 2013.
  • The winner will be randomly selected at random.org
  • The winner will be announced February 1, 2013.
  • If you would like, you can add your email address to your entry. If you are the winner, I will email you to let you know. You do not need to add your email address in order to win. I understand not everyone wants to share their email addresses with the world. I will announce the winner on the blog, so you can check the blog Friday to find out if you won.
  • Once the winner is announced, you will have one week to contact me or another winner will be chosen. Be sure to check back. The only thing worse than not winning is to win but not realize it in time!
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Logical Consequences: The Diaper Change

Back in April, I asked you readers for specific situations you needed help applying logical consequences in, and we got quite the response! I am taking each scenario and breaking down how I would react and have reacted.

Scenario #2:

Kicking during diaper changes.

Let's go ahead and just broaden this to all difficulties during diaper changes. Not all children will specifically kick, but all will do something. Some might try to roll over. Some try to sit up. Some arch the back. Some grab at the diaper...oh the list goes on.

This is another one of those things that is just going to happen. It will. Your child starts life out laying relatively still as you change the diaper, but one day, she will start to squirm and cause you trouble.

First of all, let's discuss something. Do what you can to keep things clean and your child safe. Don't leave the child unattended at the changing table or on any surface. Perhaps buckling the child down will help keep your child more still (though not more happy). If you change your child on the floor or other surface that is not "baby deification proof," put a pad under your baby or something so if and when baby creates a mess with the wiggling, it won't be so traumatic for you.

Next, I think the best thing to do with these diaper changes is to keep the child distracted. Distract, distract, distract. A baby does not want to hold still for a diaper change. Does she need to? Absolutely. But this isn't a situation that requires complete reverence.

If any experienced mom is like me, she finds herself trying to had her four week old a toy before she changes the diaper. I did this with both of my girls. I would put them down for a diaper change and try to give them a toy...then I realized they couldn't hold a toy yet :) It is so much a part of the habit of diaper changes, it is what we do.

Keep some interesting toys at the changing table. Rotate often. I will also hand McKenna the new diaper to hold or her diaper cream. She likes to "brush" her hair currently, so I will give her a brush while I change her diaper. Distract, distract, distract.

Sing songs. Engage your child. Talk about what you are doing. Explain you are taking her pants off. Talk about her having a messy diaper, then talk about it being fresh and clean. This is an opportunity to teach opposites and various concepts.

Distract, distract, distract.

Despite your best distracting efforts, there will be times your baby will not have it. She will not be deterred! I have had this problem with McKenna at times. This happens when she wants to sit up. Well, I just can't change her diaper sitting up. I am not that talented. So I lay her back down, hand her something to play with, and tell her to stay down. I do this in a firm voice. I give her "the look." I do not give in. You can't really give in with situations like this; the diaper must be changed.

Now, let's discuss when the behavior moves from simply wanting to play to outright anger at the situation. Your child might kick in anger. She might throw a fit. She might scream. In this situation, I would simply look at the child with "the look," tell her that's a no, and keep going. If your child kicks you, I would grab the foot, lay it back where it should go, and say, "That's a no. You do not kick Mama."

If she is crying out of sadness rather than anger, I would talk to her as you change her diaper and say, "I know this isn't fun. Mommy is hurrying as fast as she can. You can play as soon as Mommy gets you all clean."

If your child is old enough to understand, you can give warnings. "In one minute, we are going to change your diaper, then you can play again."

If your child tends to make a messy diaper right when she wakes up, you can change her before any fun even begins.

The older the child, the firmer I would be with not being allowed to move around during the diaper change.

I think this is a situation that will be easier remedied if your child obeys you in other areas. Your child needs to know that when mom says no, it means no. So be consistent in all areas of life, not just the diaper change. If screaming and crying can get her out of other things, she will try it for diaper changes, too.

As a recap, here are some dos:
  • Do distract. Go to the toy or other item to play with first. Also, sing songs, count toes, count how many seconds it takes, etc.
  • Do go fast. Go as fast as you can go.
  • Do be firm.
  • Do be consistent. Don't delay the diaper change if the fits come.
  • Do repeat. You might have to do these things over and over again before your child gets it.
  • Do warn. Give your child fair warning before the diaper change if she is old enough to understand it.
My Stories
I don't really have any standout experiences with this. It is something my oldest and youngest did do or does right now. Kaitlyn wasn't really ever too bad about this for the most part.

Right now, it is prevalent in the life of barely 14 month old McKenna. She always wants to sit up. I lay her back down over, and over, and over again. It takes time, consistency, and patience. If I can give her something of interest, she will be just fine. But if I expect her to lay still with nothing to do, I will be laying down the little girl soon.

This time period requires patience. You can both work through this. Hang in there!

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Cloth Diapering

I am, have always been, and probably always will be a disposable diaper gal. That is the way I do it around here. Despite that, I can see that there can be several benefits to cloth diapering, and I know several moms who use cloth diapers. Whenever there is something going on that I don't have experience with, I like to pull in another mom to shed some light on the topic. So, I asked my friend Amanda to write a cloth diapering post. And who knows; maybe one day I will switch over :) You might recognize Amanda from the Children's Learning Activities blog as she is one of the authors. Here are Amanda's basic thoughts on cloth diapering:

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

In the Babywise books Gary Ezzo doesn’t really make any recommendations for how to diaper your baby; whether to use cloth diapers or disposable diapers. But of course you can’t be on an online parenting site for long before you run across that question: cloth or disposable? For different families the right answer could be either one, or something in between. Daycares often won’t accept cloth diapers, but for a stay at home mother cloth diapers can save some much needed money. Diapering twins with cloth could create a lot of laundry, but it could also save a lot of money and trips to the store. The water used could be nothing to a person in a wet climate, but after living in the Arizona desert I can understand not using more water than absolutely necessary too.
When I was pregnant my husband and I considered cloth diapers for a moment, and quickly dismissed the idea because of the time, cleaning, and hassle involved. Besides, I certainly did not want to mess with diaper pins and trying to fold a cloth diaper! Our son was in disposables for 3 months when the guilt of all that plastic, non-decomposing trash got to us. We were using 8-10 diapers every day, $40 a month, and emptying the small trash can daily just to keep up with the mess. We went through 4 kinds finding a style that didn’t leak or give our son a rash. So we decided to do some research into cost and options for cloth diapering. It turns out our idea of prefolds, pins, and plastic pants was way off the mark!

Currently there are several types of cloth diapers and cloth/disposable hybrids available.


Prefolds—these are the least expensive option, easy to clean, but do require folding and securing with a snappi (a Y shaped hook instead of the old pins, much better!). Prefolds are worn with covers that Velcro or snap shut similar to a disposable diaper.

Fitted Diapers—these fasten like disposables and are made of natural, absorbent materials. They are easy to put on but require a cover. They also tend to be more expensive but the appeal here is the cute patterns available.

Pocket Diapers—these are more expensive than prefolds, a bit more difficult to clean, but are also much easier to put on and are more absorbent. These function just like a disposable diaper, velcroing in the front usually. Recently there are more versions with plastic snaps because snaps hold up better to frequent washing.




All-in-Ones—similar in cost to pocket diapers, these are the ultimate in easy diaper changes. The absorbent insert is sewn in, not stuffed in the pocket back like the pocket diapers so there is no prep before diaper changes. However, these can be difficult to get soap out of and take longer to dry.

gDiapers—these are the ultimate in convenience because they have disposable inserts and so don’t create any extra laundry. The insert can be flushed or tossed or even composted! It’s just paper and absorbent material so it’s 100% biodegradable. The outside shell has a plastic liner that snaps in and out easily. If the plastic liner gets messy, simply rinse in a utility sink or bathtub. The outside shell is cotton, soft, and velcros in the back away from prying toddler hands.



Many people settle on pocket diapers because they are easy enough that babysitters can do diaper changes and are also fairly easy to maintain. For us, side-snapping pocket diapers are our absolute favorite. I learned to sew my own 2 months after we began using cloth diapers and so I can make a pocket diaper in 30 minutes with around $5 worth of materials.

Cloth diaper care takes a bit of learning but is easy once you have a method. We keep a covered trash can (dry pail) in the nursery and a covered trash can half-full of water and a scoop of oxyclean (wet pail) beside the toilet. When a diaper is wet it goes in the dry pail; if a diaper is dirty it gets rinsed over the toilet with a small diaper sprayer (a $40 attachment that took 5 minutes to install) and then tossed into the wet pail. Every 2-3 days we take both pails and empty them into the washer. I wash on cold with detergent and a cup of vinegar, then I wash on hot with nothing added. They then go in the dryer or out on the clothesline. When dry I spend 15 minutes stuffing the inserts into the pocket diapers and put them away in the drawers so they’re all ready to use.

I could list all the math involved in proving that cloth diapers save money, but that would make this post incredibly long! You’ll have to trust me, no matter which style you choose they do save money, even with a slight increase in water usage. If you don’t trust me then do the math yourself or do an online search. I could also get into the details of which is worse, the plastic of disposables in landfills or the water usage for washing cloth. For us, the plastic in landfills won out as the worse option, especially with our HE washer and since I like to line dry the diapers in the warm months. Also consider that the World Health Organization advises against human waste ever entering trash cans, instead advising that poop from diapers be disposed of in toilets—something cloth diapers ensure. Another small benefit in my opinion is that my 22 month old boy is almost potty trained, yay! :) I’m not sure it’s entirely due to cloth diapering but I do think the cloth diapers helped with the awareness of wet vs. dry.

For me cloth diapers fit into our Babywise parenting philosophy. It’s all about planning for the future, looking at the long term benefit (cost or environment) instead of getting caught up in just making it through the day. It’s easier to let my baby sleep in our bed short-term, but long-term it could create a sleep disruption and a bad habit, so we did the hard work early on and now reap the rewards with a toddler who soothes himself to sleep easily. It was difficult to learn how to cloth diaper, invest in the diapers, and figure out how to wash them, but now we go months without buying any diapers and empty our son’s trash can once a week, not once a day. With a second baby on the way I don’t have to stock up on many diapers, we’ll be re-using many of my son’s cloth diapers for the new baby too. Like sleep training, I’ve found cloth diapers are a lot of work in the beginning, and then make life easier later.

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If you have any experience you would like to add on the topic of cloth diapering, please feel free to add it in the comments!
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Free Shipping On Diapers


I just found out about this. Apparently Amazon has free two day shipping on all diapers, wipes, and formula! That is awesome. I hate having to run to town just for diapers. I think I can plan two days out for new diapers. I thought I would pass it along. I think this might be a special just during April, but I am not sure.
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What is your favorite diaper rash ointment?

Hello everyone, in anticipation for the new poll I will start tomorrow, I am wanting to hear from you on what your favorite diaper rash ointment/cream is. I want to run a poll on what worked best, and I don't want to leave one out. Thanks!
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First Time Mom Reflections...Changing Diapers

Sometimes I look back on how much I have learned since first becoming a mom and really just have to laugh at myself. I have come a long way! Then it struck me; many of you are first time moms and might have a tendency to compare yourselves to me and feel bad. So, I thought it might be fun for me to share some of my first time mom stories with you so you can see that everyone makes mistakes and has things to learn along the way.

This is a story about when we first had Brayden and were in the hospital. A lot of it was kind of a blur for me (unlike my girls). At some point, a nurse walked in and asked us a series of questions, including if Brayden had any wet or poopy diapers. My husband and I kind of glanced at each other, then at her and replied, "No?"

You see, the nurses had taken Brayden out every so often to do some test here and some test there. We assumed they were also changing his diaper for us. Really. We really thought they would be doing that while we were in the hospital. Maybe they were? After that question, we knew we now needed to change his diapers while in the hospital!

Okay, now I must be fair to us. We really didn't know. And, with my girls, the nurses did talk about diapers a lot more and in the case of McKenna told us, "While we had her, we changed her diaper." Of course, this was unnecessary by then because we were seasoned pros and changed her diaper every time she ate--even if maybe she didn't need it. It can be hard to tell with the little newborn and those super absorbent diapers. So we just changed them all the time. We had our routine down. Feed baby. Change her diaper. Let her play if she will. Have her sleep. It is in our blood now.

So go ahead. Have a little chuckle at our expense. We laugh about it often now. We really had no idea what we were doing. We marvel that they just send babies home with first time parents--there should be a quiz or something! ;)
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Diapers At Night

Once our little ones are sleeping through the night, we love Huggies Overnites for keeping them dry. 
Sometimes, your little one will start waking in the night all because of a diaper. The diaper will be overly wet, making your baby uncomfortable and unable to sleep. This can happen even in the young newborn months. Sometimes you child will get so wet he will leak through and get his clothes all wet. I always hated that the most because not only did you have a diaper change, but a wardrobe change as well, which really wakes baby up. Here is how I avoid diaper issues at night.

CHANGE OF CLOTHES
First, I keep a couple pairs of pajamas on the changing table at night just in case I need them. Diaper leaks are going to happen despite your best efforts, and it seems they happen much more often with boys. The change of clothes makes it easier on everyone because you don't have to turn on the light and search through a drawer all while holding a crying baby. I do this until baby dosen't wake up wet anymore on a pretty regular basis.

FRESH DIAPER
In order to prevent nighttime leaking, I always change the diaper at the dreamfeed until baby sleeps from dreamfeed to desired waketime. The more baby eats, the more baby pees. By changing the diaper at the dreamfeed, I usually don't have to change the diaper at the night feed if there is just one. However, in the first few weeks, I change the diaper at every single feeding.

If you have a sleepy newborn, changing the diaper between sides or halfway through the bottle can help rouse baby to hopefully take a full feed. If your baby is completely roused by a diaper change, do it before you start the feeding so you can put a sleepy baby back in bed rather than a wired baby.

I like to do this because I am already up with baby. This way, baby will hopefully only wake when hungry without adding wet and cold to the mix.

BIGGER DIAPER
At night, I put the next diaper size up on baby if baby is close enough to the upper weight limit of the diaper. Let me explain in case that is confusing.

Say baby is wearing size one diapers during the day. Say size one diapers are for 8-12 pound babies. While baby is 8-9 pounds, I leave baby in size one for the night. A diaper too large will cause leaks more often than one that is the right size.

But pretty soon baby is 10-11 pounds. Baby is still in size one range, but very close to size two range. At this point, I put baby in size two just at night.

This works very well to keep baby comfortable. And a great thing is that you won't be wasting diapers because your baby will be in a size two some day (believe it or not).

HUGGIES OVERNIGHTS
I also hear from a lot of parents who say they love Huggies Overnights, so that is an alternative option to the larger size at night. We love them, also. We often go one size up and in the overnights if the baby is a super peer at night :)

DIAPER OINTMENT
Remember to put your favorite diaper ointment on your baby's bottom at that last diaper change of the night to protect the skin. I have tried several, and my top three are Boudreaux's Butt Paste, Lansinoh Diaper Ointment, and Burt's Bees Diaper Ointment. The Lansinoh and Burt's Bees worked best on McKenna with eczema. The Butt Paste was great on Brayden and Kaitlyn--who had normal skin.

CLOTH DIAPERING
If you cloth diaper, then you will have to figure out what works best for night time. I am sure you can find info on the internet (or someone can leave a comment with info! :) ). I have heard from a reader that she put extra absorbency packets in? I don't really know anything about cloth diapering, so I am sorry I can't share good info. If one of you has tips, please share!

Hopefully these tips can help you and your baby to sleep well through the night :) If anyone has additional tips, please add them!

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Diapering Index

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Tips and Tricks: Diapers

source

  • Put a bigger size diaper on your baby at night than he needs in the day. It will keep baby less wet and prevent waking for that reason (if he is prone to do so). It will also prevent leaks. But take note to not do this if your baby is at the small end of the diaper scale. So if baby is 15 lbs. and the diaper is for 15-25 lbs. you shouldn't need a bigger diaper. Once she reaches 20 lbs. though, it is probably time.
  • I love Boudreaux's Butt Paste. It is for treating and preventing diaper rash. I put it on my kids at night before bed to prevent diaper rash. Brayden NEVER had one. Kaitlyn has more sensitive skin and has had a rash a couple of times. In those instances, I have seen the power of the butt paste. It went away after only one or two applications. It is expensive, but in 2.5 years I have only bought 4 total. So worth it!
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