Mumsnet Talk

Was on here a few days back but had such an awful 3 days, had to ask you all for help again. DS is 16mo and has the itchiest, reddest bum round his willy. He has always suffered periodically but at the moment it's terrible. He woke at 9pm and 4am having scratched so hard that his nappy was in tatters. We've had 2 days of nappy off time but still no change. Is there ANYTHING you've tried or heard of that might ease his discomfort? Thanks so much.

Sorry, haven't seen your other posts. What have you tried already?

My usual treatments would be:

lots of moisturiser (like epaderm) if it's dry skin

clomatrizole/canesten cream if it could be thrush

hydrocortisone cream if all else fails to get it under control (although you'd have to get this on prescription for such a young baby, I now buy it OTC for DS1 who is 5)

Do baths with some oil or oilatum in help? Could you put a babygrow on him? Mothercare do some for older children.

for you and your DS... DS2 has a horrid itchy bit on his bum that we've been trying to sort for ages.

Has he had swabs taken recently?

Have they ruled out strep A or something else that would be horrid for him?

We've literally tried EVERYTHING! He's never had swabs taken and to be honest, I didn't even know this was an option but we've been back and forward to the GP (3 different surgeries due to moving cities) since he was 3 months old and still nothing. We saw a paediatrician on Tuesday as it was thought he may need circumcising but he said it wasn't necessary, he did retract his foreskin and since then, he's been REALLY red and itchy. We feel so helpless, we don't know what on earth to do.

It sounds like thrush. What topical applications have you used?

When DD was a baby we lived in London and were fortunate enough to live very near an excellent GP's. There was a nurse there who was very good with skin conditions. DD used to get bad nappy rash, she still has quite sensitive skin now.

Anyway...we were prescribed Daktacort ointment, not cream, has to be ointment for thrush in the nappy area and it really is brilliant at clearing it.

Another cream I would really recommend, may sound simple, but after using every barrier cream there was and finding them all a let down my Mum asked me if I'd tried zinc and castor oil cream, old fashioned but it was brilliant, really sorted everything out.

I'd definitely give thrush cream/ointment a go. We've used nystatin cream, daktarin and canesten. You can buy several of these OTC.

Poor baby.

Ring out of hours and demand a swab. I was told my dd had thrush for 18 months and it was strep A - I was absolutely fuming.

pediatrics.aappublications.org/cgi/content/full/112/6/1427

can't find any boy photos but it looks like extreme thrush and steroid cream helps whilst being used but once you stop it's straight back. Needs antibiotics.

May be something else but you def def needs a swab doing I am so that they haven't done one.

Waiting for out of hours to call back really can't take much more, the poor little thing is so red and sore and 2 days of nappy off time has proved fruitless. Have tried Nystaform and Canesten but no joy, still itchy, dry and sore. Thanks so much for suggestions and alerting me to strep A possibility.

Finally getting a referral to a dermatologist and have some piriton syrup for the itching, some Oilatum for the bath and some steriod/antibiotic cream for the redness. So sad we've had to demand this after he's suffered for almost 12 months. Will insist on swabs too so thanks for all the advice and I hope all those with itchy red DC's get it sorted soon x

How's he doing today has the cream helped at all?

what sort of nappies do you use? can you swap to resusable, it may be the crap in disposables his skin is reacting to...

that is def a possibility motomoto, there are chemicals in disposable nappies that are banned from being used in tampons!

How is he today, any improvement yet?