Bad tummy and sudden bad nappy rash

[LissyGlitter]

My 2.5 yo DD was absolutely fine today, until about 4pm, when she started getting a bit grumpy, which I just put down to her having her first ever dancing lesson earlier in the day and being over excited.
We were wandering around the shopping centre when she started telling me she had a sore tummy, to my shame, I assumed she was making it up as I was rubbing my pregnant belly at the time and she often claims to have the pregnancy symptoms I have. then i smelt an awful smell, so took her to the baby change facility where I sorted out a very dirty nappy that had leaked up her back and down her legs.

I wasn't overly concerned as she does have a tendancy to being "loose", so took her home at quite a leisurely pace. she was playing up a little bit, just generally being grumpy but not too bad, so when we got home, I let her go to the local corner shop with DP.

When she got back, she came straight to me and said she had a sore bum. DP told me she had suddenly announced when out that she needed her nappy taken off and started crying. As he had only nipped five minutes up the road he didn't have the changing stuff, so ended up just removing the nappy, which again was very dirty, and leaving it in a public bin and letting DD walk home with a bare bum (she was wearing a dress, so wasn't exposed).

I undressed her while DP ran a bath. Her bum, particularly around the front, was bright red. I tried to clean up the poo using sensitive wipes, but she screamed whenever I touched the area, so I decided to let her wash it off in the bath. When we put her in the bath, she just knelt on all fours crying, and wouldn't sit in the water. I managed to pour some water on her, but ended up getting her out and cuddling her and giving her calpol. When she calmed down I had to hold her still while DP cleaned the rest of the poo off her with wipes, and then we put some sudocrem on the area. The poor child was hysterical, but i didn't want to make it worse by leaving the poo there. She calmed down eventually and drank a cup of hot chocolate and went to bed.

Is there anything I could have done better? I hated making her cry like that, but we had to get her clean, didn't we? What can I do in the morning if it carries on?

...and why didn't I remember the first rule of looking after an ill child? To get sleep when you can? I don't usually stay up that late, what possessed me to do it when I knew she wouldn't sleep well? We have given up and got up and had breakfast and are now watching cbeebies. Her bum is still very red, I managed a quick wipe and a bit of cream before she shouted this morning. It isn't as bad as it was though.

Poor lil tot!
My DD (18m.o.) was like this a few months ago. I too struggled until a lovely doc suggested:

• not using Sudocreme (too drying, the drier the skin the more it chafes and the rash just gets worse)
• use vaseline, liberally
• clean her lil sore bot with soaking cotton wool balls
• if the poo has dried i.e. hard to clean- don't rub - wipe it off gently with vaseline + wipes
• then sprinkle baby powder which feels very soothing and dries the skin
• then dab vaseline on (on top of the powder)

Other things to try:

• when the rash is a bit reduced, use Weleda Calendula nappy creme,
• and top off with vaseline as a barrier
• keep using bit of baby powder, never leaving the skin damp
• make sure she drinks lots of water (to avoid dry/hard poos)

Anyway, this worked for me, still does.

morhuiln cream is really soothing for nappy rash and an old fashioned one called Thovaline which you will have to ask the pharmacist for as it is in the dispensary

sorry MORHULIN cream

Maybe leave her nappy off for a hour here or there, can be messy sometimes I know but just to let some air at her little botty.
DD has had this once or twice, I can remember her asking for her nappy to taken off because it was too hot, runny nappy scalded her bum and she was quiet red after it.