best way to treat nappy rash?

[Tutter]

ds (10mo) has had diarrhoea for 6 days (he has a gastric virus) and his bottom is really sore. I'm trying to give him as much nappy-free time as possible and am using Sudocrem. What else? Wipes or cotton wool? If cotton wool, with water or baby oil? Thanks.

if its really bad, i would try and use water for a while, you can also get Metanium cream, i always found it amazing on Dds nappy rash, its what i was told to use when Sudocrem doesnt work.

apparently egg white is very good as well.

I find that Weleda Calendula Nappy Change Crean is the best. It's not that easy to find though - I normally get it from a health shop in Kew.

Thanks angelbaby - I have some (also bought from the same shop in Kew!). Didn't work when he was a newborn but will try it again.

Have also heard of Metanium - will get some in...

Dd2 had terrible nappy rash when she was 5 months old. This was also brought on by diarroea. It turned into horrible weeping sores. We used Metanium.

What sort of nappies do you use? At the time we were using disposables. HV told me to get the disposable liners from cloth nappies and to put them in her nappy. Apparently the gel from disposables can aggrevate the rash. That seemed to help us, or maybe it would have cleared up anyhow...

Hope ds's bum is better soon.

Ds always gets nappy rash with wipes, even the sensitive ones - I have to use cotton wool and warm water every time but it clears it up straight away, oh and you are doing already but loads of nappy-free time too.

Another vote for metanium. Fab stuff.

Don't use sudocrem as it is to prevent nappy rash it's not for when babies actually "have" nappy rash.

Best things i have found are leaving nappy of for as long as possible & my life saver in the past has been matanium (which is for when the actually "have" nappy rash) fantastic stuff.

Another vote for metanium here.

cotton wool and water to wash, vaseline on bum and as few nappies as possible.

try giving an oatmeal bath too to soothe his bum, wrap some porridge oats in a muslin and drop in the bath while it's running. works wonders to soothe the sore skin.

I use Drapolene for the weeping sores variety, bepanthen for normal.

Drapolene is very good. Not as thick and sticky at Metanium

Also if none of the other suggestions work, nappy rash can easily turn into a fungal infection if this is the case Canestan Cream works.

Just remembered something else HV told us to do... put a couple of drops of lavender oil and T-tree essesntial oils in teh bath. If nothing else, it makes the bath smell nice!

She also told me not to use cotton wool and water as cotton wool is more likely to shred fibres and irriate the rash (that is if they've turned into open sores). She said unperfumed wipes were the best.

Not sure I'd go with the essential oil method - if the baby reacts to them it can get really sore.

Only really applies to cloth, but if you mix up some chamomile tea and honey, soak some liners in it (fleece or silk), leave it to cool, and them put them damp into the nappy, it works wonders. Just washing the bum with that solution helps too.

Cooled Rooibos tea applied to the sore area helps as well.

Instead of using cotton wool use nappy liners and water and definitely bepanthen.

when ds had terrible nappy rash 2 months ago, hv recommended cleaning his bottom in warm water (like a very swallow run bath) and to not wipe/rub the area. and to pat dry with a clean towel each time. Drapolene gets my vote. it cleans off easier than sudocream and metanuim cream (as you dont want to be wiping the area if it is very sore and red). Drapolene helped clean up his rash in a day or two.

good luck with it..

also agree with the rooibos tee (or red bush tea as it's called here)