Help! 3.5yo DD has bad rash but is terrified of going without her nappy

[eversomuch]

DD is 3 1/2yo and terrified of potty training to the extent that she refuses to go without a nappy.

She now has a nappy rash (rare for her) and is in a lot of discomfort. Nappy creams and a hydrocortisone prescribed by our GP haven't done much -- in fact, it seems to have flared up again after a week using the cortisone.

We want her to go without a nappy for a bit to let the area get some air and, we hope, clear up. Problem is, she panics about having her nappy off. We managed 5 minutes yesterday but that was with top-of-the-lungs screaming. (We had to get a urine sample last week and that took over an hour of the same.)

She's been up since 6am, screaming and crying but refusing to let us remove her nappy.

Advice? We hate doing something that makes her feel like she has no control over her body but we're desperate.

Take her back to the dr. Could be thrush or an infection/uti.

What nappy are you using? Could you try a different brand as pampers and aldi gave dd2 nappy rash but sainsbury were fab.

Would she wear pants?

Poor dd. I found coconut oil worked well in place of cream for nappy rash

Is it pants or bare bottom she's uncomfortable with? Taking off all bottoms around the house/garden worked well for mine. Making the wearing of 'Big girl pants' a really positive thing also helped. This also could be the opportunity for attractive rewards!

Test for thrush and urinary tract infection came back negative last week; GP is testing again (went back yesterday).

DD won't wear pants alone or go bare bottom (sometimes wears pants over her nappy). Only wants a nappy on. I don't think it's the nappy causing the rash. Have always used Pampers and, as I said, it's very rare for her to get a rash at all.

And we're always extremely positive about wearing pants, going potty, etc and stress that it's ok if she has an accident, but she's still terrified.

We're not even trying to potty train right now, but just want to help get the rash cleared up.

Rewards haven't helped much but I'll try that again.

Any other creative approaches would be welcomed!

How about trying the nappy fairy.. We used it for dummy and bottle. So tonight before bed you fill a nice gift bag with nappies and leave it by the front door or in the fireplace and explain to your dd that the babies need the nappies now and that the fairy will get them tonight and leave your dd a gift ( princess magazine or something else she'll love).. Then stay in for a few days and master the potty! If she cries just tell her that the fairy has taken them to the babies. You can always use pull ups for nighttime and pass this off as something different. Might be worth a try

If hydrocortisone has made it worse rather than better it may well be fungal?

Does she like a bath? Could you give her one morning and evening or do you think getting it wet will aggravate it more?

Just thinking you could let her have a play and then maybe wrap her in a towel, bathrobe after, read a couple of books in the bathroom, lots of things to play with in there, just to extend the time before she really needs the nappy back on?

You can get washable training pants, I've seen them in Jojo Maman Bebe but I'm sure you can get them from less expensive places, might they be close enough to a nappy? or even try some cotton washable nappies?