How to prevent newborn nappy rash

[raeraekathleen]

Hello,

My baby is 3 weeks old and in the last week has developed a red looking bottom which has become worse over the last few days.

I change her nappy approx 14 times a day, as soon as I notice it's got moisture and I have been using water and cotton wool. What am I doing wrong? What can I do to help it? I don't remember this with my first two! And it's starting to look really sore!

Yellow metanium every change and dry after wiping with a muslin cloth or a dry cotton pad.

The yellow metanium is brilliant but can stain so watch out for any fabrics near it when it's on your hands. It cleared up awful nappy rash my DC had (bleeding rash, poor kid).

I used sudocrem after every nappy change for around 18 months to act as a barrier. Never had nappy rash.

It's the poo that does it, so watch like a hawk for poops! Let the bum air dry where possible after every change (a friend uses a cool hair dryer!), then metanium if it's red and barrier cream at every change. If you're brave, some nappy free time on a towel will help things heal for now.

If it is getting sore use cotton wool and olive or coconut oil. It won't sting as much.
For daily change, I use wipes in water, then Pat dry and moisturize with coconut oil followed by weleda or bepanthen. Any hint of a rash and I have yellow metanium on stand by.

metanium when sore but bepanthen when not. Keep an eye out for nappy rash caused by trush.

Are you drying it afterwards? Use cotton wool then dry after. Some nappy brands are worse than others for nappy rash too.

Lanolin (I think is the spelling) it's nipple cream worked wonders on my ds. Two days and was rash free

Make sure they are completely dry before putting new nappy on. Metanium is amazing for improving it, and I liked Aveeno barrier cream but you don't need a lot. Just a very fine layer.

I found brand of nappy really affected nappy rash. My eldest could only tolerate Pampers expensive ones as he had super sensitive skin. My youngest isn't so sensitive and can tolerate any, and hasn't had nappy rash once!

If it doesn't improve, it may be fungal and need an anti-fungal cream from the GP. Telltale sign is tiny white spots amongst the redness.

Hope it improves for your little one soon.

Bepanthen cleared my LOs up within a day or 2 every time

congrats on your baby. my DD2 had awful newborn nappy rash. I changed her frequently and had loads of nappy free time. tried all of the above (metanium, bepanthem, waleda calendula and drapolene) but in the end using lanolin nipple cream and sudocreme as a barrier was the only thing that worked. once the skin healed it didnt come back.

Another vote for Metanium. A very thin smear is enough. Read the package.
Sudocream is good for prevention (every change) but Metanimum is invaluable for existing soreness.
And make sure bottom is completely dry before replacing nappy (blow on it if necessary).

When you say you change her happy 14 times a day, are they mainly just wet or dirty? My third DC had a similar problem with continuous nappy rash, bleeding and so sore. Never had a problem with my other two. I was changing her nappy about 14 times a day too but they were always dirty. She never had just a dry nappy which is why it was getting so sore. It was the start of a path to getting her diagnosed with a dairy allergy. Not saying that's the case with your baby but if she has a lot of soiled nappies might be worth bearing in mind.

As has been said already, metanium was best to clear it up. Always water and cotton wool. Dry properly. And also lots of no nappy time.

Congratulations on your baby.

Congrats!

Another for metanium and sudo as barrier.

A towel you don't mind getting dirty under her and some nappy free time.
My DC loved having the nappy off even at that age.

Also I think you could cut down on the nappies unless they are mostly soiled? And ofc if the nappy is getting heavy.

They are fine to have a couple of wee's in one nappy so I wouldn't change on every wee you notice.

This happened my baby and no amount of cream helped. What did help was air.

Get one if those big pads you can put on to avoid soiling/leaks. For an hour or so each evening (in a warm room) have her bum naked to let the air at it and the rash will dry out. Took about 3 days.

Nappies and wipes that don't contain chemicals, and coconut oil. Never dried, aired or any of that and DD has never had the slightest hint of a rash.

A lot of people would be horrified to understand what goes into many baby products.

Yellow metanium is miracle cream. One application, and the worst nappy rash is visibly better. I never worried about nappy rash, once I found metanium.
Bepanthen for every normal nappy change.

Thank you for your reply, not always soiled - about 6-8 dirty each day and the rest just wet (sometimes only a tiny bit wet).

Will definitely try all these things thank you so much!

We left the nappy off for abit each change to dry

Maybe get some cloth nappies so they are more breathable or cut up some old towels and go the old fashioned Terry towelling route. Nappies must get super sweaty, imagine wearing a giant plastic sanitary towel all the time (also each nappy takes over 500 years to breakdown at landfill) . I would try cloth/toweling nappies at home and then disposable out and about and let her skin breath as much as possible.

Some councils used to run a programme where you get a stack of Terry toweling nappies and their accessories for a very low price. DD is 13 now so things may have changed.

I just did this:
cleaned thoroughly

• Air dry (i only do this if there's the start on any irritation which is rare)
• Sudocream "medium" generously applied (also cream thigh fold and all the way back to top of bum) as standard. Heavily cream before bed (stops them pooping at night)
• Metanium (very thin layer) if skin was irritated. This happened after a couple of longish episodes of diarrhea.

I found bepanthenam or whatever its called a bit of a waste of time. Sudocream all the way!

I second this. My DD had horrible, sore looking nappy rash which cleared up with yellow metanium and had been kept at bay ever since with bepanthen

I’ve used sudocrem on my 2 year old for every nappy change since she was born. Only ever had nappy rash 3-4 times when she’s been ill.

For first 6-8 weeks cotton wool and water only and dry bum with Terry towel nappies (can buy on Amazon) also handy for putting under baby when changing as it soaks up any accidents instead of pee pooling on a waterproof changing mat, going up their back and soaking their clothes. Then we changed to aldi water wipes about 2 months old, still now at 10m dry with the Terry towel and we never have a sore bum except illness or teething. No nappy cream unless sore bits. The cream transfers to the nappy and stops the nappy doing its job of absorbing the pee away from the skin.

Yes to making sure bottom is dry before putting nappy back. Don't overdo the cream, and if it continues, change nappy brand. Is he breastfed and does he have reflux?