Baby Rash and Chafing

Your baby is going to get a rash and if your baby wiggles as much as mine he or she is going to chafe A LOT. I have tried to avoid it but it just happens. Your baby moves and wiggles almost like a cartoon character does when they run at high speed, making their appendages look like a blur and you can't always change the diaper right on the spot either so chafing and rashes are inevitable.

Your baby may sleep a lot at first so does not move very much right off, but their skin is so delicate it is very easy to develop a rash or get chafed up. Simply wiping his or her bottom during a diaper change can cause the skin to inflame, no matter how lightly you do it. (From experience)

As your baby gets older and starts to move around more and start to sweat, he or she is going to chafe like crazy. My baby is a big kicker. He kicks and wiggles his whole body when he is happy. This causes all his crevasses to chafe. A chafed baby is not fun. Add baby drool into the mix and you have one sore unhappy baby.

So there are a lot of different things you can try. Everyone is going to share their opinion. Much like I am. You need to decide what works for you by listening to what everyone has to say with open ears but the decision will be based on your preferences.

I have heard that baby powder is not the greatest thing to use as it is so powdery it can easily create a cloud in the air and the baby can breathe it in. What do you use instead?

When My baby was first born I used butt paste after I found that even though I tried very hard to pat his bottom dry I still ended up reddening up his bottom. I was a little skeptical of this tube of toothpaste-like cream but it had great reviews among my friends so I tried it. It worked pretty good. It would heal him up pretty quick. It was sticky messy though.

As he got older we tried another item that we still use to this day. Corn starch is a great thing. It works much like baby powder but is thick enough it does not create a powder cloud that my child could potentially breath in. It works great on both rashes and chafing as it helps to protect the current chafe or rash while helping the child stay dry so that further chafing and rashes do not occur. I find that since my little bundle of energy moves so much and often that I just powder him after each diaper change whether he has a rash or chafing or not.

The last item I use is Vaseline. This is like a protective barrier. It works best with chafing. I have had to put it on the upper side of his crack recently as he is sweating more in this hot weather and his cheeks are rubbing together causing great discomfort. A nice layer of Vaseline and he was a happy camper again. His armpits chafe a lot because he swings his arms around a lot.

The most common area for rash and chafing is pretty much where ever there is a crease or crevasse where moisture can find its way in between.

While the baby is in his or her first stages it is pretty much around the butt and around their private area. Their neck chafes too but depending on how much they move their head at this stage you might just need to dry the area with a wipe. The neck is not in danger until the drool starts.

As they get older and move more the armpits are easily chafed. My child pretty much chafes his armpits every few days or so. (everyday if I did not put cornstarch on them). The area where the diaper's elasticity pushes against the skin can rash up or chafe also so powdering that area too is not a bad idea.

As they get more and more active and start to drool and sweat every area where their skin potentially rubs against something needs attention. The neck is the most sensitive area, I have found, once the drool starts poring out. I put a little powder on his throat, but sometimes it is very hard to do this so you I pretty much have to check his or her neck a lot when the drool starts and try as much as possible to keep it dry and clean. (I find a lot of baby lint (dry skin I think?) builds up there if you don't clean it a couple times a day... don't over clean though as it could also cause chafing).

Every baby is different so You may find that you have other areas to keep track of, or if your lucky less areas. My baby is quite the drooler and mover so I probably have a lot more chafing to deal with than some. I will always look for more and better ways to take care of him, though in my opinion I find these three items work quite well, along with his weekly bath. Just keep in mind these are things that work for me. If you find anything you believe is better, by all means I would love to hear about it. Anything to keep my baby happy and healthy.