One of the most dreaded things to deal with as the parent of a baby is the diaper rash. I have been lucky myself as my daughter, now 2, has never had a very bad one. But I think I am in the minority. I have seen diaper rashes that are absolutely brutal, extremely red and painful for the baby, and also for the parent. The most I have had to deal with are a few red bumps and a couple itchy nights. It has been shown that breast-fed babies have less occurrence of diaper rash, which my child was. Basically the rash is a common infection that can cause a baby's skin to become sore, red, bumpy, itchy, scaly, and/or tender.

Diaper rash is caused by extensive wetness. Technically, according to wikipedia, "it is decreased skin ph caused by urine and feces, and resulting breakdown in the outermost layer of the skin." Baby Center says that "even the most absorbent diaper leaves some moisture on your baby's delicate skin. And when your baby's urine mixes with bacteria from his stool, it breaks down and forms ammonia, which can be very harsh." Sometimes a diaper rash cannot be prevented at all, if the baby just has sensitive skin. Diaper rash can also be caused by chafing diapers, new foods, and yeast infections.

The best way to treat diaper rash is to keep the skin dry. However the method with which to do this varies. Of course the most obvious way would be to take off the diaper and air it out, having the child run around without one. This may or may not cause some damage to your flooring. I suppose you could just hang out in the backyard for a while and let the chips fall where they may, so to speak. Of course you should be paying attention to your baby's diaper, making sure to do frequent changes when needed, even in the middle of the night. Also if your baby has a rash, you can put the diaper on a little looser than normal to avoid chafing. When doing the actual change, be gentle, making sure to clean thoroughly, and pat the baby's area dry, instead of rubbing.

Blocking moisture from the skin is the ultimate goal, and many creams, powders, and treatments can help with this. Over the counter diaper creams make this claim such as Balmex, Desitin, Boudreaux's Butt Paste and more. You could also use good old petroleum jelly, or Vaseline. My personal favorite was Desitin Creamy, it worked well for my child. Whenever I used this on an impending diaper rash, it rarely got worse, and symptoms were relieved. Although I do have many friends who swear by the Butt Paste. Another option I have heard of is Crisco. Apparently a layer of this stuff every diaper change will do the trick.

My daughter does have a recurring diaper rash that really looks worse than it is, considering she does not complain much about it. But the appearance of it was alarming, with a large area of red bumps and pimple looking things in her diaper area. The doctor suggested a combination of 1% hydrocortisone cream (such as Cortizone) and clotrimazole cream (such as Lotrimin) to be applied twice a day for one week. I just got the Target brand versions and they did seem to work fairly well. However the doctor said that ultimately, the rash may stay until she is out of diapers. It was definitely some incentive to get the potty training started.

For prevention of rashes, the best strategy is to stay on top of diaper changes. One option is to always apply diaper ointment, even when the rash is not present. As mentioned before, breastfeeding helps because it is beneficial to the immune system in general and helps to prevent infections. It is probably a good idea to use unscented wipes if your baby is prone to many rashes.