What causes diaper rash?
Diaper rash is red inflamed skin on the area that is covered by the baby's diaper. It can show up a little differently depending on what causes it.
Oftentimes the diaper has just been left on too long, more so if there's poop in it.
In my personal experience, food caused both of my babies' diaper rashes. When my daughter was a few weeks old she got a bright red ring right around her anus. I had Dr. Sears' Baby Book that I was using as my guide at the time (I do not find Google, Healthline or WebMD to be reliable sources of information). It said citrus fruits and tomatoes eaten by a breastfeeding mother could often be the cause. Sure enough, I had just eaten tomato soup for two lunches and a dinner over the last few days (I had made a lot of it when I was nesting during the end of my pregnancy haha). I cut out the soup and the red ring faded.
With my son, when he has oranges or a couple kiwis, if I don't get that diaper off the minute he poops, he almost immediately develops a little rash. He often gets a bit around his mouth too if I don't get all the juice wiped off right away.
Sometimes it could be the diapers or wipes that you are using. Are they scented? Bleached? Alcohol? Sometimes the wipes can further irritate the delicate skin so I usually just use a rag with some warm water. You could try a shower or bath as well, but just make sure the water isn't too hot cause that will irritate it as well.
What do I do for diaper rash?
Whenever my kids look like they have some redness appearing on their bottoms, I apply FATBABY or the Purist Whipped Body Butter right away. I usually slather it on, knowing that some will come off on the new diaper. If I can - depending on the season and where we are - I will try and let them be diaper free for as long as possible to allow as much of the cream to be absorbed as possible and to reduce the rash rubbing on the diaper and further irritating it.
The point of the cream is to just protect the skin, give it a chance to let it heal without further irritation. There's no fungal infection in these cases, it's just some dermatitis/enflamed skin that needs some time to heal.
Knowing as I did in these cases that it came from foods - citric acid - I cut those foods out for a while, and when I try to introduce them again I try to balance them with other foods.
Do I need diaper cream with zinc oxide?
I don't think you need zinc oxide in your diaper creams - especially if it's caused by a reaction to food. Your skin is always trying to heal. Tallow, cacao butter and jojoba oil are the only things they need to be able to do that. That and time.
Can you prevent diaper rash?
Yes and no. If it's fungal; caused by humidity, sweat, yeast then yes you can prevent these things by quickly changing wet diapers, ensuring they don't have a diet high in thrush-producing things, keep their many lovely folds cleaned out (and I just mean wiped with a damp cloth there's no need to be obsessively washing or using any alcoholic cleanser on any baby ever).
If it's food-related and you know what induces it then yes, if you avoid those foods you'll prevent diaper rash from happening.
What causes cradle cap and how do I fix it?
Cradle cap in babies (and in adults) is a type of yeast overgrowth on the skin. It is a mineral deficiency, which can be cured by ensuring you're getting sufficient zinc, copper and selenium which can be found in whole food forms in liver, oysters and beef. If the baby is still being breastfed, the mother can increase her intake of said minerals. In the meantime, you can wet the scalp, apply a saturated fat (like tallow or lard) and let it soak in. After about 20 minutes, take a fine tooth comb and gently lift/comb out as many as the chunks that you can. None of this should be painful. If I've gotten most of it, I'll take a soft bristle brush and kind of massage the scalp to remove some of the remaining bits. Repeat as necessary. You can apply a layer of fat after too to further nourish the skin on the scalp. I use the FATBABY for this, but you can use straight tallow or lard if you have any on hand. Other people recommend using olive oil or coconut oil but I personally don't like applying those to my skin so I don't put it on the kids either (I do like eating them, though!).
Disclaimer:
This blog provides general information and discussions about health and related subjects. The information and other content provided in this blog, or in any linked materials, are not intended and should not be construed as medical advice, nor is the information a substitute for professional medical expertise or treatment.