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Dealing with Rashes - First Aid tips

Your baby should not suffer from any more nappy rash in cloth nappies than  they would in disposable nappies. A survey done by Bristol University a few years ago concluded that the type of nappy used was not a significant factor in nappy rash. In fact, most experienced cloth users will tell you that one of the nicest things about it is, that you have control over the chemicals that get near your baby's skin, unlike a ready to use disposable. One of the big brand name disposables brought out a "Sensitive" skin version of their nappy in 2000. I think that speaks volumes about their regular nappy, to my mind, ALL nappies should be suitable for sensitive skin. The same applies to that company's baby wipes for sensitive skin. 

So, you open up your baby's nappy to find a rash. What do you do? There will be no instant cure, but there is plenty you can do to prevent it. Most babies do get a bit of a red bottom at teething time, so don't be alarmed about it, there are a few things you can do to help that too.

First aid for a sore bottom. First of all, let your babies bottom get as much exposure to air as possible, let them kick around nappy-less for a while when changing their nappy. You can then use any cream for nappy rash bought at the chemist. You may need to try a few before you find the one that suits your baby. Not all creams suit every baby. If you want to take the more natural route, and this was our preference, try silk liners. We found these really good for a sore bottom, especially at teething time. We routinely used one in our daughter's nappy overnight, and it really did seem to reduce the severity of the redness, and most nights, any redness that had built up by day was completely gone by morning. Silk liners do not reduce the wetness next to baby's skin, but they do have some magical ingredient that seems to encourage healing. You must not use any creams or wetness barriers with silk liners, the liner needs to touch the skin directly. I have been told various possible reasons as to why they work. To be honest, I'm not sure exactly why they do, I just know they do. One theory relates to the mulberry bush leaves that silk worms eat, it has a high gum content, and it may e be this that has healing properties. The other possibility is the protein content. Cotton is of plant origin, silk and wool are from an animal origin, and therefore contain protein. Some people think it is this anti-bacterial, anti-fungal protein that is the magical ingredient. The other natural first aid method that works well is camomile and honey. Make up a cup of camomile tea, and add a teaspoon of honey. Soak a piece of muslin or a washable wipe (or any piece of suitably sized cotton) in the solution, then place this, still wet, between the nappy and your baby's skin. I have never tried this method, but it is reportedly another miraculous cure. Also, try using Lynn's wipe's recipe (below) between nappy changes, as Camomile is extremely soothing to sore skin.

Lynn's washable wipe recipe. Lynn from Durham came up with this recipe for using with washable wipes. We used it most of the time after I discovered it, we had problems as our daughter was sensitive to most commercially available disposable wipes, this recipe was just what we needed.

Make a cup of Camomile tea, add a few drops of lavender oil, and a tablespoon (approx) of vegetable oil, grapeseed oil is good, the kind you use for baby massage. Beware of using baby oil Baby oil, it is petroleum based, and will be difficult to wash out of the cotton fibres properly. Vegetable oils are much lighter and easier to remove in the wash. The oil allows the wipes to glide smoothly over the skin. I kept this solution in a old wet wipes box with lid, and dunked the washable wipes as and when needed throughout the day. The solution seems to last about 2 days (if there is any left that is), we did not try and keep it any longer, as there was never any left. This solution is very soothing to the skin.

While trying these first aid tips, do also check the nappy rash prevention page, as there is more on how you can find out what caused the rash in the first place.

If your attempts to bring nappy rash under control do not work, then please do see the doctor, it may be that your baby has a thrush rash, and needs a prescription only cream. Do not leave it more than a couple of days, as Thrush can get very painful for your baby. See the nappy rash prevention page for more on thrush.