Prevent Diaper Rash, Simply and Naturally


simple and natural ways to prevent diaper rash

I participated in an Influence Activation on behalf of Influence Central for Weleda.  I received product samples to facilitate my review and a promotional item to thank me for my participation.

A baby’s skin is FIVE times thinner than our skin.  WOW!  Obviously this simple fact lets us know our babies are going to be more sensitive to what we put on it or around it.  But no matter how diligent we are, we will all most-likely have some run-ins with diaper rash while our babies are in the diaper stage. The dreaded diaper rash!  Ugh!  We have been so blessed to have very few run-ins with diaper rash with our little ones.  But it can make baby’s skin red, irritated, and sometimes bumpy.  NO FUN!  So, I thought I would share with you the simple and natural ways we prevent diaper rash for our babies – and what we do when it pops up.

Remember baby’s skin is 5x thinner than ours, so just imagine how uncomfortable baby must be when diaper rash strikes.  But, this red and bumpy problem can happen pretty much anywhere there are two factors: moisture and friction.  And the most common place this happens for our little man is on his neck.  We have a VERY drooly baby boy right now; his drool is everywhere.  When it gets down into the rolls of his neck, it can create a very red mess.

Here’s what we do to prevent (and treat) diaper rash and keep our babies’ skin soft, smooth, and irritation-free:

Change diapers often

The most simple way to avoid diaper rash is to keep irritants and moisture away from baby’s skin.  We change our little ones’ diapers as quickly as we can (especially when they are poopy diapers) to remove the likelihood of diaper rash.  Our youngest (4 months) is an infrequent pooper, so it is important we change these diapers FAST when they happen – because they are bigger deals than a typical baby.  We also still have a 3-year-old in diapers (don’t get me started) and we are constantly asking her to tell us when she has a poopy diaper because we don’t want her bottom to hurt.  The faster the better on changing diapers, to avoid the amount of time something wet and dirty is sitting next to baby’s skin.

Keep the area clean

When doing quick changes it is important to use a natural, gentle (but effective) baby wipe to remove the mess.  There are even wipes out there that are just water – so you know they are natural!  Making sure every crevice and crease is clean is important in preventing diaper rash because those messes are tricky and can get everywhere!  Double check to make sure you got it all by running a new clean wipe over baby’s bottom – if the wipe comes away clean, baby is clean!

Dry babies don’t get diaper rash

Remember, there are two factors that contribute to diaper rash: moisture and friction.  A simple way to avoid both of these things is to allow baby time to dry after a diaper change.  You can do it the old-fashioned way – air dry.  Or you can keep a super soft towel with your diaper changing things to gently pat dry baby after wiping away the mess.  When our babies have had diaper rash in the past, we will often remove the diaper from the equation entirely, lay down a towel on the floor and let them play around in the nude for a little while.  This ensures they get nice and dry before we put another diaper on them.

Choose natural and gentle treatments for diaper rash

It is really important we use products without a lot of chemicals. We need products as natural and gentle as possible for our babies.  We have tried a number of diaper rash creams to help alleviate the problem, but some of them actually make our girls scream – not good! – because they hurt when we applied them.

We recently got the opportunity to try out a different, natural diaper potion from Weleda: Calendula Diaper Rash Cream.  It is Weleda’s best-selling baby product. And there is a reason – it works!  But what is more important for our babies – it is GENTLE!

When we had our first baby, our doctor advised we stay away from most creams and potions for our baby until they were at least 6 months old, but this diaper rash cream  is great even for newborns because it has Calendula extract (a natural anti-inflammatory) and beeswax (to provide a small breathable layer of protection between baby and diaper).  Since those things are natural, I am more inclined to apply it to my little one’s bottom (and neck) when needed.

I have been really pleased with the Weleda Calendula diaper rash cream.  Our babies have not had any outbreaks of diaper rash since we have gotten it, but that is because we apply cream at the FIRST sign of redness or irritation.  We don’t use it on every diaper change, just when redness pops up.  And usually it works fast – usually only 1 or  2 diaper changes for the redness to disappear.  I keep it in the diaper bin so it is close at hand when we need it.

simple and natural ways to prevent diaper rash

 

Have you had problems with diaper rash for your little ones? What are your tips for keeping diaper rash at bay?  

simple and natural ways to prevent diaper rash

 


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