Diaper rash is something that you will have to deal with on a regular basis as it is just a part of life for a baby in the first year or so.
The most likely cause of diaper rash is from wetness where even the most absorbent nappies won’t take all the moisture away from the skin.
As a baby’s skin is very sensitive it doesn’t take much to develop diaper rash.
The longer a baby is left in a damp diaper the more chance it will have of developing diaper rash.
This is only made worse when there is feces in the diaper as the bacteria from the stool will mix with the urine creating ammonia which is particularly harsh on a baby’s skin.
Moisture in the diaper also makes chafing worse and as chafing is one of the reasons for diaper rash the combination of the two can make for a very unhappy child.
Once again cleanliness will help reduce the problem however even the detergents that you use to clean nappies can cause a reaction with your baby’s skin and this can be another cause of diaper rash.
Chafing can be reduced by powders or the use or petroleum jelly but even some of the powders can cause sensitivities with some babies.
You can see how there are many different factors that need to be considered when trying to solve your baby’s rashes.
A change of food for your child and in particular when moving to solids can also cause a problem as the composition of the stool will change and there is likely to be more stool movements which will necessitate diaper changes more often.
Because diapers are warm and moist the incidence of bacteria and yeast are increased and this can cause infections in the folds of the baby’s skin.
Diaper rash can be anything from very mild where it will only appear as puffy or warm skin to more severe where the skin is red and irritated and causes your baby discomfort even when lightly touched.