Anyways, today's post: diaper rashes. Thankfully, Ada doesn't get diaper rashes very often, thanks to the breathable cotton cloth diaper. Prevention is the best remedy for diaper rashes. To prevent them, change a wet diaper every 2 to 3 hours, and change a poopy diaper immediately. Here are some things I've found helpful in treating a diaper rash:
Naked time! Get your baby butt naked! That rash needs to dry itself out and those buns need fresh air. And, babies LOVE being naked! Ada is twice as smiley and giggly when she gets to play naked, wouldn't you be?? If it's winter time, crank up the heat in your house for a few hours. If the weather is nice, lay her on a towel outside, when the sun's not too intense (morning) and in a little bit of shade. The sun is very effective in treating all kinds of skin diseases. Rashes hurt when things, such as diapers, rub up against them. So getting baby naked makes the rash much more bearable. If your baby can't move yet, lay out some thick towels and lay them naked on their back or tummy during their play time. If your baby is a mover like Ada, don't bother getting out any towels. Just get out a rag and maybe carpet cleaner to clean up any pee-pee or poo-poo messes she'll make. You might be horrified to think about your baby peeing on the carpet, and are shocked that I let her do it. First of all, baby pee is waaaay easier to clean up than dog or cat pee. Baby pee is nearly clear and odorless (unless it's like 3 pees on top of each other). Secondly, the end justifies the means. I don't mind cleaning up potty messes (you're saving yourself some diapers!) because I know the naked time is really helpful for her booty.
Mommy's milk! I am always fascinated with how amazing God made our human bodies. Breastmilk contains living antibodies which do search and destroy missions against anything harmful (viruses, bacteria). If you are breastfeeding, pump a little extra milk to put on baby's buns. This soothes and helps quickly heal the rash. If you give baby a nice warm bath, add some breastmilk to the water. One time Ada woke up with a rash on her face and her buns (probably something she ate). So in the morning I got her naked, put some breastmilk on her face and buns, and we sat outside on the deck in the shade. Within an hour, the rash on her face was 80% gone, and the rash on her buns was 60% better! I then gave her a bath with breastmilk added, which not only made her skin even softer but continued to aid the rashes. Her face rash was gone by the afternoon, and her diaper rash was gone the next day.
Ditch the wipes. When a baby has a diaper rash, they dread diaper changes because that's when mommy wipes their painful rash with a cold wipe! Ouch! I hate hearing Ada whimper in pain when this happens, so I don't use wipes at all. Instead, fill a squirt bottle with warm water, or 1 part baby lotion (preferably unscented as perfumes can be irritating) and 2 parts warm water and shake to mix. Under baby's bottom lay a towel or rag. Remove the diaper, spray (more like a gentle mist spray) buns clean with the warm water. If you don't have a squirt bottle, get a wet wash cloth with warm water and wring out the water over the buns. Gently pat baby's buns dry with the towel or rag you placed under her. Before putting the diaper back on her, use the diaper to fan her bottom dry. If your baby has a messy poopy, just stick her in the tub and spray her bottom clean.
Diaper rash cream. If your baby has a rash, always cover the rash in cream before putting on a diaper. You want to keep that rash "waterproof," and the cream helps make a barrier between the rash and the wet diaper. I really like A+D ointment cream. It works better on Ada than a zinc-oxide cream. Try different creams to see what works best for your baby. And here's a tip on applying the cream: use your ring finger to apply the cream. Your ring finger is your weakest finger, usually making it the most gentle when applying the cream. Also, when you use this finger, you are keeping your other fingers (pointer, middle, thumb) clean that you will use to secure the diaper on your baby.
Prayer! Lay your hands on your baby and pray for God to heal her tush. We've experienced and witnessed and believe in God's healing touch that we know we'd be silly not to ask God to heal her. He is so good and loving that He even cares about diaper rashes!
Lastly, these pictures are totally unrelated to diaper rashes, but I always like including pictures in my posts.
Here's a picture of us with Mrs. Hannah Al-Saygh, Ahmad Al-Saygh's (our good friend) mother. She came all the way from Qatar to visit Ames. We were so blessed to meet such a wonderful woman who was full of sincerity and life. She has a granddaughter Ada's age.
This is Ada with Melinda Diehl and Vanessa Peterzen, some very good friends from my college days. They came to visit us and we had a girls' night this past weekend. So much fun!
Christine, this post is full of unique wisdom as well as hilarious. Thanks for posting!
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