The Suggestion Box is Open

1. I need to start using a feed reader. The blogroll is really unwieldy. Recommendations?

2. What's your favorite diaper rash cure and/or prevention? Nat never had it but I can't keep poor Selina's butt clear for more than a week, poor baby. We change diapers constantly. We use the usual zinc oxide stuff. I let her go bare for an hour here or there when I can (but like so many other of our woes, these days, the real solution is being able to go outdoors and the weather is not cooperating!). Products, people! I need product recommendations!

Comments

[The Domestic Goddess]

For #2: I use Triple Paste. I had a baby that had MASSIVE issues from sensitive skin, eczema, you name it. It is $$ but worth it.
Another thing I might mention is that it helps to either MAKE your own baby wipes or spend the extra money to get no-dyes, perfumes etc. The same for diapers. Turns out most of my boy's problems were from his allergies to stuff they should NOT be putting in diapers and wipes! We used cloth for a while and bathed daily to get him super clean and into soothing water.

[Yondalla]

Have you ruled out a yeast rash? If that is what she has she may need a prescription ointment.

As for a reader, I used Bloglines for a while and when it started loosing feeds for days I got irritable and switched to Google Reader, which I like. Some have said that the problems with Bloglines has improved. It is not difficult to import your subscriptions from Bloglines to Google (I have never done it the other way), so you can easily sign up for both and see which you like better.

[Natasha]

Make your own: 1-part beeswax and 2-parts olive oil. Melt it in the microwave. Store it in a baby-food jar. Works on eczema too. The multiple additives (all those fun things at the end of the ingredient lists) were wearing me down--which one was s/he reacting to? I couldn't even find out what some of them were! Now this is all we use (and we're a cloth diaper family). It clears everything up in *hours*, up to 1 day for really bad please-don't-touch-me-with-anything sore bum. That and changing diapers every single time they pee. My two year old is really good at, "Mama? I just peed right now--change my diaper!" Sigh . . . we've got to get on that potty train.

Hope this helps!

[marnanel]

for #1, I use LiveJournal.

for #2, I don't know, sorry :/

[suz]

Google Reader.

Yes, agree with op, check out yeast rash. My oldest son's bottom used to BLEED it was so rashy. We had to get presciption stuff from the PEDI and it worked like magic.

Other than that, I also agree with OP. Try making own.

[christa]

I second the google reader suggestion. I used to use bloglines, but google reader is way better.
I don't have any current experience with diaper rash, but as a kid, my mom used a big tub of eucerin on all of us. We all had super sensitive skin (allergic to laundry soaps, etc) and eucerin never gave us a problem.

[dawn]

Google reader in firefox with the greader plugin.

Madison never had a rash (until she potty trained and sometimes had damp underwear) but Noah used to get it if he ate anything acidic. I think most (but not all) rashes are related to food sensitivities/allergies. And yes, yeast.

[Tricia]

I don't use a reader wither, but I should...

We used cloth diapers, a pack of white washcloths from Costco- super cheap and way better than wipes, plus you can bleach them... We would just get them wet under warm water- no soap. Worked great. We had a special laundry basket just for the wash cloths - so other clothing items didn't get yucky. Bag balm ointment, balmex and using a hairdryer to dry their little bottoms after a diaper change was very helpful. And have you heard the - let your dog lick it theory? I never tried it, but heard it works.

[Lisa V]

The yellow A & D stuff worked really well. I used it for sunburns too.

Also Maalox for yeast rashes.

[marie]

I don't have kids and I don't know much about diaper rash, but Liana at Welcome to the Dollhouse just had the homemade butt paste recipe up - http://lianaandmason.com/dollhouse/ Maybe that will help! (I love reading your blog, too, by the way :-)

[Tatjana]

Google Reader in Firefox with the GReader add-on!

[Tracy]

If it isn't a yeast-y rash, just a stubborn one, you can mix Maalox with your favorite diaper rash cream (I liked A & D ointment). If it's a yeast-y rash,your doc can give you a prescription cream, and you can mix that together with your favorite diaper rash ointment and Maalox and have your very own triple paste!

[Michelle]

Aquaphor works well for us, just make sure she's really dry before you put it on. Good luck!

[Susan]

We had Riley Butt Cream, a compounded cream by prescription, for the really hard-to-solve rashes (which were yeasty). Having air time every day for at least an hour also helped, but really the best thing for the rashes was stopping diapers. It was a rashy few years.

I use Sage for my feeds (a firefox add-in).

[Jessica]

All 3 of my babies use to get terrible rashes. They make you feel so bad cleaning them.

The A&D stuff that looks like Vaseline (I think it’s called original ointment or something like that) will act like a buffer against further rubbing. The zinc oxide stuff is better at healing. So what I use to do is apply the white cream zinc oxide to the skin and then layer a thick glob of A&D Vaseline looking stuff on the diaper.

Also I notice a lot of people questioning if it’s yeast. The way you can tell, is if you see little white bumps. If you see that than over the counter athlete’s foot cream works (Lotrimin). That stuff is like $11 for a little tube but it cures up yeast infection.

Both these tips I got from my first pediatrician, who was fantastic. He retired pretty young a few years ago. That was hard on me ! Nothing beats a great pedi.

Poor little Selina.

[jenn]

yeast can just look like vicious rash, no bumps, too. and yes, then at a minimum you need the clotrimazole 1% cream or a prescription.

we have had good luck with california baby products generally (pricey but gentle).

[heather]

Dr. Liana, at welcome to the dollhouse, just posted her wonder butt paste recipe, apparently the keys is the mylanta.
http://lianaandmason.com/dollhouse/

[Stephanie]

My daughter had a persistent rash and the thing that finally cleared it up was called "Triple Paste", although I've also seen it marketed under other names. Anyway, you have to ask the pharmacist to mix it up for you but it works wonders. I use it for any rash/sensitive skin that I have as well.

[Lin]

Burts Bees Diaper Cream. Expensive to slather on, but worked better than anything else I tried. I had a preemie with reflux. The meds he was on tore up his butt.

Cloth diapers and generous slatherings of Burts Bees kept his butt in good condition.

[electriclady]

I use bloglines and haven't had any problems with it, but sounds like google reader is the crowd favorite.

BG had terrible diaper rash her first few weeks of life. The thing that turned it around for us was obsessively drying her butt and folds at every change (we have a stack of gauze rags for this purpose but you can use washcloths, hairdryer, etc.) so there is not a speck of moisture on her skin. Haven't had a rash problem since. And I'm assuming, since I know you use 7th gen. diapers, that you also use their wipes?

[Sheri Bheri]

Our doctor recommended a product called Iles Paste. It's a super-strength version of the zinc oxide creams. You can get it at most pharmacies, but you have to ask, because for some reason, they keep it behind the counter.

We always kept a tub of it, and used it at the first sign of a rash.

The poor wee dear! I always feel so badly for them when their bums hurt.

[hydrogeek]

My nephew is actually allergic to (or sensitive to the acid in) his own pee. His pedi told them to use corona ointment, which is also behind the counter at the pharmacy.

[Sally Big Woods]

1) Bloglines
2) If the rash is bloody at all, or REALLY red, then call the doctor and see if s/he can prescribe some yeast infection ointment. For some reason some babies occasionally get them from diapers. The ointment really works well and makes the rash go away. You may want to use unscented soaps/wipes or very, very mild soaps with this child. Good luck!

[Amanda]

Lily has been rashy since day one and we're recently coming out of a month long battle so I definitely empathize.

I echo all the yeast comments above - we've had several yeast rashes and those absolutely require a prescription cream (in my experience) One i've recently had a lot of luck with is Vusion but it's SUPER pricey if not covered by insurance.

Also, at this point, I've avoiding zinc oxide - I think she is sensitive to that and it was contributing instead of helping. The thing I've had the most luck with recently is cloth diapers and wipes, with California diaper area cleanser to clean. Then we're following up with AD mixed up with tea tree oil and lavender. This homemade concoction was made up by my sitter (who I could just kiss!!).

Good luck, hope you find something that works.

[Jenn (dish)]

I swear by the Aveeno zinc ointment for the bad stuff. For us, it clear up even the bumpy, bleedy kind of rash in a day or two. It's a bit pricey, so I save it for when I need it. For low-grade redness I just use the standard zinc or even plain A&D. The other thing that works nicely is pure lanolin mixed with the zinc cream. If you can't find any with the butt creams, check the nursing section. Lansinoh lotion for breastfeeding is simply lanolin (again, pricey, but worth it for the speed of recovery).