Elle suffers from nappy rash fairly frequently and it can flare up in a matter of hours. It’s often linked to her teething and sometimes it’s so sore she cries her little heart out when you have to change her nappy. It’s horrible and I used to feel so guilty whenever she got it, but unfortunately I’ve found it to be part and parcel of having a baby/toddler and there are lots of things you can do to help prevent and treat nappy rash.
These are the things I’ve found have worked for me…
Top Tips For Avoiding Nappy Rash
– Changes nappies regularly and wherever possible, immediately after they have done a poo. Once you find a brand of nappy and wipe that works for you, stick with it.
– Try to let them have as much nappy free time as possible.
– Don’t put a nappy on a wet bottom. There’s no need to use talc, just a warm towel and air drying is fine.
– Use water and cotton wool for as long as you can. Yes it takes a little longer, those newborn poos are a nightmare, and you have to have more muslins/towels to hand, but I’ve always found a link between using wipes too frequently and Elle getting nappy rash.
– At the first sign of redness, act quickly. Lots of nappy free time and apply the cream/ointment you find works best for your baby. I’ve tried a few different brands, but the ones I like best are Child’s Farm Nappy Cream and Waitrose Baby Bottom Butter (both of which I use on my face too).
– Generally I don’t apply a barrier cream everyday, as I like to let her skin breathe, but I’d be interested to know if anyone does this and what the results have been.
Treating Nappy Rash
– When Elle’s nappy rash really flares up, I try to keep her out of her nappy constantly (where practical) which definitely helps to calm the area down.
– I normally try to stick to natural products where ever possible with Elle, but occasionally, if she’s really sore, sometimes only Metanium will cut it. It’s not natural and I always use it sparingly, but it certainly does the job of healing sore areas, taking redness away and she’s usually back to normal within 24hours or so.
Your Recommendations
Does your little one suffer from nappy rash? Do you have any recommendations for products that work for you? Does anyone have any natural products that can rival Metanium? I’d love to know!
Image by Carrie Lavers Photography
Both girls had horrendous nappy rash when they were little. Molly even had to go to the doctors on a few occasions. Really sore, bleeding and generally not very nice. I was the same with wipes, they just made it worse. The Pampers sensitive were ok but nothing else and we mainly stuck with cotton wool and water. The fountain of knowledge that is my mum pointed me in the direction of vaseline. Stuff of wonders I tell you. The prescription creams had nothing on this bad boy. Two days of applying a thin layer over the rash before putting the nappy on and the rash was gone. I used it whenever it flared up and it really is amazing. Would highly recommend giving it a try xxx
Brilliant! My daughter is really suffering at the moment. Will try Vaseline x
Honestly Vicky, it is stuff of wonders. My mum always seems to come up with the best solutions (comes from having 4 kids I think!). xx
Yes to the cotton wool- still using it if we are at home as we always do nappies in the bathroom anyway. ***TOUCH WOOD*** S has never had nappy rash so I think we have been very very lucky… I don’t know if it helps that we put Sudocrem on at every nappy change- not sure why we started this but it seems to work. Probably full of chemical toxic nasties but it really works! I love Baby Bum Butter for my lips but the closest we’ve come to sore spots was when we swapped it for the Sudo- and I find it gets these hard bits in over time? Like flakes? Yowch. Maybe I’m just storing it wrongly…
Morning Lucy! We still do nappies in the bathroom too, but it’s definitely harder now they can run away from you (!)
That’s so interesting about the sudocrem, maybe I’m missing a trick by not using a barrier cream with each nappy change.
It’s so funny which products work for some people and not others, our bathroom is really warm, so have never had that issue with the bottom butter. It is a lovely one for lips though, it’s tasty too!
x
Yep I always used Sudocrem at every nappy change from birth (advice from Nana!) and my daughter has never had nappy rash. It’s a wonder cream that stuff I use it on everything! Spots, cuts etc. I always used wipes that were sensitive and no scent to them but used a few different brands. We shop at Aldi/Lidl and their wipes have been fine.
It’s great for insect bites too.. And I used it after I got burnt by Veet hair remover cream… And we used it on our rescue chickens on their poor sore patches (they had their own mini pot!)
Luckily my son doesn’t normally get nappy rash but it came up really bad a few weeks ago to the point where he was screaming while I was changing him…..it was so horrible. I ran out and found Weleda Calendula Nappy Change Cream and it was AMAZING!! Its all natural and cleared it up within hours. I was so pleased with it, I got it from Boots and its only about £7!! I use it straight away if he’s red at all and we’ve had no problems since. x
I’ve heard good things about Weleda products, but have never tried them. I might give that a go instead of the Metanium next time round. Thank you 🙂
Absolutely agree – Weleda is like magic!!!! And works so quickly. You honestly won’t be disappointed.
We have been using reusable nappies and reusable cheeky wipes since our daughter was 2 weeks old, we love them! They leave her a lot drier than wet wipes and much less fiddly than cotton wool! The coloured bamboo ones are amazing for cleaning face and hands after eating as well! She has never had nappy rash and I like knowing that she just has water and a bit of essential oil on her skin. We use coconut oil after every change too.
I’m tempted to try reusable nappies next time around Charlotte, especially when I see the amount of disposables we throw out everyday! And again, I’ve heard really good things about cheeky wipes, I often just use a damp muslin to wipe down her face and hands at home, but something more portable like cheeky wipes would be good for when we’re out and about. Ahhh coconut oil – had totally forgotten about that wonder product! x
Cheeky wipes are amazing! We use them for hands and face after meals as wipes just break her out in spots. Love them!
Why wait until next time around? It’s always more daunting to start with a tiny baby and nappy rash is so much rarer with cloth nappies!
I use cheeky wipes too, at home, and water wipes for nursery/out and about – they’re the only wipe that isn’t capable of cleaning an oven, which is a positive in my book!
Second Weleda nappy cream, it’s fantastic stuff.
Ah I’m so jealous! I bought a load of cloth nappies but they just didn’t work with S’s shape, constant leaks. I ended up donating them to an appeal for refugee mum and baby products. The little lambs ones looked so lovely and cute, I’m still upset I couldn’t make it work ?
There are so many different types to try – just like disposables, they don’t all work for everyone. You could get a mixed bundle from somewhere, or speak to someone at a nappy library for help if you really want to try it. Personally, I love Close Pop Ins and Bumgenius Elementals for my daughter.
I have to second Elle F’s suggestion of Weleda Calendula nappy cream. This stuff is absolute wonder cream My friend bought me this before I had my son, its the only thing we’ve ever used, and he hardly ever gets nappy rash – I genuinely believe this is because at the first sign of any redness this clears it up straight away. In fact he is now 18 months old and I still have the same tube I’ve used it so little. When he was younger I also used it on dribble rash around his chin and that also cleared up within a few hours. Miracle cream.
We also only use water wipes. They are expensive, (working out at 4p per wipe!) but he had an allergic reaction to a pampers wipe we used once and so I’ve stuck with them. They don’t leave a sticky residue behind and they are really moist so deal with even the worst of dirty nappies!!
Thanks Claire, I think I’m going to have to go and buy some now. I agree that water wipes are the dampest of wet wipe – luckily Elle gets on well with the pink Boots own ones, so we’ve stuck with those x
Oh nappy rash is horrible ? Luckily my little girl hasn’t suffered frequently but has had a few bad bouts of it. I think some wipes can really sting their little bottoms when they’re sore, however ‘gentle’ the packet claims they are! I’ve found Water Wipes to be the best when nappy rash strikes, I don’t use them full time because they’re quite pricey but if my daughter is sore she is usually fine with these yet will scream with her usual wipes. I’ve used Metanium only when it’s really bad (like cracked and bleeding skin ?) and it does heal it up. If it’s not that bad I just put a bit of Bepanthen on and that does the trick! I’ve heard great things about the Waitrose bottom butter but haven’t tried it, will have to get some x
It’s the worst changing their nappy when they are so obviously in pain 🙁 Elle can sometimes be absolutely fine and then within an hour and a half have a really, really sore bottom – so I know how you feel. We try to limit the Metanium use too, but it really does work. Do try the Bottom Butter – it smells lovely too! x
My little man rarely gets nappy rash – which is luckyi think. We use waitrose own nappies and waitrose baby bottom butter wipes. They leave a film of olive oil based product which is very gentle. Plus the nappies are very reasonable. Wipes are good for hands and face too!
We also soak in the bath/shower everyday and do nappy free time. I’m sure it all helps! Although nappy free time is trickier now he’s crawling… My poor floors!
HAHA Kerri, let’s just say nappy free time gets significantly more disgusting the more they can move!
I also use the Waitrose bottom butter, it’s lovely.
The burts bees products are great too and they do one called “diaper ointment” it cleared my little ones rash after one use.
Xx
We had awful nappy rash when our little one was tiny, and she still gets a flare up pretty quickly if anything wet is left near her bottom. We also had a lovely hospital stay when she was tiny thanks to a skin infection that started as nappy rash so we are very very careful! We always use cotton wool and water, and a water wipe before this to clean up if needed. We dry with a flannel and then use a hair dryer on a cold setting (which she loves!) to make sure it is properly dry before using Bepanthen. This is the only cream which works for us, we have tried everything (Sudocrem, Metanium and all of those just make it a million times worse)! It doesn’t actually have anything active as such in it as far as I know, it is just a soothing cream. And then clean nappy on, changed as often as needed. Simple but effective!
Metanium is the best nappy rash cream our experience. The rash is always gone within a couple of hours at most.
But I’m not that fussed about using anything ‘natural’, I’d rather use what works quickest so my children aren’t uncomfortable. ‘Unnatural’ (is that another word for medicated?!) creams are perfectly safe. Out of interest, why are people concerned about only using them sparingly/infrequently? Why wait until it’s really bad?
Not trying to start a debate, genuinely curious!
Really interesting question. Would be great to see a full post along these lines….
I try to stay away from products (for my skin) with too many ingredients or lots of chemicals because I think they can be quite harsh. I also think if you use a product too frequently it can start to be less effective as your skin becomes resistant to it. I suppose I’ve just applied those things to Elle.
Using Metanium infrequently is because usually I’ve caught it before it’s got the stage where my normal nappy creams won’t help her. With Elle, her really bad nappy rash tends to flare up from literally nowhere, so it’s already at a bad stage, not like I’ve let it get to that stage by resisting using Metanium – hope that makes sense!
It is definitely an interesting question though and one that would be a great post – thanks ladies xxx
Unfortunately Zachary suffered with toddler diarorea (never heard of it til he had it and it could last til they are 5!!!) because his poor bottom would flare up within seconds and yellow matanium is all that would fix it it. Prevention wise I loved Palmers bottom butter and also Neals Yard baby balm bit pricey but lasts but agree you can’t beat Vasodilation! The best thing for him though has been getting out of nappies and wearing big boy pants.
I couldn’t rate Kokoso Baby highly enough. We used it as soon as our little boy was born which in fact makes that first ghastly meconium poo easier to wipe off, and I use it on average on every other nappy change and always on the one before bed. It’s also great for using on their skin (and mine!) for a spot of baby massage. I have a small tub in the nappy bag and a large tub at home. You could previously only buy it online but Boots have just started selling it and it’s on offer I believe! I also use cotton wool and water religiously, only using a water wipe when out and am then fastidious about letting his bottom air dry for a short spell. He also has nappy free time in the morn and eve. Needless to say he’s never had a dot of nappy rash – could be lucky but too worried to change what we do now!!
Kokoso Baby looks great, will have to give that one a try. Sounds like you have a really good routine x
Another vote for Kokosa – love the stuff! I know it’s “just” coconut oil (which is amazing in itself – I use it everywhere on Keanu) but I trust where it’s come from and that no weird stuff gets added.
K haaaates wet nappies which is a blessing (and also a curse when we’re out somewhere and I can’t change him!) and has meant not much nappy rash. I do have a tube of Metanium as my MIL says it’s brill and it has brought down any redness I’ve seen. But usually I just use coconut oil. K also suffered from quite bad eczema for a while and I found coconut oil the best for that too (I tried a lot of creams – coconut oil and Aveeno were the two I’m left with) so I personally think it’s useful for any baby skin ailments.
Hector rarely suffers from nappy rash but when he does I know that it’s because teeth are on their way. He usually has the most horrendous dirty nappies too about 24hrs before the tooth pops through. When he was small we used cotton wool and warm water but by about 3 months old we moved onto the Kinder by Nature wipes which are 100% bio-degradable, compostable, and chlorine free and have no alcohol in either which can be incredibly drying on a baby’s skin. I’d recommend them to anyone!
They sound great Lolly, thank you! I always think it’s worrying when you use a baby wipe on your own face and it leaves it all tingly and dry…
We use water wipes and Arbonne nappy cream which means minimal nasty chemicals. No nappy rash!
Sometimes babies can get thrush which looks like bad nappy rash and if not treated can keep flaring up, it’s worth bearing this in mind if nappy cream isn’t working. Air time and prescribed canestan cream cure it within 48 hours.
Felix gets nappy rash when he’s teething too with the most horrific smelling dirty nappies!
I’ve used sudocreme which was great and has been in my beauty stash forever! But tried the john sons sensitive nappy cream and that cleared up any sores really quickly (and worked a treat on my scabby eczema hands!). Day to day I use the Child’s Farm cream which I think helps form a barrier! Although the Vaseline sounds genius (I vaguely remember being told by my mum as a kid that’s what it was used for!).
I’ve used pampers nappies since he was born (I tried a few own brands but they just made him seem really sweaty!) and think that has helped a bit as he’s always dry to touch unless its a poop! Wipes wise I use Asda own sensitive and dry him off with cotton wool or a Muslin !
I use whatever doesn’t cause a reaction as he has eczema as well and we found the weleda calendula range aggravated his skin. His skin loves the Childs farm bubble bath (an occasional treat!) and aveeno bath oil daily to keep his skin moisturised!
We’ve had very few problems with nappy rash so far for our 9 month old.
We tend to only use cream if her bum does look sore and a very thin layer. My main thing is making sure she’s properly dry before popping a new nappy on. A Few verses of the wheels on the bus is normally long enough to let it all air dry.
We’ve used metanium, sudocrem and, as recommended by my mum, Drapoline. Apparently it was very popular when I was little and she managed to find a tub in our local small chemist. Anyone else used drapoline?
I was in hospital for two weeks post birth and my little boy developed an angry red nappy rash. The midwives insisted I leave it and that it would resolve itself. I followed instructions only to be told off a few days later by a paediatric consultant! She insisted on horrid yellow oilatum which did nothing other than discolour his skin and my nails. My mum told me to just smother him in bepathen after every change and this resolved a horrid, lingering rash in 24 hours. I now put it on after every nappy change and he has the clearest, healthiest skin on his bum!
When our baby girl was younger we used the usual cotton wool and water, then moved on to water wipes which were great. We very rarely saw any nappy rash but I did use Bepathen as a barrier cream on her every night before bed, and always made sure to “blot the bot” after every nappy change. Now she is 11 months old and nappy rash appears when teething or she has a cold, we use sudocreme (works every time to clear up quickly) and Waitrose bottom butter as a barrier now. We still “blot the bot” with cotton wool or a muslin after every change (and a little song/rap that goes with it… she finds it hilarious and claps along which is a great distraction technique to prevent her from rolling and twisting away!) I am seriously considering these cheeky wipes for hands and faces after meals as she HATES having her face wiped and I do worry that they make her all stingy and tingly… Just worried about adding to my ever increasing laundry basket!!
My daughter had awful nappy rash a couple of times when she was smaller, despite using Bepanthen, and it was literally raw, it was so so sore. We were recommended Canasten by our chemist and it worked miracles! Now it’s actually marketed specifically for nappy rash – I highly recommend it!
My daughter had horrendous nappy rash a handful of times when teething and none of the creams helped. But we used to soak muslins in strong cooled camomile tea and then wring them out and fold them up into her nappy – sounds odd – especially as they were damp – but it worked really well; soothed and healed the sores really quickly.