What causes nappy rash?

Nappy rash is caused by wearing a wet or dirty nappy for a prolonged period of time, which causes friction and dampness leading to nappy rash. Ammonia which is a substance released from wee can also irritate the sensitive skin of your baby’s bottom.

What does nappy rash look like?

The skin on bub’s bottom will look red and it will likely be sore to touch. Sometimes the skin may be swollen and raised, and there may also be breaks in the skin which can be very painful for bub both when urinating and when having their nappy changed.

How to treat nappy rash

For nappy rash treatment, first make sure you are changing baby’s nappy regularly to keep the area dry and give the skin a chance to heal. It is a good idea to check the nappy every hour or so and change immediately if the nappy is wet or soiled.

Use a nappy rash cream with every nappy change but be gentle when applying and make sure you wash your hands thoroughly after each application. The best nappy rash cream to help heal your baby’s skin should include zinc and castor oil. Zinc is particularly healing to the skin and applying a thick layer of nappy rash cream with each nappy change will create a barrier to moisture preventing the rash from worsening.

Does Sudocrem sting nappy rash?

If baby winces when applying a nappy rash cream, such as Sudocrem healing cream, you might be wondering if the cream is stinging. Rest assured that the cream should not sting on application, however the area may be tender to touch, so it is important to be gentle when applying the cream to baby’s bottom.

What is a fungal nappy rash?

Thrush in babies is bright red in appearance, often with shiny patches and clearly defined borders. Thrush in babies bottom can also affect the skin folds, and it may appear with lots of red dots or pus-filled bumps and white patches. If bub’s rash is not improving with standard nappy rash cream, and you suspect there may be a fungal nappy rash such as thrush, you should take your baby to visit your GP or pediatrician to confirm diagnosis of yeast infection and prescribe an antifungal cream.

References

https://raisingchildren.net.au/newborns/health-daily-care/poos-wees-nappies/nappy-rash

from an Expert Author

Diana Newman

BHSc Nutr Med, MNutr – Nutritionist

Diana is a registered nutritionist with close to 10 years’ experience in the industry working as a clinical nutritionist. She completed her undergraduate in Nutritional Medicine, followed by a Master’s Degree in Human Nutrition through Deakin University and is a member of the Australian Natural Therapists Association (ANTA) and Nutrition Society Australia (NSA).

Diana’s area of clinical expertise lies in digestive disorders, cardio metabolic conditions, fertility, pregnancy and infant nutrition. Diana is also a mum to 2 year old identical twin girls, and has spent recent years completing additional training in fertility and pregnancy nutrition through Monash University and Well College Global.

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