Factors such as diet, prolonged contact of baby skin with urine and feces, not changing the baby’s diaper frequently enough, cleaning agents (soap, detergent) for cleaning diapers, friction between the skin and the diaper due to excessive tightness of the diaper, wet wipes for cleaning the baby’s bottom, etc. are the primary reasons why babies have rashes.

Rash refers to the redness and irritation that occurs in the area where the skin comes in contact with the diaper. Your baby’s bottom looks red and inflamed with swollen bumps appearing around the diaper area. Since your baby cannot tell you in words what their problem is, they express their discomfort by crying and through signs of restlessness, especially during when you are changing their diaper. If rapid action is taken to address the predicament, the problem disappears without leaving a trace.

What causes rashes?

• Poor hygiene, not changing the diapers often enough, using poor quality diapers, or prolonged exposure of skin to irritants. Therefore, it is very important to use high-quality diapers with high absorbency.
• Liquid stool – babies with liquid stool experience diaper rashes more often and often more severely.
• Poor hygiene – when urine and stool continue to irritate the skin due to not replacing the baby’s diaper often enough.
• Using soap that dries and irritates the skin, especially not rinsing the skin well after washing it with soap.
• Teething – the baby has usually a high fever during this process and high fever can cause sleep disturbances, loss of appetite and changes in bowel movements.
• Switching from breast milk to bottle feeding – the stool’s texture, acidity, and bacteria levels change. Bacteria that break down urine multiply more easily in an alkaline environment, and the feces of bottle-fed babies contain more alkali compared to those fed with breast milk.
• Transition to solid food – the amount of bowel movements changes.
• Diseases (e.g. inflammation of the mouth, bronchi, middle ear, kidneys, digestive tract) – the baby’s body temperature rises and the immune system is weakened.
• Antibiotic therapy – antibiotics promote the occurrence of fungal infections, as they damage the bacterial flora in the organism.
• At higher temperatures, the skin gets more easily irritated.

Protecting the baby’s skin against rashes

No matter how sensitive, the baby’s skin has a natural defense system that allows it to resist infections. Your role is to apply the necessary skin care. To help promote a healthy baby skin:

Make sure your baby’s diapers always remain dry. Change immediately if your baby’s diaper is wet. Use products that quickly remove urine from your baby’s skin and trap it inside, as the likelihood of getting a rash increases when the baby’s skin is in constant contact with urine causing it to remain wet. As soon as you see the redness in your baby’s bottom, wash it with warm water and dry it completely, then apply a generous amount of zinc oxide cream. This prevents urine from irritating the skin. Change the baby’s diaper often, every two to three hours, and after each bowel movement. Do not apply talcum powder, as it irritates the skin when it gets wet. Talcum powder hardens over time damaging the skin.