Diaper Rash In Girls

Also known as Diaper Dermatitis is a form of inflamed skin that looks like patches of red around your baby’s bottom or genital area. It is a form of skin irritation. It looks red, sore, and tender. No matter how perfect you look after your baby, something or the other keeps on irritating you and your babies. One such common thing is diaper rash. It is most commonly seen in newborn babies who wear diapers 24 hours a day. My elder son also had a diaper rash when he was 2 months old, after that I took care of him and he didn’t get it again. When my daughter got diaper rash, I took more care of her than my elder son because it’s very common to see diaper rash in girls more than boys. She got diaper rash continuously for 2 years as she was on diapers 24/7 for 2 years. She needed extra care to prevent diaper rash or to stop it from becoming worse. Diaper rash seems to be very small to us but it is a very big thing for a baby because they get irritation and pain in that area and if not treated early it can also lead to fever, swelling, and bleeding from those red patches.

• Contact of urine or stool to your baby’s genital skin for a long time. Usually, it is more than 3 hours in the case of urine and more than one hour in the case of potty.
• Cheap quality diapers in which the chemicals present can contact baby skin and lead to a rash. There are many brands of diapers available today in the market. Choose the right one. Check the diaper’s outer and inner layers if you don’t know what’s best. It should be very soft and spacious. If you don’t have the best quality diapers then you have to change your baby’s diaper after every 2 hours or if it becomes half full.
• Unhygienic cloth diapers can cause diaper rash. This happens if you don’t wash or dry the cloth diaper properly or use adult cloth washing liquid to was your baby clothes.
• Changing wet diapers after 4 to 5 hours.
• Loose motions in babies can cause diaper rash very frequently.
• Keeping the baby in diapers for 24 hours. Your baby’s genital area needs some contact with the natural air. If you are busy and not able to change diapers every 3 hours, then remove the pant and keep only the diaper so that some air passes inside the diaper.
• Tight diapers can also cause a rash as the air cannot get inside the skin near the genital area to breathe.
• Introducing some new foods to your baby can cause a diaper rash.
• Exposure to Bacteria and yeast can also cause diaper rash on your baby’s sensitive skin.
• If your baby takes antibiotics due to some illness, it can cause diaper rashes too.
• Babies with sensitive skin are more likely to develop skin rashes and diaper rashes.
• Babies can also get Heat rash or diaper rash during summer or in hot environments.

Symptoms of Diaper Rash:-

• Red patches on the bumps and thighs of the baby.
• Bleeding from the red patches in severe cases.
• Scaling of the diaper area skin.
• Mild Fever
• Irritation.
• Dryness.
• The skin turns dark red or pink.
• Fussy Baby.
• Baby touching the diaper area and crying.
• Baby cries very loudly at night and touches the diaper area continuously.
• Baby removing the diaper if she is more than one year old.

Treatment:-

• Clean the genital area with clean water and cotton every time you change the diaper. Use warm water in winter and normal room temperature water in summer. Just pat gently don’t rub the skin. Avoid using wipes at this time as much as possible.
• Apply coconut oil or diaper rash cream after changing a diaper. I applied coconut oil and Himalaya diaper rash cream or Sebamed diaper rash cream for my baby after every diaper change.
• Change your baby’s wet diapers every 2 to 3 hours. If your baby has passed stool, change it immediately.
• Always try to keep your baby’s diaper area dry.
• Leave your baby’s bottom open for half an hour after every diaper change to allow the skin near their private area to breathe.
• If you are using cloth diapers, wash them separately with baby-friendly detergent powders or Dettol.
• Please visit your doctor if the baby gets a fever, the rash becomes worse, bleeding from the rash, yellow patches, etc.
• If the diaper rash becomes worse avoid diapers completely and use cloth diapers or leave the diaper area open to cure faster.
• Bath your baby regularly with warm water to avoid any type of dirt on their body and near their private parts.
• Carry diapers and wipes along with one pair of clothes whenever you go out with the baby so that you don’t delay the diaper change process when their diaper is full or they have passed stool in it when you are out.
• The cleaning process of private parts in girls is a bit different from boys. In girls, you have to make sure you clean the whole vaginal area with water when they pass stool. Because some of the stool gets inside their vagina when they are wearing diapers. So if it doesn’t go away with water, clean it with wipes.