This post is sponsored by Andy Pandy. As always all opinions are my own.
Raise your hand if you’ve ever had to deal with an unfortunate case of diaper rash?
Awful stuff right?
If your kiddo is anything like my Margs, diaper rash just seem to pop up out of nowhere.
In the early weeks when she was just a wee infant we struggled with redness and chaffing and other uncomfortable diaper rash related issues.
We were totally new to the whole parenting thing and despite thinking we were on top of her diaper changes we were clearly missing the boat.
No matter how well we cleaned her, how much diaper cream we applied and which diaper brand we used baby girl seemed to be constantly dealing with irritation. And, as most of you know – a baby with an irritated butt is a fussy unhappy baby!
When she was about 3 weeks old my 92 year old great aunt came to visit and gave us a ton of useful information about treating but more importantly preventing diaper rash. She sat there and told me that the best way to keep a babies bottom rash and irritation free was to use a simple approach.
Boy was she right.
We started to follow her really simple principles and not only did we manage to treat Margsy’s diaper irritation. But, we’ve been able to prevent it ever since.
Her tips have been invaluable to us and so I wanted to share them with you today!
4 Super simple and effective tips to prevent diaper rash
Change baby often
The number one reason babies get diaper rash is because their sensitive bottoms are exposed to urine and feces for prolonged periods of time.
Now that Margs is older we basically need to change her after every pee or poop because she’s bigger and produces larger quantities of urine and feces.
When they are smaller this isn’t usually the case. In the very early days she could have technically worn the same diaper for 3-4 hours before fully saturating it because she was producing such small amounts of urine.
The problem with this is that however absorbent a diaper is – she’d still be sitting in her own urine despite the diaper not being saturated know what I mean?
So, changing baby frequently prevents their super delicate skin from being exposed to urine and fecal matter which are incredibly irritating to their skin.
Use soap/water for clean up
At the peak of our struggles with diaper rash we were purchasing expensive baby wipes that we assumed were the absolute best option for cleaning baby during a diaper change.
Those wipes contained creams, fragrances and chemicals that only further irritated her already sensitive and diaper rashed skin.
We switched to making our own solution of diluted all natural baby soap and water to spray on and wipe off with super soft baby wash clothes.
It was effective at cleaning and sanitizing the area without adding any harmful chemicals, lotion and unnecessary fragrances.
Once we’d cleaned her up we’d always make it a point to dry her very well with a soft dry washcloth.
Removing all moisture before putting on a new diaper is vital because it prevents bacteria from growing and irritating the skin.
Use diaper creams sparingly
Would you believe me if I told you we rarely use diaper cream?
Well, it’s the truth.
Once we started changing baby more often and cleaning her with a delicate soap and water solution the need for diaper cream in this house reduced significantly.
I know there are parents out there that apply it after every diaper change but we opted to keep the area as dry as possible without applying any extra creams to Margsy’s sensitive skin. That’s not to say that we never use it.
Recently, while on a long road trip Margsy fell asleep in her car seat and we didn’t have the heart to wake her for a much needed diaper change which resulted in a pretty icky irritation and chaffing that we treated with the above suggestions in addition to homemade diaper cream made with only 3 ingredients – Zinc Oxide, Coconut Oil and Beeswax.
It makes me feel better knowing that I’m only applying creams to her skin when absolutely necessary and this home made cream is extremely effective if you’re dealing with a nasty diaper rash that gentle cleaning and frequent changes doesn’t help clear up.
Buy breathable good quality and eco-friendly diapers if possible.
We’re a disposable diaper family and have experimented with various brands and our main requirements are comfort, environmental impact, absorbency and leak protection.
As our baby girl grew into an active toddler our disposable diaper needs have changed because kiddos at this age produce more urine and need more absorbency protection.
The more breathable the diaper the less likely you are to encounter diaper rash so when Andy Pandy reached out to collaborate with me to promote their awesome Andy Pandy Bamboo Diapers I was super excited to share their unique eco-friendly and super breathable nappies with you fine folks!
Prevent diaper rash by pampering your kiddos bottoms with Andy Pandy
Andy Pandy Eco Friendly Disposable Nappies are seriously the most amazing diaper I’ve used so far.
Not only are they 100% eco-friendly and biodegradable but they are naturally hypoallergenic and antibacterial which makes them the absolute best choice for babies with sensitive skin.
They are made from biodegradable bamboo which is not only super soft but very absorbent AND they are moisture wicking to keep babies sensitive areas as dry as possible.
Each diaper has a totally natural aloe liner that nourishes baby’s skin without exposing your kiddos to harsh chemicals AND a wetness indicator.
The diapers are also Chlorine, alcohol, preservative, Phthalates, Latex, PVC, TBH and Antioxidant free! They are truly a steal at $0.40 per unit considering they are of supreme quality and environmentally friendly!
Andy Pandy has generously offered a 25% coupon code for TTBH readers to buy these diapers via amazon where they are already 58% off their regular price! How awesome is that?
Head on over to purchase yourself a pack today and use TINYBLUE to score an additional 25% off. This right here is a potential frugal diaper stockpile extravaganza folks!
To take advantage of this seriously awesome deal head over to Andy Pandy via amazon or Amazon UK and use the coupon code TINYBLUE at check out! This deal is open to folks living in Canada or the UK!
Even more This Tiny Blue House posts you might enjoy
- 10 Frugal Kids Birthday Party Ideas
- 15 neat ways to teach your kids about money
- DIY Electrolyte Drink – Homemade pedialyte for kids and adults
- Super easy DIY non-toxic play-doh
- Frugal parenting: are there hidden consequences?
I want to hear from you!
How do YOU prevent diaper rash?
Pure organic coconut oil is also brilliant if there is a rash. Make sure their bottoms are dry before applying and within hours it will be better.
Love this idea! Coconut oil is good for everything 🙂
Great tips! For my youngest I couldn’t always get diaper cream so we bought corn starch and coconut oil with our food stamps to use. worked wonders.cheese cloth also is what we ran out of wipes. And reusable diapers worked for us, but that is great when you have choices and time.
The best thing I did for my daughters diaper rash was to get rid of the wipes and just used water to clean her at every nappy change. This is a nuisance and inconvenient especially during winter but it does wonders. It cleared it straight away. I also found that when we introduced solids she tends to get a red bottom and this technique helped too! Xx
Carol
http://Www.trouvaillebycarol.com
Remember when my son got a really bad diaper rash. I felt so guilty knowing that I hadn’t cared for him properly. I second that changing frequently as essential. Your other tips were very helpful.
Frequently changing is necessary. Heard a lot about cloth diapers.. Are they worth?
My little dude is eight weeks now, and fortunately no problems with diaper rash! I credit the advice my mom gave me-which is similar to the advice you give here! We also use cloth diapers and special wipes that are compostable and hype-allergenic through a diaper service. Eco-friendly and my husband and I don’t have to do any of the clean up. It’s awesome!
Great tips, I think you cant go wrong with coconut oil
I agree with the change baby often. I don’t use creams any more but we sometimes use Vaseline.
Great tips! I’ll be sure to try the diapers!
Taking care of newborns is hard. I’ve cried before when I couldn’t understand what was going on. Thank God for blog posts like this…makes things easier. Thank you.
We use A&D after every single diaper change!
Great tips! It’s so hard to keep on top of, but keeping them as dry as possible is key!
I wasn’t familiar with this brand, but it looks great! We’ve been lucky with our little guy not having any real diaper rashes yet (he does not seem to have sensitive skin), but I will definitely keep these tips in mind when it inevitably happens some day.
Great tips! I’ll keep these in mind for whenever my baby is here.
I’ve never heard of this brand! I’d definitely agree that the biggest key is changing baby often. I’d add that, if a rash persists, pay attention to what baby is eating to determine if a specific food is a trigger for the rash.
Mine are out of diapers now but I’m glad they never really had diaper rashes. These are great tips though. Thanks for sharing.
These are all great tips! I’ll make sure to use these next time I’m babysitting 🙂