Diaper Rash & Yeast Diaper Rash: Symptoms, Causes and Treatments

Babies are born with soft sensitive skin and are vulnerable to rashes. Diaper rash and yeast rash are a skin problem which affects a baby’s bottom causing the skin to turn red and patchy and can be very painful.

Disposable diapers, foods which trigger off an allergic reaction and chemicals in baby creams, powders, soaps are some common causes for diaper rash and yeast rash in babies.

In ancient times diapers came in the form of animal skin and wraps made of milkweed leaves. Moss placed over seal skin was the diaper used for Eskimo babies while grass placed over rabbit skin was used by Native American mothers for their babies.

During the 1800’s, mothers in some parts of the world used square and rectangular shaped pieces of cloth made from cotton as diapers. The diaper was fastened together on either side by a safety pin to keep the diaper in place.

In 1887, an American lady named Maria Allen began producing cloth diapers in a large scale making it available for mothers throughout the country.

It wasn’t until the beginning of the 20^th century new ideas began to emerge on ways to improve diapers.

Hugo Drangel from Sweden suggested tissue paper be placed inside the cloth to prevent leakage which was a common occurrence in cloth diapers. But cellulose wadding present in the tissue paper felt coarse against the baby’s skin and the paper would cringe up into balls whenever it became wet.

Two years later in 1946, Marion Donovan designed a plastic cover to be sewn over the cloth diaper. This water-resistant diaper was named ‘Boater’. A year later, Valerie Hunter Gordon from the United Kingdom made ‘Paddi’ the first disposable diaper. The two-piece disposable diaper was made of cotton wool and the layer inside was lined with cellulose wadding. The exterior of the diaper had a waterproof plastic cover and snaps.

During the 1950’s, companies like Johnson and Johnson, Parke-Davis and Procter & Gamble began manufacturing diapers. Procter & Gamble began marketing their famous Pampers in 1961.

There has been many a debate on the advantages of using cloth diapers versus the disposable kind. People choose cloth diapers for a variety of reasons such as for its softness, eco-friendliness (can be reused after washing) and since it does not contain toxic chemicals found in disposable diapers.

Volatile Organic Compounds (chemicals which can damage internal organs such as the liver and kidneys plus trigger off cancer in humans) and Tributyl-tin (chemical which causes hormonal imbalance in marine life and responsible for obesity in humans) are just two of the toxic chemicals that go into making disposable diapers.

Traces of the chemical Dioxin (present in chlorine and linked to cancer) can be detected in both cloth diapers and the disposable kind.

Disposable diapers are bleached in chlorine during the production process whereas chlorine is used in cloth diapers during washing.

Disposable diapers damage the environment in the following ways:

• Landfills are loaded with used diapers
• Pine trees are cut down and the pulp is one of the components which goes into making the thick pad found in the center of the diaper.

Just like cloth diapers, disposable diapers have its plus points too.

• A sleeping baby dressed in a disposable diaper will tend to get up less often when she wets herself than one wearing a cloth diaper.
• Disposable diapers are handy when traveling since it can be thrown away immediately unlike the cloth type which has to be kept till you get home to wash it.
• By using disposable diapers you won't spend time washing dirty diapers.

Babies wearing disposable diapers as well as infants wearing cloth diapers are both at risk of getting diaper rash and yeast infection if urine stained diapers are not removed straight away and diapers filled with stools are not changed immediately.

Babies suffering from diaper rash will have pinkish red colored patches and abrasions on their bottoms. A syringe filled with warm water should be used to cleanse the infected area. Gently remove any stools on the skin. Once the area is properly cleaned, apply an ointment or cream specially made for treating diaper rash.

Drapolene Cream is a product I used on my son when he suffered from diaper rash. It worked great and in about three days the rash disappeared completely.

To prevent diaper rash, the baby’s buttocks and genital area should always be wiped properly after a diaper change with either baby wipes or warm water soaked in cotton or a soft cloth. Once the area is completely dry, apply the ointment A&D or petroleum jelly before putting on a new diaper.

Yeast rash is caused by Candida Albicans and occurs in both baby boys and girls. There are two kinds of yeast infections that babies are at risk of: thrush (yeast infection which materializes inside the mouth) and yeast rashes which occurs on the skin around the baby’s genital and anal areas.

A yeast rash makes the skin around the front and back of the baby's bottom scaly and red in color and can turn into blisters and boils with pus inside. Yeast rash can appear in breastfed babies who have mothers taking antibiotics including in babies whose soiled diapers are not changed on time.

Doctors usually suggest an anti-fungal cream or powder (specially made to treat yeast infection) be applied to the affected area since diaper rash creams are not effective in treating yeast rashes.

Some mothers feed their babies yoghurt in the hope the bacteria in yoghurt will help destroy the bacteria in the rash and bring quick relief to their baby.

© 2011 Suranee Perera