What Causes Them?
Diaper rashes can be caused by a number of different things. It can be caused because a baby is left in a wet or dirty diaper for a long period of time. It can also however be a reaction that your baby may have to milk, citrus fruits, and other baby food. It doesn’t necessarily mean that your baby is allergic to what you are feeding them; it may just be that it doesn’t go out as easily as it goes in. When your baby is sick and has diarrhea, they can easily get diaper rash just from one bowel movement.

How Severe Can It Get?
Diaper rashes can resemble anything from a little redness to a bum that is broken open, red and bleeding. Your baby may have a rash that covers his butt, or it may be centralized to one area. It might be red, or have bumps resembling blisters, or actually be blistered. In the worst cases it can get bloody and pussy, or turn into a yeast infection which may need prescription medication to be treated.

How Do You Get Rid of It?
Sometimes getting rid of diaper rash can be simple, other times it may take a few days. There are a lot of different diaper rash creams and gels on the market that contain zinc oxide from companies like Desitin, Aveeno and Balmex, one company even makes a cream calls “Butt Paste”. Vaseline can also be used to help cure and prevent diaper rash. Although no longer recommended by all pediatricians, some will tell you to put baby powder on your child when you change his diaper to help keep him dry. Be sure to consult your child’s’ pediatrician to see what he recommends.

In more severe cases of diaper rash, where the creams just don’t seem to get rid of it, try placing your baby in a bath consisting of water and baking soda. The baking soda can help aid in drying out your baby’s rash and healing it. If your baby is bleeding and pussy, or if you just want a second opinion, do not hesitate to call your pediatrician to have your baby looked at.

How Can You Prevent It
You may not be able to always prevent diaper rashes. In the case of it being related to a food your baby eats or drinks, like orange juice when he is a toddler, all you can do to avoid it is eliminate that food from your baby’s diet. In order to prevent diaper rash in general though try to check and change your baby’s diaper frequently, not leaving him in an overly wet or poopy diaper any longer than necessary. Use the creams and gels as a preventative measure, instead of just as a treatment. Try making sure that your baby’s skin is completely dry before putting on a diaper, so that the wetness does not get on the diaper and lay against your baby’s skin.

If your baby gets a diaper rash when you first introduce a new food, try to not give him that food till the diaper rash has cleared. If the baby gets a rash when you introduce it again, then you will know that the food does not agree with your baby and you will be able to steer clear from that, and other foods that contain the same ingredient. The last thing you can try is changing the brand of diapers and wipes you use to see if that makes a difference.

When In Doubt…
If you are not sure if your baby has an allergy, a rash, or how severe his rash is, don’t hesitate to call your pediatrician and have your baby seen. That is their job and they may even have more recommendations to help you heal your baby’s butt.

When we picture a baby, we tend to have a stereotyped image of a pink, glowing little face that is almost overwhelmingly cute. The last thing we think about is pimples. And yet, the reality is that infant acne occurs on the faces of many babies. Usually it starts between three and four weeks of age, but sometimes it can even be present in newborns.

It can be a little distressing for the parents to see little red bumps all over their precious baby’s face, but the good news is that infant acne is temporary, and doesn’t require any treatment. However, it can stick around for a little while, and may only disappear gradually. It’s quite possible that infant acne may come and go spasmodically until the baby is six months old.

I remember very well when my daughter broke out in infant acne at the tender age of three months. Her previously cute and adorable face was dotted with little red bumps, and even a good collection of whiteheads. I found it quite distressing, and so asked my doctor to tell me more about infant acne.

The doctor was very patient and helpful, and explained a lot more about this skin condition. I hadn’t realised that the baby still had hormones in her system, that had crossed over while I was carrying her, via the placenta. Infant acne is to a great extent visible evidence of the hormones still being active, but it also shows that the baby is in the process of working the hormones out of her system for good.

In many ways, the baby’s skin is simply going through a cleansing process, as the baby’s system cleanses itself of the unwanted hormones. Different babies respond in different ways (many of them you wouldn’t even be aware of), and one way is infant acne. It’s all part of a natural process in the baby’s system, and there’s really nothing we, as parents, can do to stop it. In fact, it’s important to let the process continue to the end, otherwise the baby’s system may struggle to remove all the excess hormones.

Unfortunately many parents think that infant acne is caused by dirty or oily skin, and so wash baby’s face more frequently to get it clean. This is actually one of the worst things you can do, as frequent washing may well result in the skin becoming inflamed. So remember that it’s hormones, not oil or dirt, that’s the problem. Detergents, milk and spit-up can make acne worse, so although you don’t want to overwash the baby, it’s important to mop up any spills quickly. Use a mild detergent, and make sure baby’s face is always uncovered. Even your baby’s favorite blanket can aggravate infant acne, if it’s been washed in a strong detergent and is constantly held against the face.

All of this can seem a little disheartening, particularly if you are keen on photographing your baby’s gorgeously cute smile with your camera at every opportunity. If your baby gets infant acne, you can expect to have that beautiful smile surround by little red dots for up to six months. But it’s not worth worrying about – who’s going to look at the acne when your baby’s smile will completely outshine it?

About the Author:
Discover heaps more great parenting tips and techniques at Info About Baby You can sign up for a FREE Baby Tips newsletter at Baby Tips Newsletter. The author’s book about babies is available at Baby’s First Year.