I CRACKed the Code on Diaper Rash
{Bad Pun Brought to You
By Sleep-Deprivation!}

Theo had a bad diaper rash. And I mean bad. We brought him in for his newborn portrait session, and his little booty looked so angry-red that we couldn't even consider any poses that might show his  bottom. At one point, when I was ever-so-gently patting his bottom with a sensitive wipe, his skin actually started bleeding a little. I was even worried about being judged at his 2-week appointment by someone who didn't understand just how hard we were trying to clear up and prevent further diaper rash.

You see, that's one of the problems of being an oversupply mom. Everyone knows that newborn babies dirty lots (and lots) of diapers. But the babies of oversupply moms, who may have a tendency to shoot milk into their babies' mouths at a fire-hose-like pressure, dirty even more diapers. Think dirty diapers on steroids. With Theo being my fourth baby, we knew that this was coming, so we tried to be on top of it. As soon as Theo woke up from his nap, we changed his diaper. I kept him with me constantly, so as soon as I heard the tell-tale rumble from his bottom area, I whisked him up to the changing table. Before every nursing session, he was suited up with a a clean diaper. The only way I could have changed his diaper more often would have been if I woke him up mid-nap to change it. And I've learned that waking up a sleeping baby is rarely a good idea. ("Rookie mistake, Kristin! Rookie mistake!") However, in spite of all of our efforts to keep his bottom fresh and dry, that angry-red rash made its wretched appearance and would just. not. go. away. Until...

Through lots of trial and error, I cracked the code on diaper rash. As soon as we started following these steps consistently, Theo's diaper rash cleared up and it hasn't REARed (bad pun #2!) its ugly face again. Now, I tried all of these techniques (and several others) independently, but the key here is that you need to follow all of these steps consistently. Sometimes, Dan would skip one or both of the creams. The diaper rash came back. Sometimes, I would use a sensitive wipe instead of a washcloth. The diaper rash came back. If you want to keep newborn diaper rash away, it is imperative that you complete this process thoroughly for every diaper change. And I apologize in advance for the amount of laundry it may cause you. But a little extra laundry is worth your baby's comfort, right? Theo would say, "Absolutely." (That's what he means by his big, drooly grin!)

Materials:

• washcloths (You will need a lot of these; I bought three or four sets. Any soft washcloth will do, but I chose a dark color to avoid staining.) <insert smiling poop emoji here>
• Lusa Organics Booty Balm (You may also be able to find it at a local natural baby boutique like we did.)
• Desitin: Maximum Strength {the purple kind} (For money-saving purposes, I generally try to buy generic if I can, but this is something I've found I cannot buy generic. It's just not the same.)

Procedure:

1. Before undressing Baby at all, grab a washcloth and run it under hot water. Wring it out. (By the time you get Baby back to the changing table and disrobed, the washcloth will have cooled to a pleasant temperature.)
2. Open up Baby's diaper and marvel at how a tiny human can produce such a massive amount of poop. (If you're exclusively breastfeeding, add a prayer of thanks that the poop actually doesn't smell that bad.)
3. Wipe Baby's bottom with the warm washcloth until the area is clean. Slip a clean diaper under Baby's bottom and allow his skin to dry. (I will sometimes pat his bottom with a cloth diaper to speed along the process. If I'm feeling particularly foolish brave, I may even blow on the skin. If you do this, proceed with extreme caution, especially if you have a boy.)
4. Apply a small amount of Booty Balm to the area that is prone to diaper rash. (I'm no scientist, but I believe this stuff actually does the healing.)
5. On top of the Booty Balm, apply a generous amount of Desitin: Maximum Strength. (I believe this cream is used more as a preventative against new rash.)
6. Fasten the clean diaper.
7. Pepper Baby with lots of kisses. {This step may not help with the diaper rash situation, but I believe it is totally not optional.} 🙂

And there you have it! I hope this process works as well for your baby as it did for Theo. Once he got a bit older (I'd say when he was getting close to three months old), we were actually able to skip the Booty Balm step every so often, and his bottom has still been holding up well.

Well, friends, did you crack the code on anything baby-related? If you have any tips on how to get a baby to sleep in his crib (for any period of time at all), I'd love to hear! I've never had this problem before!