Baby’s are known for having super soft and smooth skin, however, while very soft, a baby's skin is also very sensitive.
This means that they can often be prone to skin irritations such as diaper rash.
Diaper rash is very difficult to completely prevent.
This is because your little one is usually wearing a diaper all day, every day.
This means that your little baby’s bottom is consistently coming into contact with bacteria-breeding moisture such as urine as well as excrement.
Diaper cream will help to prevent and also treat diaper rash.
It’s important that you apply this cream correctly though, as the application is almost as crucial as the cream that you choose.
In this article, we will discuss everything you need to know about diaper cream to ensure your child's utmost comfort and safety.
Why Should You Use Diaper Cream
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There are two main reasons that diaper cream is used. It can be used to prevent diaper rash and it can also be used to treat it.
Prevention
Diaper cream acts as a blockade between your baby’s bottom and potential skin irritants such as urine and excrement, as well as any acids from the food they’ve consumed or chemicals in the diapers.
The layer of diaper cream should barricade these irritants from causing an uncomfortable rash.
Treatment
If your little one already has a rash you can also use this cream to make it better.
The ingredients in the cream will soothe and moisturise your child's skin and allow the skin to have time to heal without further irritants aggravating the rash.
Where Do You Apply Diaper Cream?
When applying the cream, you want to place it where the majority of the contact with the diaper will be.
This means you’ll mainly be focusing on your baby’s bottom.
Depending on where the rash is, and how prone they are to irritation you may also want to apply a small amount to your child's bum cheeks and anus too.
Diaper cream is also safe to apply around your baby’s penis or vaginal area if this is also prone to irritation.
However, you should never apply cream inside the vagina. Boys that have developed diaper rash on their scrotum can also have cream applied to this area.
It’s not very often that this area will be where the irritation occurs though, so you can skip this and just apply to the buttocks if you prefer.
You can also apply a small amount of diaper cream to your child's inner thighs to reduce chafing but I would suggest that you choose old clothes to dress them in when doing this as the cream is likely to stain clothes if it comes into contact with them.
How Often Should You Apply Diaper Cream?
It’s really up to you how often you would like to apply the cream.
Should you wish to apply it every day as a preventative measure then you can.
If you wish to only use it when your child is showing indications of irritation then this is perfectly fine too.
While there is no specific time frame that you need to follow to apply diaper cream, there are a few instances where I would recommend making sure that you are applying the cream.
These are as follows:
- There’s a rash present
- There are signs of irritation/redness/soreness
- Your child is excreting meconium (a black tar-like poop)
- Your child has diarrhea
- Your child is producing loose stools (from teething, colds, or antibiotics for example)
- Your child has very sensitive skin
- Your child is sleeping for long intervals (if your child sleeps through the whole night)
How To Apply Diaper Cream
1. Change The Dirty Diaper
The first thing you’ll need to do is remove your child’s dirty diaper.
Be sure to use baby wipes and make sure all waste has been cleaned away.
Wipe away any leftover diaper cream residue if you applied it on the last change.
2. Grab A Clean Diaper
Next, place your clean diaper underneath your little one's bottom, like you would if you were about to put it on, however, don’t fasten it together yet.
This stops the cream from going all over your changing mat and leaves you in a decent position to fasten the diaper quickly once the cream has been applied – after all we know how much babies love a good wriggle while you’re changing them.
3. Apply The Cream
Then you will want to apply a small amount (around the size of a dime) of cream onto your finger.
Then take this cream and spread it evenly over your baby’s bottom, be sure to focus on any red and inflamed areas.
The cream is usually safe to also apply to several other areas including between the butt cheeks, anus, folds of the labia and around the vagina, and on the scrotum and penis.
However, these do not need as much cream as you apply to the bottom unless there is significant irritation in these areas.
Note: With girls only, apply to the labia and around the vagina, never apply inside the vagina itself.
4. Wipe Away Any Access
Wipe away any excess cream onto the inside of your baby’s new diaper or wipe away with a baby wipe.
5. Fasten The Diaper
Now that you’ve applied the cream you can reposition the diaper if needed and then securely fasten it around your child, ensuring that they are comfortable.
6. Wash Your Hands
Once you’ve finished, you should always wash your hands once you’ve removed them from the changing table and transferred them to a safe place where they can’t fall or hurt themselves.
Use hot and soapy water as a baby wipe will not kill bacteria. Clean down your changing table.
And you’re done!
Final Thoughts
Applying diaper cream is a fairly simple procedure. After you’ve done it once you should be absolutely fine doing it several times after with no issues.
It’s a great way to alleviate your little one from a really uncomfortable feeling.
I would recommend using diaper cream as a preventative measure too. At least once a night before they sleep, if not more.
This way you can ensure your child's comfort!
