How to heal SEVERE diaper rash (taught by a wound Care team)

Let me preface this article by saying that when I’m talking about healing severe diaper rash, I’m not talking about just normal redness/soreness that can be cleared up with something off of a Walgreens shelf. I’m talking severe, skin is bleeding, raw, they’re crying in pain, you don’t know why or how to fix it. I’ve got you, Mama. This isn’t a cheap solution, but IT WILL WORK.

Hi, by the way. I’m Samantha Jo; Welcome to This Homemaking Mama.

What makes me qualified to talk about this? My youngest has Down Syndrome, and with that came Hirschsprung’s Disease. Hirschsprung’s means that his colon did not form properly while in the womb, and he had to have life-saving surgery within a few days after birth (after we figured out what was happening). Ever since, he has to take a large amount of laxative every day to keep his stool flowing, and he suffered A LOT in his first few years with complications from the disease, which would cause the skin on his bottom to just peel away and bleed. It was horrifying. I tried EVERYTHING OUT THERE until finally, FINALLY, a wound care team at the surgery center we were following up with saved us.

You need 5 items. There are 10 steps. And you need to do these certain steps in a particular order.

items you need to purchase:

You need:

Medline Remedy Cleansing Body Lotion
2” x 2” Gauze Pads

Adapt Stoma Powder
Cavilon No-Sting Barrier Film
Any butt rash cream with at LEAST 40% Zinc Oxide. I prefer the Equate version of Desitin, which you can buy at Wal-Mart for less than $9.00. Boudreaux’s Butt Paste also works great, or Desitin Maximum Strength.

(These are Amazon Associate links. I make a small commission off of Amazon’s profit, at no extra cost to you!)

steps to cleanse and protect the rash:

  1. Remove the soiled diaper.

  2. DO NOT USE WIPES. DO. NOT. USE. WIPES. Baby wipes will tear at the skin and make the issue worse. Spray the Medline Cleansing Body Lotion (2 or 3 sprays) onto a clean gauze pad. Use the lotion to clean away the poop. When you come in contact with the skin, DAB, do not WIPE. You may also do this process with a simple clean wash rag that you’ve wet with warm water; I just prefer the gauze and lotion because then I don’t have a bunch of poopy laundry to do.

  3. Once the skin is clean of all poop, gently pat dry with a dry towel or paper towel.

  4. Open a Cavilon No Sting Barrier Film packet and dab it on the affected area.

  5. Open the Adapt Stoma Powder. Spray the powder onto the barrier film on their bottom until the area is covered with powder.

  6. Dab more No Sting Barrier Film (using the same pad as before) on top of the stoma powder.

  7. Spray more stoma powder on top of the barrier film.

  8. Repeat steps 6 and 7 one more time.

  9. Heavily cover (when you think there’s enough, add more. You want it slathered on) the powdered area with diaper rash cream. The point is to have it on so heavy that no poop will get to your film/powder concoction. Put on a clean diaper.

  10. When your baby poops, try to clean it up by wiping away the butt cream only. There may still be some poop stain left on the film/powder. This is OK. I REPEAT, THIS IS OKAY. This was a hard one for me (“But it’s not clean!”) but the wound team assured me that since the poop was not touching skin, the skin actually was clean. The whole point is to keep the damaged skin completely covered up at all times, without it being opened up to more poop. If your film/powder barrier looks thin, add another layer or two before you apply more butt cream.

This works. I’m telling you, this works. Within ONE DAY I notice results. Within two or three days it’s usually completely healed. Stick with it. It’s scary at first because it’s different and weird, but your child will thank you. Whenever you notice that your child has soiled their diaper, change them immediately. Don’t let them sit in a poopy diaper. Also, make sure they’re taking regular baths to decrease the bacteria in the bottom area.

That’s it! You did it! Pat yourself on the back because you are the BEST PARENT EVER!!!

If you need any tips or help, e-mail me at samanthajo@thishomemakingmama.com. I’m here for you.

Also, I think it would be smart to buy these items before you need them, so you aren’t waiting two or three days for the items to get to you while your child is struggling in pain. A couple of these things can only come from a pharmacy/can be purchased online. It wouldn’t hurt to pre-emptively purchase them so you have them ready to go when this issue strikes! Better safe than sorry, in my opinion!

You’ve got this. Parenting is hard. We have to stick together! Good luck, and see you soon.

-Samantha Jo❤

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