How to Naturally Heal Yeast Diaper Rash Natural Diaper Rash Treatment
Diaper rash is a fairly common phenomenon for anyone who diapers their baby - basically everyone. But did you know that you can actually heal diaper rash naturally? Check out my blog about Naturally Healing Diaper Rash to see my journey and how it worked for me.
Disclosure: I am not a medical professional and none of this information should replace the recommendation of your pediatrician or any other physician who has assessed your child. I am not responsible for your child, and every child is different. I'm just sharing my story because I was encouraged to find an alternative solution to the dreaded diaper rash that worked well for my family.
Note: This blog post contains affiliate links, which means I make a small commission at no extra cost to you. See my full disclosure here.
Diaper Rash 101
First, let me explain something. As a first-time mom, who hadn't planned on getting pregnant and who had virtually no experience with babies, I wasn't sure about diaper rash and so I thought it was something that would evntually happen to me and that when it happened it would undoubtedly take weeks to heal. Now that I am the wiser, so let me clarify some things that you probably already know but that I did not know when I had my little. First, a regular diaper rash should resolve itself within 2-3 days if you are applying diaper cream, airing your baby out, and letting him or her soak in a warm bath. If after doing this procedure for three days the diaper rash hasn't cleared up, or made any progress towards that end, may have a yeast diaper rash and you should either confirm this by going to a preditrician or look up some pictures to compare it with your baby's rash. A couple of signs of yeast diaper rash include:
- Deep redness/purpleness around the skin of the rash
- Raised pimple-looking bumps
- Cracked or Dry Skin on the rash
- An appearance of "shininess"
- Itchiness, discomfort, pain
Yes and that's what I had, a yeast diaper rash, for my first ever baby diaper rash. Of course in my case, my baby had not some but all of these symptoms so I was pretty positive it was a yeast diaper rash. It wasn't until I saw the raised bumps however, and the fact that I had been fighting this rash for over a week, that I realized this was a yeast diaper rash. I know, dump first-time-parent move, but no one had told me. But once I found out, I instantly took the reins to remedy the situation. Now I do not want to underplay the importance of being on top of fighting a yeast diaper rash. If untreated it can develop into a yeast infection or UTI so be proactive about getting your little one treated. Better to have no yeast rash than wait around to treat the infection because you don't have all the natural materials on hand. Fortunately, in my case, I had everything on hand, but if I was going to have to delay treatment for her yeast rash I probably would have gone to the peditrician to get it taken care of.
So now that we've identified whether your diaper rash is just a traditional diaper rash or a yeast diaper rash, let's get into how to tackle this problem naturally. Also, I want to add, even if your baby doesn't have a yeast diaper rash, these methods will help remedy a normal diaper rash and prevent it from turning into a yeast diaper rash. For those of you who do cloth diapers there is an additional step you will want to do in order to sanitize your diapers from the yeast, so be sure to read until the end.
The Natural Remedy
So first off, before I begin explaining the process of what I did, I want to tell you that this is a multi-step process and I took all of these steps. I do not know which of these steps specifically "healed" the diaper rash or whether it was the combination of all of them, so if you try any of these methods, feel free to reach out to me about your experiance healing diaper rash naturally so more people can be informed on natural practices.
Apple Cider Vinger Solution
This was the first step I took when I realized my daughter had a yeast diaper rash. I had already been airing her out like crazy, applying diaper rash cream, and soaking her in the bath with no luck, but I continued incorporating these practices throughout my whole remedy process. So apple cider vinegar. I had read in my search for natural diaper rash remedies that apple cider vinegar would be a good solution when it came to fighting the yeast. Apple Cider Vinegar is an anntibiotic that helps kill the yeast by creating an unstable enviroment for Candida Albicans (yeast fungus responsible for yeast infections). Apple cider also has lots of enzymes, nutrients, and friendly bacteria that balance the body's PH level and help support the good bacteria in your gut, improving your immunity and being increadibly safe to put on your little one.
Ingredients:
- Two Parts Filtered Distilled Water
- One Part Bragg Organic Apple Cider Vinger
- Optional: Three Drops of Organic Tee Tree Oil
Instructions:
- Combine the Water and Apple Cider Vinger
- Add Three Drops of Tee Tree Oil is Desired
- Put in a basin or spray bottle
- Dab cloth in a basin or spray mixture onto a cloth and dab onto the infected area. Do NOT rub!
- Drip or spray a bit of the mixture onto a clean diaper during every diaper change
- Put on baby
- Repeat
The only thing you may have to worry about, is if your diaper rash is cracked or bleeding, direct application of Apple Cider vinegar to the infected area may cause it to sting slightly, so keep that in mind. I came up with this solution and used it at every diaper change and my baby had no discomfort issues with the Apple Cider Vinegar.
Bentonite Clay
In order to draw out the yeast from the skin I also used Bentonite Clay. Now you can buy this in a liquid form or in a powder form. I used the powder form because that's what I had on hand, but if you want something that is going to be a little less clumpy that you don't have to mix together you may want to invest in a premixed type or liquid form. For almost every diaper change (say every two out of three) I would take off her diaper, dab some of the Apple Cider Vinegar mixtures on her rash, wait for it to dry, then add the clay as if I was applying it to her bum like a face mask. I applied the clay all over her rash and let it sit either until the mixture dried or after ten minutes was up (whichever happened first). This can be a semi-lengthly process so I understand if this part, in particular, might not be something you're up for but I encourage you to try to do it at least once a day; I suggest after bath time. Now sometimes after you apply this protocol the rash might appear worse, for example, the little pimple-like bumps on the skin might appear more white or pronounced but this is okay. It is part of the flushing-out process. Eventually, after you do this protocol several times and the rash begins to heal the skin will appear less red and less inflamed after each bentonite clay application.
Ingredients:
- Premix Bentonite Clay or
- Bentonite Clay Powder
- Distilled Water
Instructions:
- If applicable combine the bentonite clay and water and stir well. It may help to put the mixture into a sealed container and to shake vigerously until mixed.
- Apply the thick past over the infected area.
- Allow to dry or set timer for ten minutes (whichever happens first) then remove gently by wiping away with a clean damp washcloth with warm water.
- Repeat every two out of three diaper changes.
Lavendar and Coconut Oil
Now, this protocol specifically did not help fight the yeast in my little's diaper rash, but it did help the restoration process. In addition to the diaper cream I would put on her bum, I would also rub a coconut oil and lavender essential oil solution gently into her rash to help moisturize and heal the skin.
Ingredients:
- 3 TBSP of Organic Liquid Coconut Oil
- 3-4 Drops of Organic Lavender Essential Oil
Instructions:
- Combine Coconut Oil and lavender into a spray bottle or other container
- Gently rub the solution into baby's infected area
Bath, Breastmilk, and Diaper Free Time
Additionally, I continued giving her a warm-water bath each evening to clean and soak the infected area. I made sure to pat her dry before rediapering her, just to ensure no additional moister got trapped inside the diaper. And every other bath I added a bag of breast milk to the tub. Now we bathe our baby in a 72" cast iron bathtub so if you decide to do this in a little baby bath you may not need a full bag. My aunt had told me that when her babies had diaper rash she soaked them in cow's milk. I thought breast milk would be a good alternative. I'm not sure how much this helped, but seeing as how breastmilk is antibacterial it didn't hurt.
Ingredients:
- 1 Bag of Thawed Breast Milk
- Warm Bath Water
Instructions:
- Thaw the breast milk by placing the frozen bag of milk into the fridge and letting it turn back into liquid
- Pour the liquid breast milk into the baby's bath and do not be afraid to let the milk pour over the baby's infected area
- An alternative approach, is to place freshly expressed or pumped breast milk directly onto the infected area and let the milk soak into the skin. Best if the baby can directly sit in a basin of the breast milk.
Lastly, I did lots of diaper-free time, especially during diaper changes. Now, this can be frustrating when you have a little one who pees everywhere. If you aren't yet doing EC (elimination communication) you can lay a trash bag down with a blanket on top of it. This will provide a waterproof pad for your baby to lay on if you don't already have one. Diaper-free time is essential when fighting diaper rash because it allows the skin to dry out and not be in contact with any pee or poo. And on that note, make sure as you are fighting the rash that you stay on top of diaper changes. You may even want to change your baby's diaper after every pee or every thirty minutes just to make sure no urine or poo is causing it to agitate and get worse.
Diaper Rash Prevention
Now how you know how to naturally fight yeast diaper rash, lets look at some of the ways we can prevent this from happening again, or just diaper rash in general.
Change Diapers Often (Poop Immediately)
Although I'm sure this is a given, changing your baby's diaper often will decrease your chances of diaper rash - oh, and changing poop as soon as it happens! In my case, my little girl was going through a cold and her poop was particularly harsh on her skin, causing her to have an outbreak of diaper rash. If you are going through something similar you may want to air out your little one to prevent the urine and poo from causing any damage to the skin from the harsher elimination. I wish I had done this while my little one was sick because I probably would have avoided the diaper rash in the beginning.
Incorporate Some Diaper Free Time
Again, sort of a given, but if you are able to let your baby "air out" from time to time this will help prevent your baby's diaper area from getting very hot and moist - the perfect environment for yeast. By having some air time every once and a while, even if it's just a few minutes after bath time or after each diaper change, you will minimize the risk of diaper rash. Now, after every morning poo/pee I set my baby down on her changing basket (its on the floor) and I let her air out as I get dressed for the day. Typically she doesn't pee, but even if she does she is on a water proof surface I can easily take care of without much of a hassle. The second time I do diaper free time is after her baths. I let her lay on her bath towel on her bed as my husband and I say goodnight, rub some oil or cream on her body, and lay out her nightime diaper and clothes. This isn't a long diaper free period, but it allows her bum to dry fully and get some breathing time before going into the diaper for the night. I also try to let her air out if she just had a big poo, but I am not always able to do this.
Use Diaper Cream for Every Nap Time, Night Time, or Long Diaper Change
I probably still don't have a clear answer about ow often to use diaper cream but now I apply diaper cream everytime I think my little one will be in a diaper for a longer period of time. So for naptimes, nightimes, and longer drives or outings I'll liberally apply diaper cream all over the bum. I use Lanolin for day time diaper cream, and Rowe Casa's Baby Bottom Butter for nightime and if my baby had a big poo. I try to put diaper cream on after any poo, just in case.
Try Elimination Communication
Now I talked about this a bit in my last blog post, but for those of you who don't know what EC is it is essentially taking your baby to the potty when you know they have to go. Now you're probably shaking your head and going, "What on earth? Is this only for older babies?" and the answer is no: it's for any baby. You have probably seen the all-too-familiar "poop face" your baby makes when they are baring down trying to get a poop out. If you have a baby that has some indigestion even, you might take this time to do bicycle legs or tummy massages to help ease some discomfort. But what if, when you saw this coming instead of letting your baby do the dead in the diaper, you took off the diaper and held the baby over a receptacle? Try it, you'll never go back! I've avoided so many poopy diapers this way - and many pees too! And it's such a win when you actually "catch" a whole one. You don't have to try and catch everything like some of those crazy people do but you can do it for at least some or all of the poos. This will greatly diminish your chances of encountering diaper rash. Some EC parents never have to deal with it! I recommend hopping over to Go Diaper Free if you have more questions on this subject.
Diaper Rash and Cloth Diapering
So if you are like me and do cloth diapering you are going to need to sanitize your cloth diapers in order to kill all the yeast. Although I am looking into an all-natural way to do this if it ever happens again, at the moment I needed to act immediately and so I used bleach to sanitize mine and that is the method I am suggesting in this blog article. If you find a different method, feel free to do that, however, I cannot specifically endorse any particular method because I myself have not yet tried it. Now what you are going to have to do is decide whether you are going to use disposables while you fight the diaper rash or do multiple bleach cycles. I personally would have opted for disposables, but my husband preferred we don't spend the extra money so we actually just did multiple bleach cycles of cloth diapers until the rash was completely healed. Then we did one more additional bleach cycle, just to be safe. I want to note that excessive bleaching can damage your cloth diapers, cause discoloration, and in some cases can even void your cloth diaper warranties so be mindful when making this decision.
Below is the protocol suggested by Grovia. I used this method when sanitizing my cloth diapers and I trust that this method is a safe way to sanitize cloth diapers as it is suggested by the retailer themselves. I personally own Grovia Newbord AO1 and Grovia ONE diapers so if you are sanitizing diapers from a different company you may want to see if they have a specific protocol for sanitizing cloth diapers.
Ingredients:
- 1/8 Cup to a 1/4 of Bleach Depending on your Load Size (do not use more than 1/4 cup of bleech)
- 1 Pod of Grovia Mighty Bubbles
Instructions:
- Place your diapers in your washing machine on a cold rinse cycle with bleach. No matter the size of your load never put more than 1/4 bleach in your wash.
- Optional: when the wash ends do another cold water cycle to ensure all the bleach is rinsed off.
- Do a hot cycle with one pod of Grovia Mighty Bubbles to "strip" the diapers of any bleach buildup.
- Follow this cycle with your regular wash cycle
- Tumble Dry, Hang dry, or BEST Sundry
I want to just add that Grovia Mighty Bubbles do not have to be exclusively used on Grovia diapers. This solution was invented for cloth diapers by Grovia for the purpose of stripping away buildup and deep cleaning cloth diapers and is incredibly safe to use on any cloth diaper.
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