I can say that before this week I had never known what it felt like to have someone actually poop into my hands. Unfortunately, after this week, I can no longer say that. 
 
The beauty of having children is that you run the risk of getting pooped on at any given time. You find yourself mastering the art of the quick diaper change. Hoping that if you are fast enough your child won’t have the opportunity to go while bare bummed. You do your best to keep track of their poop schedule (if there is such thing) in hopes that you’re prepared the next time a poopsplosion hits. You even become an expert in stain removing because, well, $h!t happens.
Diaper Rash Cure
Photo by Daniela Rey on Unsplash

 

But how do you handle having your child take a dump in the palm of your hand?
 
A few weeks ago we found ourselves in the hospital. My little monster was so sick that he wasn’t eating or drinking. He lost about 4 pounds (which is 20% of his body weight) in less than a week. He had a double ear infection and strep throat. Since he refused to take any medicine, food, or liquids he needed to have an IV. This meant two and a half days in the hospital. Though once he started to feel better and began to drink and eat on his own, we would be able to head home.
 
That is where the real fun began.
 
We are lucky enough that for the most part, our child does not mind taking medicine. Yet, once he realized that the medicine hurt his little bum it became another story (and how we overcame that problem is a story for another time). They had warned us at the hospital that the antibiotics might “loosen” things up a bit. But I didn’t expect that we would be going back to the poopocalypse days.
 
With constant diarrhea and a million and one diaper changes, it was only a matter time before we would come face to face with a diaper rash. We have dealt with diaper rashes before. It kind of comes with the territory when you have a child who doesn’t just poop – he explodes. But this diaper rash was of a whole different caliber.
 
My little babe’s bum was so raw. The only way we could actually change his diaper was to do so in the sink under running water. No wipe – whether it was for sensitive skin or made from a soft washcloth – could go near him without him screaming. We struggled with even getting a diaper on his bottom. He was tender, raw, and bleeding and the diarrhea wasn’t stopping.
 
Like any mom, I found myself on google (and Pinterest of course) trying to come up with any sort of home remedy. As usual, I became floored by how many options there were. Everything from Apple Cider Vinegar Baths and Coconut Oil Treatments to Witch Hazel Sprays and homemade Diaper Creams.
 
Seriously though where does one even start when there are so many options?
 
Making a homemade diaper cream was not going to be a solution for this rash. My son was struggling to wear a diaper and screamed in pain any time we touched his bum. There was no way he was going to let me rub a cream all over it – even if it would have helped in the long run.
 
But he did love being in the bath and he didn’t seem to mind having water run over him. So when I came across a solution that involved my child sitting in the bath tub it was a no brainer.
 
I could have done a happy dance when I landed on 1800 Remedies – Remedies for Diaper Rash.
 
While I had been sure that I would be searching for solutions for days the two remedies that I took from this site worked. And we soon found ourselves on the path to being diaper free.
 

The Baking Soda Soak

 
The reason I loved this so much was because it was something we were able to do at every diaper change. Anytime we needed to run his little bum under water to clean him off we would give him a baking soda soak. After we washed away the poop we would plug the sink (or tub) and fill it up with warm water. We would then add 2 teaspoons of baking soda. After mixing the water with a few swishes of the hand we would soak the little monster for at least 10 minutes. Because he loves bath time so much and being in the sink was a new experience he didn’t mind being in there for that long.
 
Not only does baking soda promote healing it also has some pretty incredible antibacterial properties. No one wonder it has so many fantastic household uses!
 

The Milk and Oatmeal Bath

 
I remember having many Oatmeal Baths as a child – generally when I had the chicken Pox or a case of Hives – so as soon as I saw this remedy, I had to give it a try.
 
I know having a milk and oatmeal bath sounds a little weird, but bear with me. Oatmeal has amazing anti-inflammatory properties that will soothe even the most sensitive skin. The powdered milk in this bath acts as a cooling agent. These two ingredients together equal some sweet, sweet relief. Which is exactly what we needed – especially before bedtime.
 
For a Milk and Oatmeal Bath you need the following:
1 Tablespoon of Milk Powder
2 Teaspoons of Baking Soda
¼ cup of Powdered Oatmeal
 
***Tip – use a coffee grinder or blender to make your own powdered oatmeal.
 
Making this bath is simple. Mix your ingredients, pour into your warm bath, swish with your hand a few times to ensure a good mixture and you are set. It is best to soak your babe for at least 15 minutes, but we let our little one hang out for as long as he was happy (usually well past the point of pruning).
 
The next tip I am going to offer is not of one for the faint of heart. Why? Because it guarantees that you will be cleaning up all kinds of bodily fluids from all over your house.

 

Let your baby go without a diaper for as long as possible to air that little tush out!

 
I can’t stress this enough. The absolute best thing for a Diaper Rash is to give it the opportunity to air it out. Yes, it means you run the risk of your child using your living room floor (or any floor) as a bathroom, but to me, that is a very small price to pay if it means giving your tiny human some much-needed comfort.
 
Now you might be asking, when exactly did I experience a hand full of my child’s poop?
 
Well, as luck would have it, as soon as we were past the diarrhea stage we found ourselves in the land of constipation.
 
After two days of no pooping my son was finally able to relieve himself as we were getting him ready for his nightly Milk and Oatmeal bath. He had been so excited about bath time that he refused to let me lay him down to undress him. As I took his diaper off (while he was standing of course) and began to wipe his bum I noticed him making the all too familiar poop face. Needless to say, I was not prepared for what was to come.
 
My child pooped into my hands while crying in pain for over 5 minutes.
 
As much as I wanted to throw my child in the tub, or run and grab another diaper to save myself from a case of poo hands, all I could do was comfort my crying babe. I sat on the bathroom floor, with a wipe in hand, hugging my tiny human and allowed him to poop for as long as he needed to.
 
Motherhood knows how to keep you on your toes. As soon as you have solved one problem – like curing that terrible diaper rash – another one rises. So, as you sit and read this post about how I cured diaper rash using ingredients I had in my pantry know that I am currently searching for, and trying out remedies to cure my son’s constipation.
 
Don’t worry, I will share any tips and tricks I find. Or maybe you have some to share with me? I would love to hear them if you do!
 
Until then, I will enjoy this nice glass of red wine and do my best to remind myself that there are worse things in life than having a case of poo hands.
by | 6 Comments

6 comments on “How to Cure Diaper Rash with 3 Simple Ingredients”

  1. I never would have thought to use baking soda to help with a diaper rash! I might have to try that out next time. My 1 year old loves taking baths too. 😉

    Reply

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