I have super sensitive, fair skin, so it’s no surprise that baby Stroller has sensitive skin too. In our few short months together we’ve encountered several baby skin issues, and I’ve made several skin-related phone calls to the pediatrician’s office trying to resolve them. Here’s a run-down on the two biggest skin problems we’ve encountered, diaper rash and drool rash, and how we’ve overcome them both.


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Diaper Rash

Perhaps the most common rash, diaper rash, is also one of the most painful because a baby’s poop will irritate inflamed skin. Diaper rash can come from several sources: a wet bottom, changes in diet, yeast, etc. so it’s important to address the causes.

Baby Stroller’s first few diaper rash incidents came from my taking antibiotics for mastitis, which killed off the good yeast in his gut. To head the problem off in the future, we started giving him infant probiotics (available at Whole Foods) each day as recommended by our pediatrician. His latest diaper rash is from ingesting extra drool, which has changed the ph of his poops. All we can do for that is change him as soon as we hear a poo, and hope we don’t get pooped on more in the process!

To cure the rash itself, we follow this routine given to us by our pediatrician; his flaming red rash is usually gone in a maximum of two days:

  • Twice a day fill the sink with a few inches of warm water and 1/4 cup of baking soda and soak the baby’s bottom for a few minutes. Dry the area really well
  • Three times a day use Lotramin (athlete’s foot) cream all over the baby’s bottom and wherever the rash appears
  • At all other changings use Triple Paste or Boudreaux’s Butt Cream
  • Go up a size in diapers to allow more airflow around the baby’s crotch area
  • Use only water and a soft cloth to clean the baby’s bottom and not commercial wipes with alcohol and fragrance
  • Give the baby as much diaper-free time as possible – put a towel or thick cloth diaper under the baby and let them air out for a little while. For a boy, use a pee-pee tee-pee or a small cloth over his penis to keep pee from spraying in the air if he happens to go when he’s diaper free

If you’re using cloth diapers, either switch to disposables during treatment, or use a liner that you wash separately from the cloth diapers.

There should be a marked improvement within three days, and the rash should be gone within seven days; if it’s not improving within three days, then be sure to call your baby’s pediatrician.

Drool Rash

Around 3.5 months baby Stroller started to drool. A lot. Apparently it’s a developmental thing and not just because of teething, so it could be going on for a long time to come. Along with the drool came a rash on his chin. Then the rash moved to his cheeks. His once perfect complexion was a mess!



I learned that the drool not only dries out and irritates the skin on his chin, but he continues to drool at night, the drool soaks his sheets, he turns his head and the drool gets on his cheeks and thus the cheek rash.

This is how we got the rash under control:

  • Use a bib during the day to catch the drool from collecting in the baby’s neck folds (another spot where the drool can cause a rash) and use it to wipe their chin often
  • Put an absorbent cloth diaper (a flat old-school diaper) under their sheet to absorb their drool at night. Make sure that the sheet is still tight on their mattress
  • If the sheets are damp in the morning, change them and put on a clean, dry sheet
  • Apply a thick, moisturizing lotion to the baby’s chin and cheeks often, making sure to rub it in well. We like BabyGanics Eczema Care Cream the most, followed closely by Shea Moisture Organic Baby Healing Lotion. We tried Aquaphor, but it didn’t absorb well so baby Stroller was getting it on his hands and in his mouth and it made a mess of my shirts when he’d rub his face on me. I also tried Lansinoh lanolin, but it too was messy as well and not easy to spread.

Good Skin Care

Part of our evening routine includes a bath every night. It’s definitely not necessary, but baby Stroller enjoys it so much that we just can’t give it up. To make sure we don’t dry out his skin too much, we use a very gentle wash (we like California Baby Super Sensitive Shampoo & Body Wash), wash his face with just water and a damp cloth, keep the water warm, not hot, and only bathe him for a few minutes each night — just enough to clean out the cheese hands, cheese toes and cheese bum!



Most importantly, we always have a hat on baby Stroller’s head when we go outside in the sun to shield his sensitive skin, and often on cloudy days too. Once he’s six months old we’ll be slathering him with sunblock each day too, just like his momma does!

What skin challenges have you faced with your baby?