Not Every Diaper Rash Spray Works the Same

Anyone who has had a child knows the many joys and excitements inherent in raising an infant and a toddler. One thing that is neither joy-filled nor exciting, however, is diaper rashes. It's a rare child who can avoid them altogether, and for years parents have been trying to figure out ways to lessen their infant's agony.

Before our daughter was born, we picked up all of the usual diaper rash creams. With Desitin and Balmex sitting out on our child's changing table, we felt assured of success. Let a diaper rash even try to break through our little one's skin. We would have it under control.

But the powers that be teach you early and teach you well. With children, there are no certainties. You are not in control, right from the start. Our daughter didn't get her first diaper rash until nearly 6 months of age, but when she did get it, it was quite bad. She was a screaming mess with bleeding sores. Of course, the last thing you want to do is inflict even more pain, so with trepidation I faced those thoughtfully purchased creams on the changing table. I couldn't do it. However, I'd heard the complaints about the powders. Asthma is a scary proposition, and we wanted to avoid that even more than we wanted to cease her pain. So we decided to try a diaper rash spray, which I'd discovered on Google.

The most notable thing about diaper rash sprays is how difficult they are to obtain. They're not readily available in most shops, and ordering them involves guessing which will work the best, or trusting propaganda from websites by the companies who produce them. Having based my life purchasing things online entirely due to good reviews by others, I was completely confused. However, we were lucky to live not so far from an organic food mart that happened to carry some sort of offbrand diaper rash spray. We picked it up and hoped.

It didn't work. I don't even remember the brand, except that it was something horribly organic sounding. With disappointment, we kept looking. In the next few days, I managed to obtain Baby Spritz diaper rash spray from One Step Ahead and Happy Bottoms diaper rash spray. It was then that I discovered some very important things about diaper rash treatments.

My child, it turns out, is hypersensitive to everything. She rashes when tags touch her, screams if her socks are on wrong, etc. Diaper rash sprays are rather notoriously harsh on sensitive skin, as I finally learned from a friend who works at a health food store. Even the organic ones tend to make the situation worse for very sensitive children. Plus, they don't necessarily work very well once the rash is already there. Creating a buffer is really the goal.

However, we have friends who used diaper rash sprays with great success. The best idea is to use them with every change (or nearly every change) before the diaper rash starts. Once it starts, it's best to switch to a diaper rash cream. Our friends swear by it, though, and say that it's much less likely that you'll have to deal with any sort of rash. Maybe that's true, as I can't remember their son ever having a diaper rash.

In terms of brands, I was partial to the Happy Bottoms. It seemed like it sprayed better, though I'm not sure how that's possible. The bottles look almost identical. It contains aloe vera and other substances designed to calm the skin and provide some small amount of protective barrier. Baby Spritz doesn't provide quite the same level of detail regarding the ingredients.

For active children, diaper rash sprays are fantastic. They take considerably less time to apply and can be done almost on the run. I think it's harder, though, to assure that you're applying it to every surface. I imagine that it would also be useful for the skin folds that infants notoriously develop rashes in on their thighs. They aren't nearly as sticky and obtrusive as diaper rash cream, and I haven't heard any of the same complaints about asthma and pulmonary difficulties as powder.

For a rash that's already developed, though, we've had the best luck with a combination attack. We alternate Desitin and Caldesene powder. The powder we apply to our hand and wipe on, rather than dumping it and risking inhalation. Desitin by itself never quite sufficed for the very bad diaper rashes. But maybe if you're using a diaper rash spray from the beginning, it won't be an issue.