Oatmeal bath soothes diaper rash

A reminder that we don't always need fancy solutions..simple ones work just fine. From Sara:

My mother-in-law bought some fancy Aveeno bath soak for Miss J once, and it was basically oatmeal.  Now, when she has irritated skin (diaper rash included), I just let her dump a 1/4 cup of oatmeal into the bathwater.  It seems to make it feel better.  (Wipe up oatmeal with a tissue after the water has drained out...)

I'd also suggest putting one of those plastic hair traps over the drain before you drain the tub just to keep the pipes clear.

Wait! I just found a hack from 2006 about this very topic, and Lisa (the author) suggested putting the oatmeal in an old stocking first! Smart people.

Comments

[Domestic Chicky]

You can also give it a whirl in the food processor to grind it like a powder - I do a lot at once and keep it in a shaker container. OR tying it unground in a cheesecloth makes a nice soothing scrubbie for irritated skin.

[C-A]

Never tried an oatmeal bath but I thought I'd give a bit of a plug for Aveeno shampoo. My baby has horrible skin reactions to most regular name brands but Aveeno works wonders for her.

[JessA]

The stocking trick also works for bath bombs with flower petals or other bits of stuff in them.

[Lisa]

You can also use the baby oatmeal in the tub. It's almost powder-like.

[adrienne]

A friend told us to use a baking soda sitz bath for bad cases of diaper rash. Like oatmeal, it works like a charm.

[Annette]

My little guy has terrible eczema, so we use Baby Aveeno Skin Relief creamy wash and lotion. We just give him a short warm bath and then slather on the lotion immediately. It works wonders!

[Florabora]

I can also recommend the baking soda in the bath water - it was recommended by our nurse at the peds. Cheaper than Aveeno, and easier to clean up. Worked better on diaper rash than Aveeno, but that's just our kid.

[MJ]

I read this post a few days ago and thought I'd try it. My son doesn't have diaper rash often, but he's got a g-tube that gets really irritated. We've tried everything from Neosporin to prescription ointments, including a compounded ointment that wasn't covered by our insurance ($50! Ouch!). The oatmeal was really messy, so we went and bought some Aveeno... and wow!! The difference is amazing. He doesn't scratch around his tube all the time, and it looks MUCH better. I'm going to rave about this Parent Hack to our pediatrician, who has other patients with g-tubes.

[baby hair bows]

I agree with the baking soda. It works well with my baby too.

[baby hair bows]

I agree with the baking soda. It works well with my baby too.