Baby Health Clinic
Frequently Asked Questions Parents have about their Baby
'Nappy Rashes'
How to treat, prevent and when to seek medical advice
First Line of Treatment
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Ensure the nappy fits properly (too tight increases skin occlusion; too loose minimizes absorption of fluids).
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‘Air time’. Leave nappies off for as long as possible to help skin drying of the nappy area.
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Clean the skin and change the nappy every 3–4 hours, or as soon as possible after wetting or soiling, to reduce skin exposure to urine and faeces.
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Use water, or fragrance-free and alcohol-free baby wipes.
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Bath your Baby daily — avoid excessive bathing (such as more than twice a day) which may dry the skin excessively.
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do not use soaps, baby lotion or bubble bath as they can irritate the skin
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do not use talcum powder or antiseptics on nappy rash
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do not put nappies on too tightly as it can irritate the skin
Nappy rash usually clears up after about 3 days if you follow these hygiene tips

If it does not clear
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Your local Health Visitor or Pharmacist can recommend a nappy rash cream to treat it.
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You should apply the cream first and wait a few minutes before you apply the barrier cream.
When to seek medical advice
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If the rash doesn't go away or your baby develops a persistent bright red, moist rash with white or red pimples that spreads into the folds of their skin, they may have an infection.
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Follow your Prescriber, Health Visitor or GP's instructions on whether and when to apply barrier cream as well as the prescribed cream.
[CHC 2.3.2023 National Health Service: Choices https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/baby/caring-for-a-newborn/nappy-rash/
The recommendations on management are largely based on a Cochrane systematic review Disposable nappies for preventing napkin dermatitis in infants [Baer et al, 2006], and expert opinion in review articles on nappy rash [Lund, 1999; Visscher, 2009; Ravanfar et al, 2012; Ness, 2013; Coughlin, 2014; Stamatas, 2014; Merrill, 2015; Atherton, 2016; Van Gysel, 2016; Cohen, 2017].