A gassy baby with diaper rash suffers at both ends. While dealing with a miserable baby places strain on a parent, too, you can take measures to help your baby's discomfort from top to bottom. Curing the gas problem may also help with the diaper rash. Gas and loose stools caused by food allergy, excess fruit intake or food sensitivity can cause an increase or decrease in skin pH, which increases the risk of developing diaper rash. Talk to your baby's doctor if he develops gas and diaper rash from diarrhea.
Causes of Gas
Food allergy symptoms can occur in both breast-fed and bottle-fed babies, since what you eat while breastfeeding can reach your baby in the breast milk. Skin rashes, wheezing and gastrointestinal upset, including gas and diarrhea, commonly occur with food allergy. Once your baby starts eating solid food, certain foods such as fruit juice may make him more gassy even if he's not allergic to them.
Causes of Diaper Rash
Babies have sensitive skin; if stool or urine sits on the skin too long, breakdown will often occur. Loose stools can contain alkaline bile salts that increase the risk of developing diaper rash. Acidic substances in juice or foods such as tomato sauce can cause gas and a red, burning rash around the anus. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends not giving juice to infants under age 6 months. At that point, give your child no more than 4 ounces of juice per day.
Preventing Gas and Diaper Rash
Avoiding foods that give your baby gas and diarrhea sounds simple when you're breastfeeding, but pinning down the offenders isn't always easy. Cow's milk is the most common allergen in breastfed babies and the only one proven to cause an allergic reaction in some breast-fed infants, lactation consultant Kelly Bonyaya says on her website KellyMom, making it a logical place to start. Eliminate cow's milk from your diet and see if it helps. If milk isn't the culprit, keep a food diary to help pinpoint what the cause. Keep in mind that a reaction may not occur for between four and 24 hours hours after you eat a food, according to Bonyata.
Treating Gas and Diaper Rash
If your baby already has gas and diaper rash, comfort measures and medications help reduce the pain. For diaper rash, change diapers frequently or leave your baby bare-bottomed to let the air reach the sore areas. Use over-the-counter pastes for diaper rash; in severe cases, your doctor can prescribes a more potent concoction for diaper rash. Use unscented baby wipes since the scented ones may contain irritating perfumes. To soothe a gassy stomach, try a warm bath, which will also help the diaper rash. A gentle stomach massage may also help. Antacid drops made especially for babies may also help, but ask your doctor before using them.
