My baby was perfectly diaper-rash free for her first 7 months or so of life, and then all of the sudden one day this wicked-looking rash popped up that formed a red circle/ring around her bum with little white bumps. I did some researching online and found out that such a rash is likely caused by a yeast infection.
I found out from reading in forums online (and later had it confirmed by my dermatologist), that is is okay to put Lotrimin (or a similar brand with 1% clotrimazole) of Athlete's Foot/Jock Itch Cream on a baby's bottom to treat a yeast infection diaper rash (note that this is the exact same ingredient found at 2% strength in many vaginal yeast infection creams). I bought some and put it on every time I changed her diaper. It did cure the rash, but as soon as I would stop using it the rash would come back. My dermatologist said to keep applying the cream 7-10 days after the rash disappeared in order to make sure any leftover germs had died. However, even after 7-10 days the rash would still come back. I tried different diaper rash creams and everything I tried seem to just irritate her more (zinc oxide varieties), until I tried Aquaphor. It helped A LOT. However, the rash still did not go away completely.
Now, back-tracking a bit, when my baby was born my midwife told me to put olive oil on her bum after a diaper change. I had been doing that but then at some point I lost my little olive oil dropper bottle and I stopped using it because the other creams I had were at hand and more convenient. Well, somewhere in the middle of this battle of the diaper rash, I found my olive oil dropper bottle again, and I started putting the olive oil on my baby's bum again. The rash cleared up completely almost immediately and didn't come back, even after I stopped the Lotrimin treatment. I found out later that Olive Oil has a natural antibiotic called squalane, which I suspect is what is helping with the rash, and probably why my baby had never had a diaper rash before I stopped using the olive oil. It's interesting and strange because if I use olive oil anywhere else on my baby (like her torso, neck, etc.), she gets hives from it. But not on her bum.
Nowadays, my regimen includes applying olive oil and Aquaphor at every diaper change. She hasn't had a rash like that again, but little spots have popped up I nip in the bud if I see them. So if I see any little red spot/bump/irritation, I also apply some 1% clotrimazole cream (such as Lotrimin), and sometimes even a little dab of triple antibiotic cream such as Neosporin.
Be careful with diaper rash; if the clotrimazole doesn't clear it up quickly then it's possible the infection could be bacterial, and you'd better see a doctor.
Here is the Mayo Clinic's website on diaper rash which gives a lot of good basic info:
https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/diaper-rash/symptoms-causes/syc-20371636
I also found that gently drying her bum off well with a clean towel or toilet paper before putting on the ointments helps as well (since yeast/fungus loves a moist environment).
Also, changing the baby as soon as possible when he/she poops is very important!
Thanks for reading and best wishes for a comfy-bummed baby!
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