Allergy to diapers in a child: symptoms, causes and characteristics of treatment

Modern parents often prefer one-time diapers, which greatly simplifies their life and the child. Some of them face such an unpleasant phenomenon as an allergy to diapers. Pampers in this case is not an element of comfort, but the culprit of the deterioration of the baby's well-being. However, you should not completely abandon this product, it's enough just to observe some rules of its use and to know the reasons for the development of allergies.

Advantages of disposable diapers

The advantages of using diapers are undeniable: they simplify the care of the child, save the mother's time and keep the delicate baby skin from moisture. If the product is really quality and it is changed in time, it does not cause redness and irritation. In disposable diapers, the baby sleeps longer than in diapers, because the discomfort from the feces does not bother him.

Allergy to the diaper often occurs when using goods of questionable quality. What features should a good diaper have? First, it must remain dry even after a significant swelling in volume. Secondly, it is better if the product has a minimum perfume (or no flavoring is completely). Thirdly, all materials from which the diaper is made must be certified and safe for the child. All these factors ensure the quality of products and reduce the likelihood of increased sensitivity to the skin of the baby.

What increases the risk of allergy

Diapers of good quality rarely cause unwanted acute reactions from the skin. Their untimely replacement can lead to diaper dermatitis, but this is not at all an allergy to the diaper, as many people think. Inflammation of the skin in this case arises from prolonged contact with feces and overheating, which lead to reddening and the appearance of wet, painful elements.

So whether there can be an allergy on diapers, or any reddening and a rash are simply symptoms of dermatitis? In most cases, the discomfort is caused by the prolonged stay of the baby in the diaper and its untimely replacement. However, the allergy to diapers does happen, and it manifests itself almost immediately after contacting the product with the baby's skin.

How to change the diaper correctly

The skin of the baby, especially in the first three months of life, is very tender and prone to irritation with the appearance of the slightest provoking factor. Change diapers to a child in this period should be every 2-3 hours, regardless of the degree of its fullness. At the older age, this can be done a little less often, making sure that the surface of the product is not wet. After the act of defecation at any age, the pampers are changed immediately.

To avoid the development of redness and allergies for hygienic toilet of intimate organs, it is better to use clean running water without soap and cosmetics (even children's). It is undesirable to apply wet wipes, since their impregnation can react with the diaper filler and cause an allergic reaction. The skin should not be rubbed with a washcloth or towel, it only needs to be gently soaked to dry it. Ideally, when changing diapers, arrange a 10-minute air bath so that the genital area is free and "breathing".

Allergy to diapers: symptoms and symptoms

The first sign of any discomfort in a newborn is irritated behavior and crying. This is a protective reaction of the body, which allows the child to "tell" parents that something is bothering him. When examining the skin under the diaper, you can see such symptoms:

• Redness and slight swelling of the skin in places of contact with the diaper;
• A small rash of red color;
• Peeling spots that can be replaced by wetting inflammatory elements.

Knowing how an allergy to diapers manifests, you can quickly navigate in this situation and seek help from a pediatrician.

First aid

If the parents notice the alarming signs of an allergy, first of all the baby's skin needs to be freed from the diaper. After this, the affected area should be carefully considered in order to understand the nature of the rash and assess the overall severity of the condition. It is advisable immediately to wash the child with running water to wash off the remnants of allergens. After that it is important to leave the skin briefly open in the fresh air.

In no case can the same kind of diapers be used, since repeated contact with an allergen can cause a more serious reaction. Before consulting a doctor, you can treat the skin with universal means that do not harm in any situation (for example, Sudocrem, Desitin). On this day, when bathing a baby, you can not use herbs and cosmetics, because they can cause a cross response of the body.

Action plan

When any rash, swelling and redness of the baby appears, it is necessary to show the pediatrician. He will examine the child and confirm (or refute) the diagnosis of "allergy to diapers". In time, the prescribed treatment allows avoiding serious complications and a protracted course of the pathological process.

For drying of inflammatory elements, the child can be prescribed external means based on zinc. They need to be applied after each change of the diaper during an air bath. Before you put on a new diaper, you need to wait for the full absorption of these drugs. To restore the over-dried skin, the pediatrician can recommend "Bepanten" or an ointment with similar properties.

In some cases, with pronounced symptoms, local treatment with hormonal ointments is required (they should be selected only by a doctor). In order not to harm the baby, self-medication with such drugs is unacceptable.

Allergies in children: diapers are to blame?

Manifestations of an allergy, which has arisen because of different factors, are very similar to each other. But if on the day of the symptoms the child did not try new food and his skin was not lubricated with unusual cosmetic means, then, most likely, it's a diaper case. Allergy to diapers can occur even for the kind of product that parents use for a baby for a long time. This can be due to 2 reasons:

• Purchase of counterfeit or defective products;
• Change the manufacturing technology of old original diapers.

A banal moisturizing lotion, which the manufacturer can add as an innovation for the usual version of diapers, often causes allergies or skin irritation in children.

What can not be done

Allergy to the diaper with proper treatment and further preventive care is not something terrible. But there are things that can aggravate its course and seriously worsen the health of the baby. Therefore, for allergies, it is important to adhere to the following recommendations:

• You can not squeeze pimples and comb the inflammatory elements on the skin;
• Do not need to treat the affected areas with iodine, potassium permanganate and zelenka (this will not hasten the treatment in any way, it will only cause pain to the child);
• It is important not to engage in self-medication (especially for antibacterial and hormonal drugs for external use).

It does not make sense to abandon disposable diapers of other companies, for which the child does not have allergies. They provide much more hygienic conditions than similar products made from gauze and cotton wool, besides they allow the baby to stay dry longer.

The difference between allergies and diaper rash

Noticing redness on the baby's pride, probably, any mom ever thought about what an allergy to diapers looks like and is not it? This condition young parents are often confused with diaper rash, although there are clear differences between them:

• When allergies are most often observed a small-point rash, and with diaper rash the skin is wet, red and hot when touched;
• The appearance of wet skin cracking with small ulcers is rarely a symptom of an individual reaction to a diaper (most often this condition is a consequence of overheating of the child and irritation of the skin from contact with urine and feces);
• If the redness is localized only in the folds of the skin, then, most likely, it is about diaper rash.

Prevention

To foresee everything and protect the child from various dangerous situations is difficult. But in the case of diapers, you can minimize the risk of allergies. To do this, it is desirable to change the brand of the product infrequently. If the baby is comfortable in diapers, and they arrange their parents for the price, then do not experiment. It is advisable to purchase them in proven locations (and even better - in stores of the same network). This will protect against buying counterfeit. Low-price and suspiciously cheap diapers cause allergies and irritations much more often than quality analogues.

In any, even the most comfortable diapers, a child should not be around the clock. It is advisable to hold at least 2 times a day air baths, which, in addition to preventing diaper rash and allergies, promote hardening of the body. Do not neglect water procedures and overheat the child. These actions increase the risk of allergic reactions to various factors, including diapers.