Newborn's frequent dirty diapers

amother

Mon, Feb 27 2023, 4:41 pm

My 3 week old has constant dirty diapers. A few after every bottle (he's bottle fed). I know this is normal for a nursing baby but I've never had it with my formula fed kids. His skin in his diaper area is so red and raw and he is in so much pain when I change him. I spoke to the Dr and although he gave me tips to treat the rash, he doesn't feel the frequency of the dirty diapers is a problem. I don't know if I agree with him. I changed his formula twice but it didn't seem to help. Have you experienced this with your formula fed newborns? Does this seem normal? I feel so terrible for him.

amother

Lightcoral

Mon, Feb 27 2023, 4:42 pm

my baby had the same thing. does ur baby also cry all day? mine was instantly happier when I switched to puramino which is like elacare

amother

Oldlace

Mon, Feb 27 2023, 5:06 pm

I don’t use wipes on my newborns when their diapers are so frequent, only cotton pads and warm water. (Not even the sensitive hypoallergenic wipes) I put on A&D ointment after every change preventatively. I learned to do this the hard way, after my first newborn had such a bad rash that his skin was open and bleeding.

amother

Navy

Mon, Feb 27 2023, 6:29 pm

Put on the thickest layer of diaper rash cream,/vaseline/barrier cream. Change as quick as possible. Wash area with just water and let air dry. These are some ideas. My newborn recently had this. As soon as his digestive system matured a bit diapers were less frequent and rash healed fast. Baby skin heals fast.

amother

Cerise

Mon, Feb 27 2023, 6:31 pm

Pediatrician told me to spread diaper cream thick “like cream cheese”

Also water wipes are supposed to be better for the skin. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07H1NLW4K/

metacognizant

Mon, Feb 27 2023, 6:40 pm

In addition to all the suggestions above, I try to change diapers after every pee, then pat dry with a burp cloth/air dry— make sure the area is completely dry, including inside fat folds and crevices, before you diaper again. You can also let your baby go diaper free for some time, either lying or on your lap on an absorbent pad. Desitin is good but the skin has to be dry before it goes on. I believe probiotics may also help. Lastly if he is making several poops in succession you can try to help him “get it all out” when you change the first poop. Like spread his behind wide open and put his legs in a squatting position while encouraging him to defecate. Sorry if TMI but sometimes it works. Better all in one go than three small dirty diapers in a row. Poor baby. Good luck!

Last edited by metacognizant on Mon, Feb 27 2023, 7:06 pm; edited 1 time in total

amother

Buttercup

Mon, Feb 27 2023, 6:55 pm

amother OP wrote:

My friend just went through this with her baby. Baby was allergic to dairy based formula.Her doctor told her to use alfamino infant formula and she's a different baby, Bh!

amother

Rainbow

Mon, Feb 27 2023, 7:02 pm

amother OP wrote:

its very normal to have a stool with every feed in the beginning. It slows down after a month or two

amother

Foxglove

Mon, Feb 27 2023, 7:20 pm

Another vote for dairy allergy. Doctor became concerned when she had 3 dirty diapers while we were sitting in his office and tested her on the spot. (And this was with neutramagine which only has traces of dairy)

amother

Broom

Mon, Feb 27 2023, 8:47 pm

About the raw skin - what diapers are you using? Some are better for sensitive skin than others. I use pampers for my sensitive skin babies.
(Same for wipes, but other ppl said that already.)