Do all diaper rashes start out with red bumps?

[mama c.]

This might seem like a silly question, but do all diaper rashes begin with a few red bumps? My 10 month old has always been prone to rashes that always seem to have little red bumps in them. Its always hard to tell if they are yeast related or not. Sometimes theyve cleared up when I treat her for yeast (acidophilus, lotrimin etc) Other times just some air time and calendula cream will do the trick. Early on any diapers with perfumes bothered her, so we only used seventh generation. The rashes seem to have gotten even better since I have switched to mostly cloth diapers ( Im thinking they breathe better) However she has been getting one this week thats localized around her anus which I have heard indicates an allergy of some sort. Is that always the case? She also has a mild rash on her cheeks which comes and goes... Its gotta be related right?. We are still breastfeeding and she is eating any solids she can feed herself. It would be so hard to figure out the culprit if it is indeed an allergy!

[alfabetsoup]

Rashes can start out lots of ways, IME! DD2 is pretty rash-prone. If the rash is just around her anus, I would guess the culprit to be oranges, blueberries, pineapple, tomato--has she been eating any of these? I've found that it doesn't necessarily mean an allergy, just that acidic foods can irritate a bit coming out. A little diaper cream, a little air time, avoid the irritant for a week or so and it'll clear up.

As far as yeast goes, my pedi said that those little red bump rashes can turn into yeast or not--you need to watch out for the rash in the folds of her legs or anywhere that doesn't get a lot of air. If the front-line defense (cream, air time) works, no need to worry about yeast.

The rash on her cheeks could be related, but it could also be from winter dryness. I would keep a close eye on what she eats, maybe even keep a food diary, and see when the rash comes up.

Hope that helps!

[mama c.]

Thank you for responding... you might be right, she did have some blueberry this week! I will have to keep an eye on it!

[kriket]

I've seen rashes start as yellowish skin. or a general pink.

You can just see the skin not being as healthy as it should.