If your baby is suffering from diaper rash, then a sitz bath can be one of the most effective treatments you can do to help heal diaper rash fast.
A sitz bath is a warm bath where you immerse irritated or infected skin in warm water to heal. You can do this in a full bath or for diaper rashes you can just do a tub and do the diaper area in a sitz bath.
What is a Sitz Bath?
A Sitz bath is a type of hydrotherapy used to treat a variety of ailments.
Soaking in warm water relieves itching and burning from hemorrhoids, infections, or after childbirth or surgery. It can also be used to ease pain from an over-active bladder, as well as menstrual cramps.
It is ideal to treat diaper rash from diaper dermatitis or yeast infections because you can just cleanse the diaper area and don’t need to use any toiletries or harsh soaps which may be irritating the rashes further. You will notice quickly with skin problems that you give a sitz bath to that the bright red rashes will heal quite quickly. Always allow a baby to air dry after a bath in lukewarm water and always give increase air exposure between diaper changes to help the skin heal itself.
Sitz Bath for Diaper Rash Materials:
• Baby washcloths
• A basin big enough to hold the baby’s bottom and genital areas, or a bathtub with sufficiently high sides. You can also use your kitchen sink if it’s large enough.
• Warm water, at a comfortable temperature for the baby, but not so hot that it will burn your baby’s sensitive skin.
• Antibacterial soap if you want to use it. You can also try some of the diaper rash ointments for this purpose. We’ve done a whole series of the best baths for diaper rashes, check them out here.
• Towels, to dry the baby’s bottom after the sitz bath.
Do you put anything in a Sitz Bath?
A warm sitz bath is all you need.
If you want to add something, Epsom salts are gentle enough for use on a baby, colloidal oats (check our guide to oatmeal baths for diaper rashes), a few tablespoons of baking soda or apple cider vinegar make great baths additives to help heal diaper rash. All of these will help soothe the baby’s skin, especially if they have irritated skin.
Remember when you are trying to treat diaper rash that diaper wipes used can be the issue. At diaper change time you can do a quick sitz warm bath in the diaper area instead of using baby wipes. You can add in a very mild soap if you want and if its a yeast infection then you can then put on an antifungal diaper cream on the baby’s diaper rash afterwards.
Do you have any other tips for a Sitz Bath?
Make sure for a baby the temperature of the water is just right, not too hot or too cold. You can add in Epsom salt (Epsom salt baths) or have soda baths (guide to baking soda baths) but generally, we would stay clear of essential oils for very young children. Cool water is not good for a young baby.
When putting the diaper back on making sure the skin is dry and use a protective ointment (like zinc oxide) or ever breast milk and put on the diaper loosely to allow the skin to breathe. You can use something natural or something like petroleum jelly.
Air exposure is vital. If it is a bacterial infection then you may need an antibiotic ointment as a proper treatment to prevent secondary infection. Change diapers quickly and hopefully the rash clears in the affected area very quickly.
How Does this Help Heal Diaper Rash?
When you sit in warm water, your pores open up and help cleanse the skin. This helps when you are suffering from deep irritation caused by rashes or when you have used topical treatments for diaper rash that are not giving relief.
You can do this at home with just warm water, but you may find it more comfortable to add a few drops of oil in the water. This will help stop the itch and give your skin some relief from the irritation that comes from diaper rash.
Remember after the warm water cleansing to let the area dry thoroughly before you put back on the cloth diapers or disposable diapers. Diaper free time is great for any skin irritation in the diaper wearing age group. If its a diarrhea rash then it can turn into a severe rash quicte quickly so make sure to change the wet diaper really quickly when you baby has diaper dermatitis.
In Conclusion:
A sitz bath is an easy way to help cure most diaper rashes or other skin irritations. Since it is not too messy, you can do this several times a day with no worries. It’s all part of the process of healing! If your baby has raw skin in the diaper area rash, avoid any additives in the hot water. If your baby has yeast infections then apple cider vinegar has been proven to kill the candida spores on the yeast diaper rash on baby’s skin.
If you’re looking for more information on healing diaper rashes, check these articles out!
Home Remedies for Diaper Rash and Best Baths for Babies with Diaper Rash.
Good luck and happy bathing!
This article was written by: Gian MIller – Full-Time Writer, Baby Whisperer & Dad of 3.
Gian spends a lot of his time writing. A self-proclaimed baby whisperer, Gian has been through it all with his own children and is passionate about sharing his hard-won wisdom with other parents. When he’s not writing or changing diapers, you can find him playing the guitar or watching baseball (or preferably both at the same time).
