What can you do to cure a sore red bum on your child?

Answer 1

If the child has a fever along with the rash, you should seek treatment by a health care professional as soon as possible.

If it is red from a rash like diaper rash, use diaper cream with zinc oxide in it after first cleaning and drying the area very well. It acts as a barrier to prevent the skin from staying moist (which is what allows fungal infections to get started). It can also treat the fungus, but it might take some anti-fungal cream or ointment to get this fought off, if it is a widespread or severe fungal infection. The area may be "cooled down" by application of over the counter cortisone cream or ointment, which will help a diaper rash like it does with any skin rash, like poison ivy.

With fungal skin infections, one of the very first signs is red coloration of the skin that also looks shiny in places. Check for this often and open the area to air as much as possible once it is identified. Look in creases of skin and between legs where things stay most moist. As it worsens, it gets redder and has raised rash-like areas that can eventually open and weep. Keeping the skin clean and dry is important, leave off diapers if possible for air to get to the sore bum for several hours at a time. A fungus grows and spreads in warm moist environments, just what the diapers provide.

If it is not due to a fungal/diaper rash (which children out of diapers can still get in warm moist areas of their skin, like a heat rash), then it should be treated as you would any rash with cortisone creams or calamine lotions. Follow the label directions and if no improvement in the recommended time frames, take the child to the doctor or call the office and speak to a nurse.

Take close note of all the symptoms, how red, how raised, how widespread, what locations, how long has it been a problem, what have you tried so far, etc., so you can describe them to the health care professional in fine detail. You may also want to speak to the pharmacist at the drug store for suggestions of other over the counter treatments, which will vary depending on the symptoms you describe.