Mother Knows Best

Last week, Tory came down with a crazy-bad diaper rash right before I left on my New Orleans trip. Of course these things have a way with timing as I was just about ready to leave her in Andi's care for three days. Up to this point, Tory's never had anything a generous goop of Bordeaux's Butt Paste couldn't cure, but this time was different. She had several days of diarrhea brought on by the impending arrival of her first-year bottom molars and it was irritating her skin faster than we could heal it. The standard tricks of warm baths, changing her diaper frequently, creams and using warm wash cloths in lieu of diaper wipes weren't helping. I called the pediatrician's office on Wednesday, but they weren't much help in suggesting alternatives.

So, I called my mom for advice. Sometimes moms just know the right answer, you know? She reassured me it sounded like teething symptoms to her as well, and ran through a laundry list of remedies I'd already tried. Then she offered an out-of-the box suggestion that worked wonders, so I thought I'd share it here.

"Just trust me," she said. "Take some flour or corn starch and brown it in a skillet, just enough so it turns brown but not burnt." (She always has to give me very detailed directions when it comes to cooking. You'd think common sense would weigh it, but no, not where I'm involved). Then she told me to pat the browned flour or corn starch (I used flour) onto Tory's bottom after I changed her diaper. Actually, she suggested using a pizza or flour shaker to sprinkle it on but I didn't have anything like that at home so I used my fingers  to pat the browned flour generously onto her bottom area.

You guys, IT WORKED. I did exactly as I was instructed and Tory's bottom looked 80% better the next morning. The diaper rash was still there, but hardly as severe as it was the evening before. Isn't that the wildest old wives-tale trick you've ever heard?

Poor Tory endured diaper rash for a few more days unfortunately, as the diarrhea kept on coming. Andi cut her off from dairy products and pumped her full of Pedialyte before it finally healed. He also picked up some Baby Anti Monkey Butt, which is primarily made of corn starch, and that seemed to help as well. Her molar still hasn't pushed through the gums so we're fighting through a few more days of teething around our house. Hopefully the tooth fairy has pity on her little mouth and we'll be in the clear soon.