Finding a rash on your baby’s or child’s skin can be pretty alarming, and may have you rushing to the GP’s surgery before you can say impetigo!

As a mother of two, I still like to get a rash checked by a doctor, even if it is one I’ve seen several times before, and while the temptation is to assume that a rash can mean meningitis, it is comforting to know that there are multiple other, much less serious causes of rashes in babies and children.

First, there is plain old nappy rash, which children can be particularly prone to developing during illness or teething, when a very acidic deposit can burn sensitive skin in the few seconds it takes to grab the changing bag. Check and change your baby regularly and ask daytime carers to do the same. Also, aim for some nappy-free time during the day if possible.

If your child does develop nappy rash, soothe first with clean, warm water – I like to sit mine in the bath for a few minutes to soak away any remnants that might still be causing pain. Then smother the area with an antiseptic nappy cream such as Sudocrem.

Children are also prone to heat rash, especially when we overzealous mums wrap them up in too many layers! This appears as tiny red bumps or sometimes blisters and can occur when children get hot and sweaty, usually clearing quickly.

Then there are rashes associated with infection. Rashes can be associated with specific viruses such as measles, chickenpox or the hand, foot and mouth virus, or with bacterial infections such as impetigo, all of which your doctor will be able to identify due to their classic appearance.

And, of course, there is meningitis, which can be bacterial or viral, and is strongly associated with a characteristic and distinctive rash and requires immediate treatment.

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Reusable baby wipes sound kinda gross. Actually they’re quite awesome. Or at least in theory.

I have never used reusable wipes but I have a couple of mummy friends who do, and they swear by them.

So I thought I’d investigate.

First and foremost; how do reusable baby wipes work? The standard modus operandi of ‘the reusable wipe’ is as follows:

* The wipes sit in a container filled with approximately 2cm of water and an essential oil blend – and they’re ready to use. Used wipes go in a ‘mucky wipes container’ that is filled with approximately 5cm of water and an essential oil blend that keeps the mucky wipes smelling sweet.

Most start up kits contain a mesh back that sits in the mucky wipes container and saves you having to touch the used wipes – thank goodness!

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Our Mummy Blogger post of the week goes to Bloggomy, by Louise.

You can’t put a value on experience and this blogger has had tons! a Full time Mum to 4 children. They are 19, 11, 9 and the smallest was born in October 2010….

Enjoy the post on ‘If it isn’t broken‘.

As a Mum of 4 multi-generational (thanks for the term Wendy) children a lot has changed in terms of pregnancy and childcare advice and products since I was first pregnant 20 years ago.

Even the pregnancy notes that you carry around have changed from a small cardboard sheet in a cardboard sleeve from my first pregnancy to the huge A4 folder you have these days.  One of the few things that have changed is the Bounty information packs that you receive when pregnant, as you have your baby, and then in the months after.  They contain leaflets, money off vouchers,  product samples and a great Bounty book with all sorts of helpful information in.

Sadly most of the money off vouchers are for disposable nappies (no good for us real nappy users) and I would really like to see some incentive included for those choosing the non-disposable route.  The one product that I keep and always use from the packs is the small handy sized pot of Sudocrem Nappy Rash Cream.

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Our Mummy Blogger post of the week goes to Nicci for her Bubbaloves blog.

Bubbaloves is a nice refreshing take on the joys of parenting. In the post below, she talks of the pain of ‘Sleepless nights and Restless days‘.

sleepless nights, restless days

I think all mums and dads know the feeling where they really have pleaded for just 5 more minutes in bed, the nights where their gorgeous little man, or beautiful little princess has kept them awake, thinking its playtime at 3 am , or even when little ones so tired but can’t sleep due to pain from teething, colic or nappy rash!?!

What’s a mum to do? With my first born, whenever he woke up he just wouldn’t settle back to sleep, we both worked full time at the time and it was much easier to place him into our bed, where he would drift back to sleep and we could catch a few more hours of much needed rest.

It was a fantastic short term solution, but thinking back it was a massive mistake.

Bradley my son got so used to sharing our bed he would point blank refuse to go into his cot, my second bundle of joy came along when Brad was 1 year old and there was no way i was making the same mistake with her.

From the moment we arrived home i set a routine and stuck to it. Afternoon naps, strict bedtime and HER OWN BED!

My daughter took to her routine with ease and slept through most nights from being newborn, It was the complete opposite to my son.

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