I had just gone through my last shaker bottle of baby powder and had no car to go out and get some for the week. I was not sure what to do and in desperation, I read the ingredients of the baby powder I had been using. When I saw the ingredients were simply cornstarch, some preservative, and scent, I decided I would try the basics. Boy was I surprised! Performance Whenever I get an empty powder container that needs refilling, I use the cornstarch to replace what is inside and it is very effective against diaper rash and even chafing for adults. The hard part is that the cornstarch is often not cleaned up off our floor which is granite. That can lead to some pretty slick floors and that is a problem for us here. As the kids got older, it was not too bad, but if someone didn't pay attention and clean it up, I was usually the one that took the fall and it was not easy. Not to mention that all baby powders are like this, not just cornstarch. Also, if you are not careful, this can poof up and get into your lungs and you do not want that to happen to you or baby. It does cause problems over time- I know from experience. All in all, however, this is the most economical way to battle chafing and rashes although it does not really take care of heavy bad rashes in my experience. It does help the pain some from rubbing though until the rash clears up. For really bad rashes, I prefer using Burts Bees Baby Bee Diaper Cream. That does clear up some pretty difficult rashes quite nicely. But for small rashes or to prevent them from forming, cornstarch often does the trick.

Caprig

Podunk, NY

We received a lot of cornstarch baby powder when we had our first child. I knew not to use talc and thought that cornstarch powder was just fine...until I looked at the ingredients. They all had parfum/fragrance in them!! This is not a good ingredient and is an ingredient I strive to avoid in my child's products (and my own). So I started just buying regular cornstarch at the store and refilling the containers I already had with store cornstarch. I've been doing this for over a year now, and it works great! The cornstarch works really well to help keep the diaper area dry and rash-free. We use cloth diapers, and there aren't a lot of rash creams you can use with cloth diapers, so I rely on cornstarch to help, and it does. We also make sure to use it after a bath so that we know those little leg folds in the diaper area are going to get dry and not stay wet or get a rash. We have some small sprinkle containers that we take for travel and a large one we keep in the baby's room.

cjnm

Loveland, CO

Corn starch, when used as a diaper rash treatment or prevention, works by absorbing moisture, and reducing friction.  You probably already have some in your house, and it's easy to keep a little bowl by your change table, and sprinkle a bit on your baby's bottom as needed.  It's unscented, very cheap, and non-toxic if your baby manages to ingest some.  In our experience, corn starch doesn't do too much once a rash is serious, but it can help bring down a bit of redness, or prevent it from really starting.  It's not greasy, so you don't need to wipe it off your hands, or scrub it off, but it can leave a white trail on the floor if your not careful.  It's also slippery if you spill it on a hard surface.  This is a basic, useful, often overlooked item new parents should remember to take out of the pantry, and experienced ones should remember to keep using.  Keeping a bit in an old makeup powder case might make it easier to use, too.

ilikebirds

Maricopa, AZ