Bepanthen Nappy Rash Ointment Review – Protecting baby bums

*sponsored product review*

Today, I am going to talk about my fatter kid. You see, having had a skinny first kid for the longest time ever since Jerry is born.. there are some issues that I never quite experienced with him.

Fat folds.

Totally unheard off in Jerry’s times. He was a little chubby in the cheeks and face, but he never ever had fat folds. He was lean and lanky, and had me worrying about him being underweight all the time.

Jerome is the opposite. He was chunky, bordering near the 100 percentile or over, loads of fat folds (neck, pits, thighs etc). It makes bathing him a little challenging and a wee bit more time consuming.

But you know what is the issue that I very often battle with? Skin irritation at the groin area, mainly caused by moisture being trapped between his skin folds, a result of being too chubby. He doesn’t get the usual diaper rash, in fact, his bum is pretty smooth and dry mostly and I really love the diapers he is currently on (read about my choice of diapers here). All points of contact with the diapers are mostly problem-free. The key issue is this (sorry, I just had to show a picture).

Skin irritation at the folds at the groin area, a place that It is super hard to reach, even when I need to clean him. Some of you may say this is a diaper rash too, but I don’t agree because the skin at the contacts points with is totally fine. If you look carefully, the folds on both left and right side is equally inflamed. The issue mostly stems from him having chubby legs and being generally meaty, and space is just, errr… tight at the groin area. The skin just sticks together very closely and cleaning it can be quite a hassle. I had to pin Jerome down and stretch his legs numerous times in order to take this picture. The diaper does not catch urine that would potentially flow into that little groove especially when he is lying down. Some days it is better, other days are just plain bad. It really depends on how well that area is being cleaned and most of than not, its is not because a struggling baby and having to pry the skin fold long enough to clean proper is really tough work.

We have been battling this issue for a while on and off. It’s not an everyday thing that he gets that, but when he does, it’s heart wrenching to see it and it pains me to no end. I have tried quite a few nappy rash cream to tackle the issue and Bepanthen Nappy Rash Ointment is one of those I tried recently and quite like it.

This is the sample sized ones that I got and I was hoping that it is something that doesn’t just heals, but helps to prevent as well. Am really glad that this was introduced to me.

The Bepanthen Nappy Rash Ointment does not contain fragrances, colourants and preservatives, and claims to heal cracked nipples during breastfeeding. I didn’t have any cracked nipples to try on (oops, is it too much info?), but I really like the texture of the ointment. It also contains 5% of dexpanthenol as the active ingredient which is a pro-vitamin B5 that is known for its skin healing and repairing properties. It has also been clinically proven to both prevent and treat nappy rash.

The ointment glides easily on my hand, which makes application easy. Some of the thicker creams I have used are very thick and makes spreading the cream a little harder than this. The ointment in this case, can cover quite a big area with just a wee bit of it.

The feeling of the ointment isn’t sticky. It spreads easily and the skin feels totally comfortable and breathable. You know how some creams feel ok to wear but icky to touch. Although this is oily, it doesn’t feel yucky and my fingers just glides along on the surface of the ointment. Since this is used at an area where abrasion is likely to be high, I really like the texture of it.

Because of its higher oil content, I find that it repels water from the skin very effectively as well, which helps to minimize contact between the urine and the skin on Jerome’s groin area, and that really helped prevent the condition from worsening.

I also like that it heals the affected area really fast. Only after 2 applications, the irritated skin looks so much better. Look at the picture below, don’t you agree? I didn’t even apply after every diaper change since the kid isn’t with me during the times where I work. I only apply once a day when Jerome has his last diaper change of the day before he heads off for bed. On weekends, he gets an additional coat after his day bath and that’s about it! No more angry flares on the skin.

I guess the picture pretty much says how I find the ointment.

By the way, do you know…..?

1. A thin, layer of protective ointment is  more than sufficient to protect your baby’s bum from nappy rash and it allows the skin to breathe. You don’t actually need a thick layer so apply sparingly.
2. It is not recommended for a baby’s product to contain fragrances, preservatives or sensitizers as it may potentially “agitate” the baby’s delicate skin. Topical applied ingredients (cream/lotions etc)  are 7 times more concentrated when absorbed into newborns than adults for a given area and it increase the risk of accumulation of topically applied ingredients in newborns. SO, MORE is NOT necessary GOOD.

I also found out the difference between ointment, creams and lotions and thought I’ll pass on the knowledge. You’re welcome.

Ointments contain more oil molecules than water. Upon application, the water particles will evaporate leaving the oil behind on the skin to moisturize the affected area. The oil becomes a thin film and acts as a protective layer and therefore, a lot more moisturizing. It is more effective for a concentrated area that requires a high level of moisture. It usually contains little or no preservatives due to the oil content.

Cream/Lotions contain more water molecules than oil and is effective for large surface area that does not require high levels of moisture. It is good for daily moisturizing and for larger surface area, but most often contains preservatives in its formula (!!!).

This little tidbit of information makes me look at the ointments and creams and lotions that I currently have in the household a little differently now!

If your kiddo is battling diaper rash or is very prone to it, I do suggest that you request for a Bepanthen Nappy Rash Ointment sample and try it out for yourself. It’s at no cost to you to try and maybe like me, you might like it too. The sample sized tubes are also light and compact to bring along when we are out cos it is a really small and handy tube, but can last quite a while.

The Bepanthen Nappy Rash Ointment also won a Gold Award in Australian’s Mother & Baby Magazine Award last year, which to me, says a lot about the product.

Bepanthen Nappy Rash Ointment retails for $8.50 for each 30g tube in Singapore and you can read more about it on their website.

Now, here’s where I think the product should improve at. I don’t like that the cap is a separate piece from the tube and that it is screwed on. Many a times, I unscrew the cap to use and place it at the side of the baby, only have the baby grabbing for it and making a beeline into his mouth. *shudders* Thankfully, I’m often faster and I know better to keep it away from the baby now. Also, because of the screw cap, it often takes me a few seconds longer to unscrew the cap, and the next thing I know.. my baby scampers away! I wish that the cap could be the type where it is screwed on with a flip cap so that I could quickly get the ointment out  in double quick time. That, honestly, is my only grouse about the product. The ointment works really well on Jerome.

Are you a user of Bepanthan Ointment as well? Do share your experience by leaving me a comment, or you could tell me what are the brands you are using/like and why. Would love to hear about everyone’s choices.

Disclaimer: This product review post may be a compensated post, but it does not alter my original views and thoughts about the product. I received a few sample sized products for the review and had two whole months to try the product. All thoughts and opinions in post are my own based on the samples I received.