Fat Baby with lots of skin folds

[debsmooth]

I have a very chubby and happy 2.5 month old who is exclusively BF. She's over 14 pounds now and is...well...she's fat. Neck folds, many chins, folds around her arms, wrists, legs and ankles. And those folds get nasty! If she is not bathed daily she gets this cheesy stuff in some of those folds and it is gross! Is this normal and what can I do to keep her and her weird skin folds clean and sweet smelling, other than bathe her? I know we don't use powder on babies anymore but wonder if there is anything else I can do. Poor kid. She's truly a chubtastic little baby.

[Jacksmommy]

My baby had those creases, too. I just used baby lotion on him. If the creases got irritated - especially his neck seemed to do so, I used desitin or A&D ointment on him. Really the most important thing I found was keeping those areas dry. Dry them well after baths and any time baby drools or sweats in those places. I also used cetaphil when bathing him. It protects better I think than using a baby wash.

[jacksonsmommy]

Or you could try a dove sensitive skin bar. I also don't see a problem with using a cornstarch based powder.

[cherryzz]

I too have that issue with her neck folds. I use A&D or destin on it when it gets red. It works. She has to have it cleaned every day.. She just has a double chin the res of her seems fine..

[suzabanana]

We have a specific issue with neck & armpits folds getting cheesy - it literally smells like aged goat cheese! I clean the folds with a damp, cosmetic wedge-shaped sponge & dry with a tissue every morning and do the same after the evening bath. If we miss a day, it gets red & cheesy! My pedi said it didn't look that bad & will get better as she becomes more vertical, but if it really bugs me to use Lotramin AF on it. It works, but it freaks me out a little, so I haven't used it more than a couple times.
Good luck with your cheesemaker!

[debsmooth]

We have a specific issue with neck & armpits folds getting cheesy - it literally smells like aged goat cheese!

My gosh, how I laughed at that. Yes! It surely does smell like either goat cheese or a homeless person. I was bathing her every other day and by the time she was due for her bath she stunk bigstyle. And trust me, I clean her with great care and attention to detail. Just amazed at how chubby she is and the hygiene issues that come with the chub.

[Nipple_nectar]

John & Johnson has replaced all of their standard powder with cornstarch instead of talcum powder. The talcum powder was causing respiratory distress for a lot of babies and they found that talcum was the source of that in a combination with mom often producing a cloud of talcum while shaking the bottle so closely to baby during application.

Now, the cornstarch can be an irritant as well, so, they recommend that you gently shake a small amount in your hand away from baby and then apply as needed. Under these circumstances, there is generally no cloud. Cornstarch is heavier and has been used for decades, right along side of talcum.

You have to be careful because you can still find talcum in dollar stores, as it is mass produced in other countries with less stringent guidelines for babies and imported here, it is completely safe for use in adults.

With all that said, it is an excellent product for eliminating the funk! My babies always had multiple folds in the neck area and DD1 was actually prone to growing yeast in those folds rather quickly, that is the stink you smell, blech! Cornstarch applied to these areas will keep it dry and clean:) Apply at every diaper change, if necessary.

[debsmooth]

Thanks! Excellent advice from everyone.

[gravel10]

1st I must tell you I LOVE CHUBBY BABIES.... oh yummy they are. My lil girl had super chucky thighs she even got a yeast inection unfer her 30 chins from milk getting trapped.
I use Cornstarch pwd, jsut makes sure she dont inhale it. I use it all the tme , it is so effective in keeping her dry.
I also switched to Aveeno and Euccerin.
i love kisses and snuggling with Chubby babies. they are so freaking cute.

[Silly]

I used cornstarch and A&E ointment. It worked really well.