Can Breast Milk Treat Your Baby's Diaper Rash?

You might've heard that breast milk can help treat your baby's diaper rash, but does this natural remedy actually work? We spoke with experts to learn more.

Mother changing infants diaper.

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Diaper rashes aren't any fun, but they're extremely common in infants. In fact, between 7% and 35% of all babies have a diaper rash at any given time.

Most diaper rashes clear on their own with simple treatments—like changing diapers frequently and using a barrier cream—but some parents seek at-home remedies to deal with this common problem. One method you may have seen floating around the internet: using breast milk for diaper rash.

It actually makes sense, considering breast milk has antibacterial and antimicrobial properties. You've probably even heard the expression “put a little breast milk on it” when dealing with cracked nipples, blocked baby tear ducts, inflamed skin, and everything in between.

But is breast milk an effective treatment for your baby's diaper rash? How do you use this natural remedy, and when should you call the doctor instead? Here, we spoke with two breastfeeding specialists to answer your top questions about breast milk for diaper rash.

Can Breast Milk Relieve Diaper Rash?

As it turns out, experts say breast milk can actually relieve some diaper rash symptoms. “Breast milk can be a magical cure for many things. One of those things is diaper rash," says Cindy Rubin, MD, IBCLC, pediatrician and breastfeeding medicine specialist at In Touch Pediatrics and Lactation.

Dr. Rubin says that breast milk has anti-inflammatory properties that can relieve diaper rashes caused by irritation and inflammation. These types of rashes can happen, for example, if your baby has diarrhea, sits in their diaper for too long, or experiences a reaction to a new kind of diaper. “When a diaper rash is mild, it’s worth trying breast milk to see if it can help,” says Dr Rubin.

Jenelle Ferry, MD, neonatologist and director of feeding, nutrition, and infant development at Pediatrix Medical Group in Tampa, Florida, agrees that breast milk has properties that make it a good candidate for healing a diaper rash.

“Breast milk contains multiple bioactive and immunomodulatory components, including white blood cells, stem cells, and growth factors, as well as probiotics or good bacteria,” says Dr. Ferry. “It's likely a combination of some of these active components that work on healing skin and altering the type of bacteria that may be colonizing a rash.”

As Dr. Ferry points out, some studies have shown breast milk to be effective in treating diaper rashes, while others have not displayed such promising results. For example, a 2013 study found that breast milk was as effective as topical hydrocortisone 1% at treating diaper rash caused by dermatitis. In contrast, a study published in 2014 found that breast milk wasn’t superior to barrier creams in treating diaper rash caused by dermatitis; in fact, barrier creams yielded better results than breast milk.

Types of Diaper Rash

According to the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), some types of diaper rash include the following:

  • Dermatitis (usually when a substance causes irritation or the skin is exposed to moisture)
  • Yeast diaper rash
  • Bacterial diaper rash
  • Diaper rash caused by an allergy

Should You Ever Avoid Using Breast Milk?

Breast milk can help certain types of diaper rashes, but you can't rely on it for all types. In particular, a diaper rash caused by yeast infection needs medical treatment, and it's unlikely to be helped by breast milk, says Dr. Ferry. “Yeast generally results in multiple red bumps that form in the warmest, darkest, and wettest places, so it's often seen in the inguinal folds, or the creases on either side of the genitalia where the legs come together,” she describes.

Topical or oral antibiotics may also be necessary for diaper rashes caused by bacterial infection, which is a rare occurrence. Symptoms include bright red skin, yellow crusting, pimples, sores, and drainage.

It's not always possible to know what's causing your baby’s diaper rash. Dr. Rubin says to visit a health care provider if you're using breast milk and it's not working. “I can’t see any reason why putting breast milk on a diaper rash would be harmful, but if it’s not helping the rash within one or two days, then there may be more going on and it may need more than just the breast milk,” says Dr. Rubin.

You should also contact your pediatrician if the diaper rash continues to get worse, or it's associated with fever, discomfort, blisters, sores, or other signs of illness in your baby, adds Dr. Rubin. A prescription medication might be needed.

How to Treat Diaper Rash with Breast Milk

So how exactly can you use breast milk as a diaper rash remedy? Dr. Rubin gives some helpful advice:

  • Breast milk is liquid-y so it can be challenging to apply more than a thin layer on your baby’s tush. This can be remedied by taking about a teaspoon of breast milk, dipping clean fingers into it, and rubbing it over the affected area.
  • Putting a layer of petroleum jelly or zinc oxide cream over the layer of breast milk can “lock it in” and also ensure that it doesn’t get absorbed by your baby’s diaper.
  • Using a thick barrier cream can also help protect your baby’s skin from getting re-irritated from moisture and body fluids during the healing period.
  • Apply breast milk during each diaper change, allowing it to dry before putting on a diaper.

How can you tell if using breast milk for diaper rash is effective? “If any diaper rash treatment is working, you will usually see at least slight improvement within one or two days, or at least it should stop spreading in that amount of time,” explains Dr. Rubin.

Again, if you aren’t seeing improvement within a few days, you should visit a pediatrician. It’s possible that your baby has a type of diaper rash that doesn’t respond to breast milk treatments, or that breast milk alone isn’t enough to treat the rash.

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Sources
Parents uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read our editorial process to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
  1. Assessment Effect of Breast Milk on Diaper Dermatitis. Dermatol Reports. 2017.

  2. Non-Nutritional Use of Human Milk Part 1: A Survey of the Use of Breast Milk as a Therapy for Mucosal Infections of Various Types in Poland. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2019.

  3. Immunomodulatory Properties of Human Breast Milk: MicroRNA Contents and Potential Epigenetic Effects. Biomedicines. 2022.

  4. Assessment Effect of Breast Milk on Diaper Dermatitis. Dermatol Reports. 2017.

  5. Comparison of the effect of human milk and topical hydrocortisone 1% on diaper dermatitis. Pediatr Dermatol. 2013.

  6. Diaper dermatitis care of newborns human breast milk or barrier cream. J Clin Nurs. 2014.

  7. Common Diaper Rashes & Treatments. American Academy of Pediatrics. 2020.

  8. Diaper Dermatitis. StatPearls [Internet]. Updated 2023.

  9. Diaper Dermatitis. StatPearls [Internet]. Updated 2023.

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