Tips on how to treat a yeast diaper rash when Nystatin doesn’t work. You’ll see incredible results in 24 hours and it will be completely gone in 3 days. You’ll need Monistat 7, diaper rash cream, water wipes and a towel.
How to Get Rid of Yeast Diaper Rash
Since she was a baby my daughter has been prone to diaper rash. Even though we change her often, her sensitive skin sometimes can’t handle the littlest bit of moisture, and we end up with diaper rash. We’ve been working on combating diaper rash for a while now, but then there was a new enemy in town – Yeast Diaper Rash!
We treated our daughter’s yeast diaper rash with Monistat cream. We saw amazing results in 24 hours and it was completely gone in 3 days. I’m sharing this with you because I know how hard baby yeast infection can be to get rid of!

What is yeast diaper rash?
Babies and toddlers can develop a diaper rash caused by yeast, more specifically candida. This yeast grows in warm, moist places, a perfect location can be found in your baby’s diaper.
Symptoms of Yeast Diaper Rash
Sometimes it’s hard to differentiate between regular diaper rash and a yeast diaper rash, but for me, there’s a few sure signs to tell you it’s yeast growing:
- The area is not just red, it’s filled with raised areas, including blisters and sores.
- The area looks scaly and red.
- The rash looks like it’s spreading. Yeast is a fungus and it grows. Overnight you might notice more red bumps, starting to spread.
- Diaper rash cream doesn’t make it go away. When my daughter had a yeast diaper rash, we thought it was just a regular diaper rash so we treated it with diaper cream. Then it got worse really quickly.
When Nystatin doesn’t work for diaper rash
We took our daughter to the pediatrician and she quickly confirmed that it was yeast and that we should apply nystatin for diaper rash. So we followed the instructions, but nothing was working. In fact, it seemed to be getting worse and spreading slightly outside the diaper area.
Nystatin and clotrimazole (aka Lotrimin) and antifungal cream for babies are often prescribed for yeast diaper rashes, but often times they don’t work. The quicker you can notice these aren’t making a difference, the quicker you can start a new method that is actually going to relieve your child (and yourself) of this pesky yeast diaper rash.
Monistat for Diaper Rash
Monistat solved all our yeast diaper rash miseries, leading me to write this blog post so you wouldn’t have to deal with it! Monistat (Miconazole) is a treatment to help fungal infections and vaginal yeast infections in women. If you’re a woman, you probably have used this at one time in your life. This helpful cream is not only great for Mom, but for your child’s yeast issues too.
Here’s what you need to treat yeast diaper rash:
- Monistat 7
- Diaper Rash Cream (whatever your choice is, we like Triple Paste)
- SENSITIVE! Wipes (we like Water Wipes)
- Lots of cloth towels

A little more detail about each:
Monistat sells so many varieties (so my husband tells me when he searches for it at the drug store!), but you’re looking for Monistat 7.
Inside the box you’ll find applicators and cream. THROW AWAY THE APPLICATORS. You won’t be needing those! The only thing you need is the cream that comes in a tube.
Although we want to keep the diaper area as dry as possible, we do to clean it. I recommend Water Wipes, which are 99.9% water. We started using these immediately when my daughter got her first diaper rash, and will never go back to other wipes. Regular wipes have chemicals in them, and that will BURN your little one’s area when they have diaper rash. Seriously, they will scream and you both will cry.
Alternatively you can just use water and a towel. This is the cheapest and most eco friendly method!
You’ll need lots of towels for a few things. One, after I wipe my baby, I like to pat her down with a towel. She can’t always run around naked to air out (more about that below), so the towel makes sure she’s completely dry before her diaper goes back on. Yeast grows in moist places, so you want to keep it dry. Also, yeast spreads! Never use the same towel twice, make sure to wash it!
Secondly, you need a towel to get the Monistat off your hands after you apply it.
I find that if you want to make it easy, without all the laundry washing, you can use a CLOTH paper towel. I recommend Viva, they’re cloth and as soft as a towel.
Lastly, you’ll need a diaper rash cream. While Monistat is killing the yeast, you’ll also want to create a barrier to fight against moisture that can make the area worse. Use whatever diaper cream you want, A+D, Destin, Butt Paste, Burt’s Bees, etc etc etc. We personally love Triple Paste, it’s a little more expensive than other brands but it has worked the best for us.
OK FINALLY THE TIME HAS COME!
Treatment for Yeast Diaper Rash
Time to get rid of Yeast Diaper Rash! You know the tools you need, so here’s what you’re going to do. This method works for both a baby and toddler yeast infection.
Every Diaper Change: Apply Monistat 7 after EVERY diaper change. You want to cover the area completely, so use it liberally. You should see results in less than 24 hours, and it should be almost completely gone within 72 hours.
Naptime and Bed Time: Apply Monistat 7 and diaper rash cream at naptime and bedtime. First put on the Monistat 7, then put on the diaper rash cream. They’re going to rub together and your fingers will be a mess, that’s fine. We do this at nap time and bed time because they will be sitting in a wet diaper for longer periods of time.
Every Diaper Change: Clean your baby up using either a Water Wipe or wet cloth. Then dry the area either naturally or with a towel. Once dry, continue putting on the Monistat cream.
Example Schedule:
7:30AM change – Wet Wipe, Dry, Monistat 7
9:00AM change- Wet Wipe, Dry, Monistat 7
11:00AM change -Wet Wipe, Dry, Monistat 7
1:00PM – NAP TIME – Wet Wipe, Dry, Monistat 7, Diaper Rash Cream
3:00PM change -Wet Wipe, Dry, Monistat 7
5:00PM change -Wet Wipe, Dry, Monistat 7
7:00PM – BED TIME – Wet Wipe, Dry, Monistat 7, Diaper Rash Cream
Other tips to help get rid of Yeast Diaper Rash
Here’s some other tips that might speed up the process of getting rid of a baby yeast infection.
As soon as you see they’re wet, change them. Be overly liberal with changing them. If you’re going out for the day, wear a easy outfit to change.
When it’s bath night, give your little one a baking soda bath. Pour 2 tablespoons of baking soda in the bath water. While we’re on the bath subject, stay clear of products that might irritate your little one’s skin, like bubble bath and chemical heavy soap.
Air them cheeks out! Get ready for a naked baby. I know that letting your child run around your home naked isn’t the easiest things (hi accidents!), but airing their skin is important. Even an hour a day of naked time will help clear up the diaper rash quicker.
Eat yogurt! Your child probably already loves yogurt, so this is going to seem like a treat to them! Yogurt is a probiotic so it will naturally help get rid of new yeast.
I hope this post helped you get rid of yeast diaper rash! If you like my Mom tips, follow me on Instagram!
DISCLAIMER: IF YOUR CHILD SHOWS ANY SIGNS OF GETTING WORSE, CONTACT YOUR DOCTOR IMMEDIATELY! I’m not a Doctor, or a nurse, or a medical practitioner of any kind. I’m just a Mom, sharing my tips and methods on what worked best for my child. Talk to your Pediatrician first.
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Ruth says
Thank you! It worked 👏
Pamela Reed says
Yay! So happy to hear it worked for you!
Kristy P says
Do you use the monistat for all 7 days? Or only until the yeast infection rash goes away? I assume its like any other medication where you need to complete all days so it doesn’t come back? Thoughts? Thank you! And thank you for this article!
Amber says
Ahh, the monistat completely cleared a gruesome rash in two uses! But then I put him to bed, and when he got back up, it was back..just not as bad. Like he has the yeast sores, but the redness hasn’t come back. I’m on my third day, and it didn’t go back away, again. I’m so sad, because we’ve been fighting this for over a month, and nothing natural or anything from the dr helps. :,(
Soyoung says
How’s your LO now? We have been fighting for almost a month now.. this method seemed like working but it came back.. I am desperate atm..
Tina Chen says
Can you explain why you only use triple paste before nap and bedtime? What if I want to use it every time ontop of the Monistat 7 to protect his butt from poop and shield from moisture? Is that not a good idea cuz its constantly sealing the skin and not letting it breathe? Thanks
Ayana Haaruun says
Thank you for this post! I switched to the Monistat and saw improvement. But what really expedited things was adding a tea tree oil wash and using petroleum jelly instead of diaper rash cream. I mixed 5 dropped of tea tree oil with 4 cups of water and dipped a washcloth. I used that to wipe her during diaper changes. I let the tea tree mixture air dry before adding monistat. Then adding the petroleum jelly. With the monistat, tea tree wash and petroleum jelly—I saw immediate results.
Naru K says
Thank you soo much for sharing this with everyone. Her rash cleared up sooo easily and quickly. I just wish I hadn’t spent a whole week waiting for Nystatin to work.
Petra says
I bought a bunch of baby wash cloths to dry babies butt after using water wipes. Do I have to wash the rags a certain way to kill the yeast or is it okay to just wash on hot?
Nancy says
Thank you for this!! I started airing my 5 month old out yesterday and today used the Nystatin with aquaphor diaper rash cream so hoping for the best. I’m gonna now go read your blog on homemade baby food recipes.
Faith Graves says
Thank you so much for this post! You saved my baby’s bottom! We had been fight a yeast injection for many weeks with no relief. We tried nystatin cream and po liquid, which seems to make it worse and also clotrimazole cream (doctor’s suggestion). I was out of options and frustrated when I came across this post. I went out immediately and bought literally everything suggested and within 24 it was a 100% better and completely gone in a few days! I can not say enough good things about this post! I will definitely be sharing with all the girl moms I know! Thank you, thank you, thank you!
Serina Latta says
Just wanna say thank you for not keeping this all to yourself. My daughter got her 2 month shots which made her poop 4/5 times a day which took a toll on her bottom area. She had a yeast rash going on 3 weeks now, tried 2 prescribed creams and even foot cream (lotrimin) nothing helped! I was literally desperate at this point she wasn’t in any pain; and it wasn’t spreading but it wasn’t getting better either. Purchased the monistat I already had the other ingredients at home, and it hasn’t even been 24 hrs and it’s cleared up. Thank you!!
Laura says
Hi, question. Is there a reason why you use Monistat 7 instead? That seems to be an application for 7 days but there is also 3 and 1. Why not use extra strength Monistat 1? Just curious if it would be too strong for a baby’s bottom..
Lauren says
Wanted to say thank you so much after using the Nystatin for 4 days and seeing little improvement I was desperate I stumbled across this and thought what the heck I will try anything at this point this evening will make 3 days of this treatment and the rash is almost completely gone thank you so much
Dawn Lynch says
I mixed the monastat and paste in small bowl then used back of plastic spoon to apply, works great and no mess with fingers!
Jessica says
Do you run the monistat in to the skin until it disappears or do you leave it on the way diaper cream is applied?
Pamela says
I leave it messy, so it doesn’t disappear.
Angie Cazares says
Hi, my baby is only 2 weeks old. We tried nystatin from the doctor and it looks to be getting worse 🙁 do you think it would be ok to try your method on my child?
Jemissa Van Hoy says
Did you just use the monistat until the yeast rash was gone or until the tube was gone? Also any reason in your mind to use a store brand instead of the monistat brand? Thx!
Jemissa Van Hoy says
Oops meant to say any reason why you couldn’t use a store brand of monistat instead of Monistat brand?
Pamela says
I use it until the rash is gone, and then I save the Monistat for using again if another rash appears. You don’t need to throw it away, save the tube as Monistat is pricey. 🙂 You can use the store brand, just make sure the ingredients/amounts are exactly the same as Monistat brand.
Jemissa Van Hoy says
Thanks so much! Praying this gets rid of it!
Krystal says
This monistat and diaper cream WORKED. Thank you so much!
Pamela says
Hey Krystal, I’m so happy to hear it worked for your little one! Thanks for commenting and letting me know! 🙂
Pearl says
My baby has this yeast rash and it’s been killing me I’m so frustrated with this I’m now trying this treatment I really hope it works cause me and my son needs this rash to be gone , I need to see it finally getting better rather than worst I’ve been trying everything !
Tina Chen says
Did it work?
Eileen says
Hi!
Did you notice your daughter’s rash get worse before it got better?
Thanks.
Pamela says
Hey Eileen, once I start applying Monistat, it only gets better- never worse. If you see it getting worse, I’d head to the Doctor to get it looked at. Hope this helps!
Kelsey says
Hi! So my son has had a yeast infection in his armpits for A LONG TIME. We are currently on round 2 of nystatin and it’s still not clearing up. Do you think I can do the monistat will work in this situation? Skip the diaper cream? Thanks!
Mary says
Hi yea the monistat will work the same i use it under my armpits and breast to kill yeast from antibiotics