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Dr Catherine
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Girl
8-15 years

My 12 year old daughter wets almost every night and has done so for around a month now. We are working with other methods to try and get her dry, but she still wears and wets Drynites most nights. Should I be using baby powder or lotion to prevent any sort of skin irritation? I worry about her lying in a wet nappy for the whole night most nights of the week - particularly considering she is mostly responsible for taking care of her own hygiene (showering in the morning etc.) and she can be quite lazy in the mornings (leaving on her wet Drynight on weekend mornings). If so, which would be more effective - powder or lotion?

Dear Jessica, if your daughter has particularly sensitive skin she may be more prone to developing a rash in response to any urine that stays on her skin. DryNites are designed to draw the urine away from the skin so this would only happen if her DryNites were particularly full. Typically it is not necessary to use either powder or a barrier cream however if you were concerned about potential sensitivities then I would use a natural barrier cream like paw paw cream or sorbolene. I found paw paw cream good for treating nappy rash with my own children. Barrier creams of course will not replace the need for a good personal hygene routine. Encourage her to change her DryNites as soon as she wakes in the morning as this will also ensure her skin does not become irritated in anyway. My apologies for the delay in responding. All the best! Regards, Dr Cathrine