If I ignore it, it will go away..

Well, I tried to get a smile, but no luck. Not even contentment. Just a few sneers and even more grimaces.

Turns out, despite the fact that John spent the first three months of his life naked in front of the air conditioner, despite the fact that he would howl in protest if he was out in anything more than a diaper and a paper-thin undershirt (to the horror of old ladies everywhere, who all made chiding comments behind my back.) And despite the father-son snowfort dreams of a northern born-and-bred Dad, snow is a no-go for John.

However Mike is not deterred. "Don't worry - he'll like it when there's more of it." That sounds like faulty logic to me, but I don't want to crush his dreams.

Rash Update:
So, um, it turns out you can't use wipes with a rash. That seems to have been my downfall. And, oh yeah, when they say to use the cream "liberally," they actually mean it - it's not just a ploy to get you to use it up faster. I thought I was being liberal, based on the tiny tube, with its higher than average cost, but it turns out that diaper rash battles are not the time to be frugal.

So, this has been our new Rash Ritual, and after less than a day, the rash is 90 per cent healed:

- Remove old diaper
- Gently squirt area clean with warm clear water from a squirt bottle, so as not to agitate the wound, or disrupt the tender new skin. Swish bottom gently through a soap-free bath, if mess is too much for squirt bottle.
-Very gingerly DAB dry with clean cotton cloth. For gosh sakes DON'T RUB! (See above).
-Air dry for 15 minutes.
- Slather with copious globs of cream. If it isn't all over hands and change mat, there isn't enough.
- Rediaper.
- Wait a few minutes.
- Repeat.

Pre-nap changes are the same, minus the cream and new diaper - he naps naked on a towel. Wow. Do I feel dumb for not knowing all this.

I'm going to chalk this one up to a "learning experience." After all, it's only his second real rash, and only the first requiring treatment. The last one cleared on it own after a couple of days. So wipes are bad - who knew?