Sadly, there is much misconception about the causes of nappy rash. It is often believed that it is due to wetness of the nappy, but if that were so no children in disposables would ever have nappy rash and all children in cloth nappies would have nappy rash. As you know from your own experience, this is far from the case.

Slapping on the cream does not solve nappy rash if there is an underlying issue which has not been resolved, which seems to be the situation here.

Nappy rash can be caused by many factors, and this link goes straight to our advice page about nappy rash, for you to investigate further, in case my suggestions below do not help.

My guess would be one of three options:

You may not be changing your baby thoroughly (or quickly) enough after he or she has soiled the nappy (as oppposed to wet it) - you do have to be vigilant about this.
Your baby may have a dietary sensitivity somewhere. If it has been a problem since birth, it may well be milk-related.
The most likely option, and the one I would investigate first, is the wipes that you are using. Many many children react to these, and if you look at the list of ingredients on the back, you would understand why! Don't use commercial wipes at all, except when out and about (and look for a Sensitive range). A simple cloth with either water or one of the wash recipes suggested on the site is all that is needed.
Obviously, air on the bottom is also helpful for clearing up nappy rash, though this may not be very practical at this time of year!

Please feel free to e-mail me via the Nappy Lady contact form or via the general contact us link at the top of the page, if you do not get to the bottom of the problem, and I will help you further.

Morag - The Nappy Lady
Resident Nappy Expert for Family and Parenting Magazine