Keeping dry

I did not try any of those medications. I took Benadryl (and ibuprofen) orally for the itching at night, and used an ice pack on the area which helped a lot.

I think the key is to identify underlying causes. Does your daughter have diarrhea/leaky stools, or is she on her period (which causes increased bowel movements)? Not much to be done about menstruation except wait it out (and use tampons instead of pads, which make the area damp and warm which worsens itching and irritation), but for the former, increase soluble fiber and other foods that firm the stool (I am a firm believer, so to speak, in my daily banana!), and reduce insoluble fiber (no prunes etc.!).

She should only be wiping with baby wipes (pref unscented, for sensitive skin)--maybe even use her hand and water, at least after the initial wipe, to avoid irritating the area. Dab dry/use hair dryer on "cool" setting, then apply corn starch. In the shower, do not use soap or washcloth, just rinse.

If there's a possibility she has pinworms (e.g. was camping or lives in rural area) try the scotch tape test (google it). 

Hope this helps! Don't get discouraged.

Oh, and DO NOT SCRATCH! If the itching becomes intolerable, use the ice pack or, as a last resort, get in the shower and allow hot water to fall directly on the area, which sort of vicariously scratches the itch (but hot water can dry out the skin so keep this to a minimum).

Susie, don't know if you read the last installment of my journey so I'll mention that after I found that Balneol + Calmoseptine worked for me I later swiched to a less expensive and more readily available cleanser--Eucerin Skin Calming Itch Relief Treatment with Cooling Menthol. It's available over the counter at Walgreens.  Balneol is about 4 times expensive but if the Eucerin had not worked I would have gone back to the Balneol in a heartbeat. Relief from the contion is what  counts!