First of all, you asked for old time remedies. The best one to come to mind is, cornstarch. 27 yrs ago I had my 4th son and my old time doctor told me to use the stuff guys use for jockitch; doesn't matter what brand. I was amazed at how fast it takes the reddness out of thier poor bums. I ran a day care center and have 5 kids, 9 grandkids and a few GGK and for them all I keep this stuff in the house. The but paste also works really well; you can get it at Walmarts or any store. Cornstartch is great at keeping them dry. I agree with the person who said it was basically a dumb doc who said let the kid run around naked; what a mess to clean up with that one. All of my kids were different; one A&D ointment worked great, another just regular vaseline worked wonders. It's a matter of trial and error for most and it can depend on what is causing the problem.