Cloth diaper rash…?
We started cloth diapering our daughter about a week ago. When she was born, we had her in Pampers Swaddlers… these caused a serious rash. We then switched her to Huggies Pure and Natural (organic cotton, no dyes, etc.). She never ever had a rash in those. We decided to cloth diaper because the Pure and Natural diapers are EXPENSIVE and it’s better for the environment. She did really well on cloth for about 2 days and then a HORRIBLE rash broke out. The diapers are simply cotton on the inside. Thinking it might be the cloth diapering "soap" (Charlie’s environmentally-friendly wash) that I was using to wash them, I washed them a couple of times in the soap that we wash her clothes in (Method baby detergent). Still, rash was horrible. After 2 more days of this, I put her back in Huggies Pure and Natural and rash was gone within 12 hours. What in the world is in the cloth diapers that is causing this….? We were using Bumgenius pocket diapers. Any suggestions..?
I appreciate all the answers so far but I should add a few details…
Let me give you a timeline.. 3 days on Pampers.. rash.. 3 MONTHS on Huggies… not even a hint of redness.. 2 days on cloth… rash. I don’t see how it is even remotely possible that it is a yeast issue.
We do use diaper cream on her (after every poo and if there is ever even a teeny bit of redness).. we also use Avalon Organics baby powder after a super-wet diaper (in the morning.. after a nap.. etc.) Great experiences with both but you can’t put cream or powder in a cloth diaper.
Pocket diapers are the only way I can go with cloth. I am a working mom and daycare won’t deal with prefolds and flats…
Filed under: Organic Baby Clothes
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It sounds like your daughter has really sensitive skin. My son is like this.
Pocket diapers gave my son a *horrible horrible* diaper rash. We can’t use them. It sounds like this may be the case with your daughter. We use prefolds fastened with a snappi, and a bummi’s or prorap cover. They are super easy to use. I know you said you can’t use prefolds because of your daycare situation. There ARE some fitted diapers with snaps that are made from the same breathable cotton material as prefolds, but they are much easier to put on than prefolds. I have some of them, and they are much more convenient than prefolds because you don’t need a snappi. You just need a diaper cover.
http://www.greenmountaindiapers.com/diapers.htm#prefoldfitted
http://www.mother-ease.com/
Perhaps you can CD her when she is at home with prefolds, and send the Huggies pure & natural to the daycare. You might still save money. Its just a thought, as prefolds tend to be the most affordable option, and when used with a diaper cover and snappi, are pretty much leak proof.
Diaper covers:
http://www.cottonbabies.com/index.php?cPath=36
Snappi:
http://www.cottonbabies.com/product_info.php?cPath=37&products_id=100
When our son was two weeks old, his pediatrician told us to stop using baby wipes. Ever since then, we have been sticking his butt in the sink when he has a poop (well now the tub, since he is so big). You can also get some of those cheap birdseye diapers and just wet them to use as a wipe. I would avoid the chemical wipes, I even have doubts about the "chlorine free" wipes, and would limit their use to outside the home. They are quite expensive and from my experience, you have to use several for each poop!
ETA: I wanted to add that I agree with what the other poster is saying about the Charlie’s soap. I have found that the Charlie’s Soap causes a bit of build up. I use Bio Pac. You might consider using another detergent such as Bio-Kleen or Bio-Pac. If you are going to try a different detergent with the same diapers, you might want to strip your diapers first. There are numerous sites which give instructions for stripping.
"She did really well on cloth for about 2 days and then a HORRIBLE rash broke out."
If there was some sort of contact dermatitis issue it seems unlikely it would’ve taken so long to show up. Boil the cloth diapers in plain water for the fun of it (and in case of yeast issues — is it possible it’s a recurring yeast problem), try them again.
Were you outting any diaper rash cream on her? If not you need to. Sure a diaper rash will heal its self sooner or later, but thats gonna have the baby in pain, if she dosent have any cream on there. I reccomend Desitin Creamy(its in a blue box. My daughter is 15 months, and thats the only kind i ever use.
If you put it on her after every diaper change, or at least after the poopy diapers, her chanced of getting a rash will go way down. Asd yes, it oksy to put it on them after every change, it will tell u that on the back of the box. I put it on my daughter ofter every change, and the only time she gets a rash if when she has diareah.
Good luck to you:)-
It could be a lot of things, it could be that the soap is not rinsing out all of the way. This is really common especially in a front loader. Add a couple of extra rinses, and look in the washer during your rinses. If you’re seeing suds, there’s still soap so keep rinsing. I am blanking on what the bumgenious are lined with, is it microfleece? suedecloth? A good number of babies react to suedecloth, not sure why but I know I have heard of it a lot.
Are you changing her as soon as she pees? It can be hard to tell when she has peed with a pocket diaper because you can’t feel if it’s wet from the inside or the outside particularly well. If you babywear you can generally feel when she pees (it gets very suddenly quite warm
) so that can help too.
If she has very sensitive skin I would say trying prefolds or (better yet) flats would be your best bet. They are the easiest to get very clean and make sure there is no soap residue.
With cloth diapers you have to change the diaper more frequently because there are no ingredients in the cloth diaper wicking the moisture away from the baby’s bum. The moisture can cause diaper rash/chaffing, but it also creates an environment that allows yeast to develop, so it cannot be ruled out.
I’d try to give the baby more naked time to help her skin dry naturally. If you are breastfeeding, you can express breastmilk onto the skin to help it heal, then let dry before putting back a diaper. Don’t use TOO much diaper cream, as too much can make the bum too humid and does more harm than good. It needs to be applied in a thin layer and rubbed in.
You might want to figure out a system where you use both cloth and disposable (try a store-brand diaper as these are cheaper and have fewer ingredients). Perhaps when you are out you use disposables, but when home you use cloth. Or vice versa. Whatever works.
As for personal experience: my son always got rashes with disposables with aloe vera in them. He also got rashes from cloth b/c I could not change him fast enough (he was a frequent pee-er). No matter what I tried (different liners, etc.) cloth didn’t work for us, but that doesn’t mean you won’t find a system that does.
Anyway, for now, lots of diaper-free time and making sure the bum is totally dry before putting the diaper back on (especially at night or after baths).
Good luck.
Some kids have horrible issues with the Charlie’s soap. Like almost a chemical burn-type problem. I would try stripping the diapers (you can google ways to do this) and wash them in something else from now on.
Also, are you sure you’re changing her often enough? I know that sounds like a no-brainer, but when we first switched to cloth my daughter got a rash because I had a hard time telling if the diaper was wet or not sometimes.
the only thing that i can think of (that hasn’t been said by someone else) is that she is allergic to the fabric. i’m not sure what the diapers are made of, but i have heard of people being allergic to cotton and/or polyester.
it could also be that her bum CANNOT stand wetness. she may need to be changed more frequently if you stick with cloth, or switched back to disposable diapers (at least during daycare when she gets less one on one)
good luck, hope her bum clears up!