Cloth Diapers and Diaper Rash. Please Help!

You can use diaper cream in the cloth diapers as long as you are using a liner. I made my own liners by cutting up a nice thick piece of fleece that I bought on sale at the material store (JoAnn's). All I did was cut out long rectangular pieces to go between baby and cloth. Fleece works great to keep baby dry. As a side note, I noticed that the fleece worked better and maintained its loft if I did not put it in the dryer. It air dries pretty quickly.

you might want to consider that she has a yeast based rash. My son got diaper rash that was a yeast infection. Try a yeast infection cream.

Tide free and clear? Get yourself something like Rocken' green. My son had a really bad reaction to the free and clear too, even had the Dr thinking it was a yeast infection. It was the soap on the detergent eating him up when it got wet.

during the day between changes, give your baby some air time. Also at night time, I would use disposable diapers and LOAD the cream on...that way you dont need to change her during the night. At 4 months old she should not be pooping at nighttime in her diaper (Mine never did and everyone is different)
I have found that airtime works the best...especially after a bath when they are clean. I let her run in my kitchen for about 30 mins...even if she pees its easy to clean up.
Its possible that you could be changing her TOO often..changing your baby once an hour seems pretty excessive unless he poo's every hour. You are not allowing the medication(cream) to work if you wipe it off 60 mins later. I usually change my baby once every 2.5 hours unless she soils.

I am just closing up my online store selling cloth diapers and have used cloth for going on 2 kids, and I can tell you there is a LOT you try before you have to give it up.

1. If you are using a "tiny" amount of detergent, you may not be using enough to really get the diapers clean. All the websites freak you out about build-up, but you really need to get the bacteria out too. BG even recommends using 1/4 c of bleach in the wash every month if you want to really get them good and disinfected. I always do an extra rinse after I bleach though b/c my first son was sensitive to it, and I didn't want to find out if the others were. To give you an idea, I have a FULL load of diapers and use just under the 1st fill line on my detergent (there are 3 lines in the cap to choose from).

2. Many free and clear detergents are not good for cloth. It seems like they would be, but they aren't. Google "cloth diaper detergent chart" and you should find a great link to charts that list what detergents contain ingredients you want to avoid and which ones are good. I know that Happy Heiny says that Tide has worked well for most people (as a normal, off the shelf detergent). Also, she could be allergic to the detergent, so a switch may not be bad

3. It may be yeast. My son had a horrible rash twice now with open sores - yeast. He just seems prone to it. The diaper creams would keep it at bay, but as soon as I stopped it came back. A trip to the doctor could tell you, or you can try Lamisil over the counter (dr recommended, and I used the off brand for about $5). It's labeled as jock itch cream. You can still use cloth with creams; you just need to use a liner. You can get some fleece from the fabric store and just cut it to size; fleece doesn't unravel at the ends, so you don't need to sew it at all.

4. A few kids just don't tolerate microsuede, but really that's a pretty small bunch. I wouldn't sweat about that yet.

5. For your sanity, you may want to invest in some hemp inserts. As my son got to about 6 months (when he was drinking the most milk and not eating yet) I couldn't keep him dry to save my life. Hemp is really absorbent and will let you stretch that time further. They are expensive, but you can use them for a long time - worth it. That won't help the diaper rash, but will help you!

PM me if you have any other questions.

My kids have sensitive skin too. I only use plain wipes the sensitive one have fake aloe in them in my experience and make things worse. For washing the cloth diapers for us I run through the hottest setting with Lifetree Laundry Soap and some bleach if there are really poopy and an extra rinse then I do one more rinse I have dried everything out side in direct sunlight or in the winter in the dryer in the hottest setting.
You can also try keeping the diaper not fastened for part of the day if she is not moving around a lot yet just lay it out under her. Burt's Bees Diaper cream and Welenda are both more natural products and use organic ingredients in them. Also is she breastfeed or formula either could be part of the problem too.
J. O

The only ointment that gets rid of my daughter's diaper rash is Dr. Smith's. I know I probably shouldn't use it with cloth diapers, but I'd rather get rid of the rash!

We use cloth diapers and wipes and have never had a problem with rashes, and my daughter has my sensitive skin (which I know because she's reacted to other things in other places).

We use Arm & Hammer liquid detergent, unscented, add about a quarter cup of baking soda to boost the wash, and run the load twice to make sure extra gunk gets washed out. That said, I believe it is the wipes I use that make a difference.

The wipes I make are squares of flannel, and the solution I use to moisten them is:

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon Dr. Bronner's unscented liquid castile baby soap (the stuff seems expensive, but a little goes a real long way)
2 drops tea tree/melaleuca oil (again, seems expensive, but is useful in extremely small amounts)
1 cup water

Mix together in order listed, then pour over folded and stacked wipes in a case. Let sit for a minute to dissolve (or squeeze the liquid through the wipes), and use to clean baby's bottom, face, whatever. Wash with your diapers and reuse.

I get eczema rashes really bad on my hands, but they have actually gone away since I've started using these wipes to clean baby's bottom. Go figure.

Also, you might try extra light olive oil or coconut oil instead of the vaseline on baby's bottom. The oil makes a barrier on the skin so poop and urine don't irritate as much, and the vegetable based oil is easier on diapers than petroleum based creams are.

It might be that the diapers aren't getting clean enough. Many diaper companies actually do NOT recommend free and clear detergents. They tend to leave a residue behind that can be irritating to the skin. I really suggest that you look into detergent made specifically for cloth diapers. I'm a Rockin' Green girl myself. I love their products and the folks over there are simply AMAZING at helping out with any questions that you might have.
There are also diaper rash creams that are specifically made for us cloth diaper users. You can find them at most cloth diaper retailers. I'm lucky enough to never have had to use them, but I've heard from lots of Mommies that they really work.
I would also stop using wipes on her. You can use cloth wipes, as others have suggested, or a warm wash cloth. Wipes have a solution on them that can actually make diaper rash far worse than if you used nothing at all.
You can easily make liners for your cloth diapers out of just about any type of material. I've used old t-shirts, fleece, and even scraps of cotton. I even used toilet paper one time when I was in a pinch (I don't recommend it).

You might want to check for signs of an allergy expecially a dairy allergy, but if you are breast feeding it could be anything. You might also be able to get some advice from your doctor or local hospital ours has a free nurse line you can call and ask questions like that to.

I'm not sure of the solution but I have the same problem with my son. He only gets a rash with the cloth diapers, not the disposables. The only thing that clears it up for me is the Desitin which I just use anyway even with the cloth. Everyone claims that if you use cloth you won't get diaper rash as much but I've found the opposite is true, I think because his skin actually stays wet more. I'm interested to see the answers you get.

~ This may sound weird but if you breast fedd too try squirting a bit of milk on her bum at every change.
~ Do you know if your family has a history of food alergies? If so you may want to look into an elemination diet for her (you too if you breast feed).
~ Could she have a yeast infection? If so you will want to do a major clean of your cloth as the diapers can hold onto the yeast and pass it back to her after you think you have gotten it cleared up. Check diaperswapers.com for info on yeast and how to get rid of it.
~ Last but not least DITCH THE WIPES!!! If you are already CD'ing just use cloth wipes w/ water (and wipes solution if your DD isn't EBF) instead of the regular wipes. I found out that my DS gets the worst rash after just using ONE disposable wipe on him. My Ped. Said that the first thing she suggests when a family says the LO has diaper rash is to stop using regular wipes and in a lot of cases the rash clears up. You don't need to buy special wipes. Get t-shirts from a thrift store ($2) and cut them up. If you don't want to do that just get the packs of washcloths from the store.
~ oh, so if you are a crafty type get some silk clothes from a second hand store (or cotton tshirts) and cut them up for inserts in your CDs. That way you don't have to worry about getting ointment on them when DD has a rash. Just lay the insert in to cover the diaper (makes cleaning poo out easier too lol).
Good luck Momma. I pray you find out what is causing the rash.

My son was in cloth diapers from birth until about 3.5 yrs and my daughter, at 2 is just showing interest in the potty (also in cloth since birth). We have had very minimal diaper rash - maybe a handful of tubes of cream in all this time for both kids. I use a homemade wash - distilled water & castille soap & lavender essential oil. The lavender is an anti-bacterial. I use some cloth wipes I made (which you can buy from many places on line).

try giving her some baby acidophilus or plain yogurt with live cultures. if it's a yeast infection it'll help cure it from the inside out. even putting yogurt on her bum can help. i know, weird. but the acidophilus and other live cultures help get rid of the rashy germs.

we cloth diaper (using them for my third baby now...) and i love cloth BECAUSE we don't get diaper rash. so it's weird that she is getting it with the cloth ones... you might try cotton diapers... ?

found a good website here:
http://www.mothersnature.com/babies/diapering/diaperrash....

good luck! hope it clears up!

Wow – I don’t know where to begin! First of all, let me preface this with letting you know that I am an RVP with Arbonne so I consider myself somewhat of an expert when it comes to skin care. The first thing I would do is to definitely not use Cetaphil or Vaseline on your baby. The reason is this – they both contain mineral oil – in fact Vaseline is 100% mineral oil. Mineral oil is a byproduct of the distillation of gasoline. The oil companies, when they manufacture gas, get this by-product…mineral oil. They don’t want it, but it comes with the process, so they have made an agreement with cosmetic/skin care companies to use it as a cheap filler in their products. Think about what Vaseline is….PETROLEUM JELLY! They don’t even hide it…it is PETROLEUM…jelly. YUCK!!! Mineral oil is very drying and irritating to your skin…especially a baby’s skin! Also – do not use baby powder…talc is very drying to the skin as well.
Arbonne has a wonderful – safe- baby care line that includes a diaper rash cream. I am certain you would see results if you started to use this line on your baby. If nothing else, please go on-line and Google ‘mineral oil harmful’ and see for yourself why you shouldn’t use it.
Also, I would go to Whole Foods and get an organic laundry detergent…it could simply be the dyes, chemicals and added fragrance that are irritating your baby’s bottom.
Unfortunately, today, we cannot just trust manufacturers to use safe ingredients…it is all about the bottom line. Arbonne prides itself on being a company with products that are all pure, safe and beneficial for your skin.
If you would like more information about Arbonne, my website is www.liveahealthylife.myarbonne.com.
P.S. Here is an example of harmful ingredients in baby products:

So, what is in Desitin – Original Formula? The ingredients in Desitin are: Zinc oxide 40%, BHA, Cod Liver Oil, Fragrance, Lanolin, Methylparaben, Petrolatum, Talc.

So what do you think, safe or not? Let’s just talk about a couple of the ingredients.

(1) BHA. BHA is associated with cancer and hormone disruption in laboratory animals. .It has been banned from cosmetics in the EU because of skin dipigmentation.

(2) Fragrance. Synthetic fragrance contains phthalates, hormone disrupting chemicals. A study published in Pediatrics showed the presence of phthalate metabolites in the urine of infants and that exposure is widespread, 81% of the infants tested have 7 phthalates above detection limits.

(3) Methylparaben. Methylparaben is one of the parabens, the most widely used preservatives in cosmetics. Parabens are hormone disruptors. And, although they have been found in breast cancer tumors, no direct link has been established between parabens and breast cancer development. A small percentage of the population is also allergic to parabens, resulting in contact dermatitis reactions.

I found this info on www.healthychild.org

Medicated Johnsons Baby Powder has the main ingredient of Desitin in it. I used it with my 2 in cloth diapers. Also, no detergent completely removes the acids from urine from cloth diapers. You need to put about 1/4 cup of vinegar in the final rinse to neutralize the acids. Also, make sure that the detergent you are using does not include whiteners and brighteners. This is made up of tiny partials of phosphate that attach themselves to the fabric and make it appear whiter and brighter. These phosphates can irritate a babies sensitive skin.
With my cloth diapers, I used Arm and Hammer powder detergent (the one that did NOT have oxyclean in it). I put them through a complete wash without detergent to remove excess urine and bowel. I then did a complete wash with a full cup of detergent to remove odors. I then did a second rinse with 1/4 cup of vinegar. I used Johnson Medicated baby powder when they had rashes. Occasionally for a bad rash, I would coat them with a thin layer of destin and cover it with Johnsons Medicated powder and then put a piece of thin cotton fabric between the diaper and the babys bottom. There are places online that give list of appropriate laundry detergents for cloth diapers. Here is one of them: http://www.diaperjungle.com/detergent-chart.html

I hope you find something that works for you.

the best thing to wash in, is the store detergents. look at the list of ingredients, and the majority of store detergents don't have the enzymes or whiteners in them at all. Those cost more, so they aren't in them. I use the sam's club brand, wind fresh and don't have a problem. I bought a downy ball, and fill that to the line with vinegar for my final rinse so it nuetralizes all the acid, and makes sure the soap is out of the diapers.

I bought some flannel rags from the dollar store, and cut them up, so when i need to use diaper cream, i place the rag in the diaper, so the cream stays on the flannel and not getting onto the diaper.

I definatly agree with the air time. My duaghter only broke out a few times but when she did, it was bad, and she would blister. Best thing we did was to put her in the pack and play and let her stay in there with no diaper. i also bought a couple of pads for the crib, so i placed those under her sheet, and i would even put her for nap with no diaper at times as well.

ggood luck.

Your diapers might need to be stripped and could probably use some time line-drying, if that's possible. (See http://theclothdiaperguide.com/2010/08/13/cloth-diaper-st...) The sun will do wonders for the lingering bacteria that could be causing the rash. As for making your poor little girl feel better, I've had great luck with Angel Baby Bottom Balm. Nice stuff, fine on cloth diapers, very effective.