Diaper Rash (and what to do about it)

lara — Fri, 28 Nov 2008 22:40:55 +0000

Diaper rash is the generic term for a skin irritation in the area generally covered by a diaper and can have several causes. A few culprits include heat rash, chemical sensitivity, bacterial infection, food allergies or other irritating substance.

Please be aware that eczema, psoriasis and other skin conditions can look like diaper rash, but are treated differently and should be handled by a medical professional. If your child has persistent, chronic outbreaks, please see your health care provider for diagnosis.

Using cloth diapers is a great first step to avoiding diaper rash since they allow air to circulate, are free from unnecessary chemical irritants, and tend to get changed immediately rather than allowing urine to stay next to the skin for long periods of time. With disposables and pocket diapers, please remember that even if the moisture is wicked away and the diaper feels dry, the bacteria is still held against the skin, and there may be pH issues as well. Change early, change often, no matter what style of diaper you use!

With proper hygiene and diaper care, outbreaks should be rare and continual use of a barrier cream should not be necessary.

If you are having problems anyway, try these things first:

Eliminate unnecessary chemicals in wipes as well as diapers. Many disposable wipes contain harsh surfactants like sodium laurel sulfate. Instead, warm water on a washcloth works just fine until baby starts solid foods, and for some children after that as well. Wipes can be moistened at the time of use, or premoistened and kept in a plastic container for up to a week.

If you need more than water, consider using a gentle cleanser like aloe gel or make your own wipe solution with the following recipe:

1 Tbsp sweet almond or jojoba oil

1 Tbsp liquid castile soap (I recommend Dr Bronner’s almond soap)

1 cup warm water

Mix and either premoisten wipes, or keep it in a spray bottle to use as you go (this makes a great gentle cleanser for other things as well, from faces to applesauce covered windows)

Check your wash regimen:

Make sure you are using a gentle, low impact detergent that does not leave residue on diapers. Detergent should be free of fragrances, bleach and fabric softeners.

Many detergent labels tell you to use more detergent then necessary, and what you need will vary depending on individual laundry facilities and hardness of water. Experiment with reducing detergent to the least possible amount that still gets clothes clean. I use less than half the recommended amount in my machine.

Occasionally, hard water will cause mineral build up that traps detergent, ammonia and other irritants in the fabric. To strip diapers, soak them over night in a solution of one part vinegar, 4 parts water and then wash as usual.

Rinse your diaper pail regularly with a little soap or white vinegar to keep it clear of bacteria and yeast.

Allow your child a little diaper free time. You can give them recommended tummy time while lying on a waterproof pad or towel. As an added benefit, your child gains sensory input, learning what the cooler air or the texture of the blanket feels like on their skin- our kids invariably love ‘nunga punga’ time*.

Be aware of what your child is eating, especially when introducing new foods. Common foods that can cause irritation when introduced are acidic fruits (like strawberries), milk products and certain grains, especially if you have a family history of sensitivity to these foods.

Sometimes the skin just needs time to heal. Use a fleece or silk liner to wick moisture away from baby’s bottom. this, along with as much ‘nunga punga’ time as possible, will give the skin enough time to recover, and the natural seracin in silk can aid in the healing process.

If you do use a healing cream, look for one without mineral oil or zinc oxide. These can ruin cloth diapers and zinc oxide can aggravate certain skin conditions like eczema.

*according to my mother-in-law, nunga punga is the Housa term for naked little kid.

Cloth Diaper Care

betsy — Fri, 04 May 2007 06:40:38 +0000

First of all, don’t worry if you forget to do some of these things some of the time. It’s really OK and your diapers will probably be fine. I only wished someone had written all this down for me with our first baby! Second, this might seem like a lot of information to process- but in practice, it only takes a few minutes to actually do what we’ve outlined in such detail here. Feel free to email us or leave a comment below with additional questions…

We now proudly sell Charlie’s Soap, which consistently receives excellent customer feedback for clean rinsing and being gentle to the most sensitive baby’s skin. As a bonus, it is extremely economical and eco-friendly.

Setting up your dry pail:

(For newborns, up until beginning solids), a dry pail is ok from beginning- it is much less work. For NB poopy dipes, read on.

•Place large mesh bag in pail, cinch tight around edge of pail to hold in place. Place top on pail.

•Throw in wet cloth dipes, wipes, everything, as they are used.

• For poopy dipes (newborn/breastfed), fill a small (quart size) tupperware halfway with water, keep in a safe place where curious toddlers won’t get into it- use the lid, and place under the sink in childlocked cupboard or in an inaccessible bathroom closet. This is the only “wet pail” you need. Formula-fed babies, see section on flushies below.

•When ready to wash, (every three days or when out of dipes) open tupperware container, (can drain water in the toilet or right into washer) start them on a spin/rinse cycle, then add the mesh bag containing all remaining wet diapers, and Bio-kleen detergent, and start a fresh hot wash

. Dump pail water down toilet. Rinse bucket/pail out, (in shower is easiest) use Dr. Bronner’s peppermint soap to freshen.

•Under NO CIRCUMSTANCES should you use chlorine bleach, fabric softeners, or dryer sheets. They will drastically reduce the useable life of your diapers by breaking down the natural fibers, and reducing absorbency. They also increase the flammability of all garments- not a good choice for your family’s clothing either. Cloth diaper warranties are void if diapers have been laundered with these substances. Be kind to your baby and gentle on the earth, please, don’t use them!

Washing Diaper Covers:

•If there are any poopy stains treat with Bac-out, Everyday Stain Remover (available at Fred Meyer’s in the Natural Foods section) or similar product before throwing in washer.

•Wash in machine in warm water with other laundry, (lights not darks) regular Bio-kleen laundry powder. HANG dry for durability.

•Turn newborn covers inside out and close velcro before washing if you remember. (helps velcro last). Bummis cotton or Bummis original have this umbilical stump fold-down feature.

•Wash wool covers every few weeks or when soiled in tepid water with Eucalan. Both cold and hot water will shock the wool fibers and cause shrinkage. Pat excess moisture out by placing cover in a towel and patting it. Air dry away from high heat and sun (will cause shrinkage). Sunning is wonderful for freshening wool as long as the cover is completely dry (otherwise, shrinkage can occur). with proper care, wool covers last a long,long time and are well worth their cost. If necessary, relanolinize wool covers with lanolin (lansinoh is fine) every few months to restore wool fibers and recover waterproof properties.

Diaper Notes:

•Close velcro tabs to themselves(specially designed for this) before putting in pail, since it helps velcro to last longer.

•When washing newborn diapers, you can fill washer and soak overnight, (or even for 20 min. or not at all if in a hurry) then wash in warm/hot water with Bio-kleen and white vinegar in the rinse.

•Hanging dipes in sun helps with yellow shadow (from big poops), saves electricity of course. You can fluff the diapers first or after for increased softness.
•If diapers become too stiff after hanging, in next wash reduce amount of Bio-kleen detergent by about 1/3 and substitute about a tablespoon of Dr. Bronner’s castile (peppermint is nice) soap.

Flushable Liners:

•Mostly useful for after breastfed baby starts solids, or for formula fed babies. Solely breastfed babies don’t need liners, as stool is easy for washing machine to clean thoroughly.

•Flushable liners are great- when you go out keep a big sturdy ziploc bag or one of our bummis nylon waterproof bags in the diaper bag for keeping wet dipes. Simply wipe baby’s bottom with clean part of liner, flush liner, diaper goes in the bag! BUT, when you are breastfeeding exclusively (no solids, formula, etc.) remember everything poopy goes in tiny “wet pail” (quart sized tupperware)— wipes, dipes when you get home.