Post # 1
Member
1932 posts
Buzzing bee
My son is two weeks old, we started him on his cloth diapers after his umbilical cord fell off at 1 week old. We are using the Fuzzibunz OS diapers, but ever since we started he has had a recurring red rash on his bottom, and red bumps along the inside of his thighs. He cries every time we change his diaper and it breaks my heart!
I wasn’t sure if it was cloth diaper related, so I put a Seventh Generation disposable on him, and it cleared up. Now I am soo scared that I won’t be able to cloth diaper because he appears to have sensitive skin.
Does anyone know what I can do in order to keep cloth diapering?
I have been using a cloth-diaper safe diaper ointment that contains lavender, calendula, jojoba and a few other natural ingredients, but it doesn’t seem to help as long as he has the cloth on.
Post # 3
Member
2561 posts
Sugar bee
How did you prep your cloth diapers? Are you using the same detergent on his cloth diapers as on his clothes? I am wondering if it might be a detergent sensitivity issue … Also, are you using different wipes with cloth vs with disposable diapers? Maybe something in your cloth wipe solution is to blame.
Post # 4
Member
1932 posts
Buzzing bee
Well, I have been using the same wipe solution with cloth as with disposable, so I don’t think it’s that.
I followed the directions to prep the diapers, it was just a normal wash. I am using eco-friendly natural scent-free detergent, and yes it’s the same as his clothes.
Post # 5
Member
2030 posts
Buzzing bee
Bumps usually mean yeast infection, not diaper rash. Check with your doctor but I’d try Lotrimin (over the counter at any drugstore).
Post # 6
Member
2561 posts
Sugar bee
So you haven’t been having any other rash issues with his clothes? Are you making sure to use an extra rinse with the cloth diapers to make sure you don’t have any residue on the diapers from detergent? I haven’t started cloth diapering myself, but I am just trying to help you troubleshoot … I have a lot of friends that cloth diaper, and I have never heard of a baby having issues with the cloth diaper itself, from what I hear, it is usually something related to the cloth diapers that can be altered/changed.
Post # 7
Member
3175 posts
Sugar bee
You may not be rinsing the diapers well enough (this would depend on your washing machine and/or your washing method), or you may have a bacteria build up (although it doesn’t seem like you would, since they’re so new, but it’s still possible).
Maybe you could try biodegradable diaper liners while he’s healing & see if that helps? Also, really strange, but I found using Pepto (or off brand) helped because it reduced the acid in his feces/urine. I didn’t have any problems with it ruin my CDs, so it’s worth a try 🙂
ETA: I applied Pepto to the butt, I didn’t give it to my son orally
Post # 8
Member
2820 posts
Sugar bee
It might be with how you’re washing them. I can’t use any dyes/scent laundry detergent or she’d get a red hiney. We do a cold wash with a little bit of detergent and then a hot wash with about half the recommended amount of detergent. You might want to try an extra rinse at the end but for us we found the 2nd wash was the important step.
Post # 9
Member
1676 posts
Bumble bee
@miss-spunkin: I haven’t started cloth diapering yet, but are you sure your detergent is recommended for cloth diapering? I’ve been using this site to choose a detergent:
http://www.pinstripesandpolkadots.com/detergentchoices.htm
A lot of the so-called natural and scent-free detergents aren’t recommended for cloth diapering b/c they have enzymes and/or brighteners. From the reading that I’ve done brighteners can cause the diapers to not absorb as much as they normally would, and enzymes can eat away at your baby’s skin if they don’t get washed out thoroughly by your washing machine. Also, apparently you wouldn’t notice any problems with enzymes from washing baby’s regular clothes b/c they only cause trouble when the cloth gets wet.
For now we’re using Tide Free & Gentle for baby’s regular clothes, but I’m going to get some Country Save for our diapers.
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