There is a belief around that using cloth diapers on your precious baby’s bum will magically clear up all of the rashes your baby may have had.  I am sure that for some, this is the case.  But lets be honest - there aren’t as many babies with sensitivities to disposable diapers as we are led to believe on the many pro-cloth message boards out there.

Sure, some babies are sensitive to disposables, and some babies only to certain kinds of disposables and their many ingredients.  I’ll be the first to say that I am not in love with all the chemicals that are in disposables, and that it makes sense to NOT want to put chemical laden garments next to your little one’s skin.  However, I think that reading that cloth diapering leads to less irritation sets a lot of new-to-cloth mamas up for disappointment.

Kitten had maybe one diaper rash for the first 8.5 months of her life - all of that time in disposable diapers.  When I switched to cloth, I had been told that she’ll have even less rashes.  I thought that this was WONDERFUL news - I wouldn’t have to use creams any more and she would stay rash-free.  Well, those people were wrong.  Kitten would get heat rashes, she would eventually get eczema (that was diagnosed as yeast, which was NOT yeast) in her diaper area, she would just look red and spotty from being so warm.

To be honest, none of the rashes she got with cloth diapers caused us any worry (except for the eczema, but once we stopped treating it, it went away).  If I was concerned that she was getting a little bit rashy, I would let her run around the house with a fitted diaper with no cover on.  Kitten isn’t very sensitive to detergents, so that wasn’t an issue for us either.  So if you’re thinking of trying cloth, don’t be afraid - I just don’t want anyone to think that they’re doing something wrong.

Here are my rash tips:

• Clean clean clean! Wipe at every diaper change.  Not all moms do this, and that’s ok, but I’ve found that the “cleaner” she is (no urine left on her skin) the happier skin she has.  I’ve also found that using a tub of water with a splash of witchhazel and a squirt of J/a/s/o/n/s 98% organic aloe vera gel is the perfect combination for a wash solution - no cleansers to stick around to irritate the skin, only soothing witchhazel and aloe, both nice things for sore bums.  We’ve tried the different WAHM solutions, and none of them give as good results as this (if you are enjoying your beans or cubes, don’t stop using them, but don’t feel pressured to buy them, is all I’m trying to say!).  I got my aloe gel at our local organic store, but you might be able to find it at a local shop with a large organic section.  I got the witchhazel at Walmart (easy enough to find, and we sometimes omit the aloe if we’re running out).
• Dry dry dry!  I found that Kitten’s bum is less prone to rash if I use a dry cloth wipe to dry her off before I put a new diaper on her.  Air drying works too, but my wiggly baby won’t lay still long enough to actually dry off.  So I speed it along with a cloth.  I use the same dry cloth all day, and switch out for a new one each morning (I figure that she’s already clean from the wet wipe, so the dry wipe isn’t getting dirty).
• Air air air! If I notice Kitten’s bum becoming a little irritated (this happens, especially at night if she’s has a poo and doesn’t wake up to tell me), I will put her in a fitted diaper and let her wander around the house.  Now that winter is coming (shudder!), we put her in a fitted diaper with fleece pants over top.  Any kind of fleece (not velour, it has to be fuzzy on both sides) will allow the diaper to breathe, but will protect your precious carpet/furniture/hardwood from accidents.  You’ll be able to feel if the diaper is damp, but the pants will keep your darling child from leaving butt prints all over the house.  I’ve also found that it’s easier to tell when she’s wet/dirty with the fleece pants, so she gets changed more often.  Both of these things (air and being changed more often) significantly reduce the severity/chances of rashes.  And guess what?  It’s the perfect time of year to buy more fleece pants!  Old Navy even has some on sale!  Might I suggest stocking up?  To be honest, we don’t go out of the house without a PUL cover, but at home, I love putting her in a fitted with fleece pants!  (a quick fleece tip:  Wash the pants with regular clothes, and if you have ecover, throw it in with the regular laundry - it will help your fleece stay water resistant!  Any fabric softener will do this, but I like ecover for it’s plant-based surficants, instead of all the chemicals in traditional fabric softener).
• Wash wash wash! If you are having stubborn rashes even with the above tips, it might be a good idea to look at your wash routine, but this should be your last step (before going to the doctor, that is!  If it’s a really stubborn rash, you will want to have it treated professionally - especially if it’s oozy and stuff).  A number of things in your wash routine could be causing the rash, so start with the most simple first.  Add an extra rinse, even if you’re already doing an extra one for a few washes.  If that doesn’t solve it, I would think it’s something that you’re adding, so I would try to take something out of your wash routine.  My elimination order would be: bleach, tea tree oil (or any other essential oil that you may be using), water softener (Calgon), vinegar, then detergent.  I would wash for a few washes without the item that you are eliminating and see if you make any progress.  If nothing changes, add the eliminated substence back (if you want/need to) and try the next thing on the list.
• Type type type! The last thing you can try is different types of cloth.  Some babies are sensitive to man-made fibers and should be in cotton/organic cotton.  Some babies don’t do well with PUL covers and should use wool or fleece.  This can be the most costly way of trying to fix a rash, so it’s the very last step.  I would also recommend trying the cheapest option (ie: instead of switching from prefolds with PUL to a pocket diaper, try getting a wool cover first, then if that doesn’t work go to a pocket/AIO).  Don’t forget, you can sell pretty much everything that doesn’t work for you, so don’t be too afraid to try something new (you may not get all of your money back, but you will recover some of the cost).

To sum up: Even though you may have heard that our baby will have less diaper rash after you switch to cloth, this might not be the case for you.  If you are having problems with rashes, try out the tips listed above to see if you can get your little tyke some relief.  I was shocked when we encountered our first diaper rash with cloth, and wondered what I was doing wrong.  I don’t want other mamas going through the same shock!  Does any one else have any rash advice?

Tags: cloth diapers, Mythbusting, rashes

One of the mamas on Diaper Swappers posted a cloth diaper survey, and I thought that I would bring it here to share with everyone else. Make sure to post your answers in the comments!

1. What diapering item would you most like to try?
Some stretchy flats, a side-snapping mutt, a Goodmama, wool covers, and Thirsties covers.

2. What is your favorite diapering item of the ones you have tried?
Our Piddle Poddles, and BG 3.0.

3. What are some other diapering items you like?
Kissaluvs fitteds, Fuzzibunzpockets.

4. What diapering items have you tried and NOT liked?
I’m not a huge fan of prefolds due to the bulk. I don’t like how the aplix on my drybees PUL pockets folds up and irritates Kitten’s belly. I really really really love how absorbent my front snapping medium Mutt is, but it takes at least 2 hours to dry in the dryer, or all day on the line (plus at least another half hour in the machine). If these would dry faster, it would be the BEST diaper (I’ve since found out that the new BabyShapes come with a fast dry soaker, which would really help).

5. If you ever use disposables, why?
We only use them when Rob is home alone with Kitten and we run out of aplix pockets, or if we won’t have access to a washing machine. We also have a stack of disposables in our emergency storm area in the basement. Oh - and I had to use them when we had to use an anti-fungal cream.

6. How many of your IRL friends with babies use cloth diapers?
Two that I know of.

7. Do you NEED (not want) more diapers at this time?
I really could use one or two more BG 3.0, as they seem to be our bulletproof nighttime solution. I wash laundry every day right now, so I can put it on her every night, but it’s going to wear out a lot faster this way.

8. Do you WANT (not need) more diapers at this time?
Of course! There are a lot of diapers that I would love to own and try. I would definitely want more Piddle Poddles, and possibly more Mutts.

Tags: cloth diapers, survey

I’ve been spending more and more time over at the Diaper Swappers forum.  If you are new to cloth diapering like I am and haven’t heard of this place, you gotta check it out.  It’s like a cloth diaperer’s dream.  These gals, they are HARDCORE.  Well, most of them are.  But that’s what makes it fun.  Because they are INTO IT.  And they sort of make you want to be into it too.

But I’ve also noticed that there are several different and distinct categories of mamas who cloth diaper.  We are not like the bumGenius and one-size-fits-all.  And there’s no real way of knowing what your Cloth Diaper Personality is going to be until you actually start to use cloth diapers.  You may go in thinking you’re going to be one and end up being the other quite by surprise.  As far as I’ve noticed, the personalities are as follows:

The Couture Craver
The mamas are constantly on the lookout for the newest and hottest diapers.  The special embroidery, luxurious fabrics, trendiest designs… they spend hours searching hyena cart for the latest and greatest.  And price is of little consequence.  These ladies will sell off less exciting portions of their “stash” in order to get the $$ needed for the cutest fitteds or covers out there if they have to.  The Couture Craver has little use for bumGenius diapers, as they only come in five colors and no prints.  If they use prefolds, they are dyed for maximum eye-candy-ness.  These are the ones who will take photos of their stash to post causing everyone else to drool and ask, “Where did you get THAT?”  Nothing wrong with these ladies, but they have an eye for fashion and design and “it” factor.  If you want to see some cool diapers, ask these mamas where they shop.  Just watch your willpower when you do!

The Practical Purchaser
There are several types of practical when it comes to cloth diapers, but I’m talking about those who look for function over form.  Sure, the latest cover is adorable, but does it hold in wetness?  Yes, prefolds are inexpensive, but are they the most efficient option out there?  This is the mama that cringes at the notion of plunking down even $15 for something that isn’t going to deliver bang for it’s buck, and beyond.  I have to admit, I am one of these mamas.  I will see an adorable diaper cover or fitted and think, “Hey… maybe I can one or two of those…”  But then I start thinking sizes.  I could buy one and my daughter might be able to wear it several months or it might just be several weeks.  The Practical Purchaser is drawn in by the allure of the one-size diaper.  bumGenius is the end-all, be-all.  A diaper that works well and lasts for the (usually) the entirety of the diapering years?  That kind of practicality can be hard to resist.  These are the mamas that are drooling over the new bumGenius one-size organic diapers.  Anything that says, “You won’t have to buy any more diapers” is aces in a Practical Purchaser’s book.

The Eager Economist
This is the mama who hangs out at the FSOT (For Sale or Trade) forums at Diaper Swappers, and often scouts for good deals on the FFS (Free For Shipping) forum.  She also is the sort who will, if she has to, happily use prefolds with the cheapest covers she can find.  She prides herself on finding the best deal out there.  If there’s a coupon code, she knows what is is and where to use it.  She might not have a lot of extra money to spend on diapers but is a firm believer in cloth diapering so she perseveres.  Hence the deal scouting if she wants at all to have the “fancier” diapers.  Or maybe she has the money to spend but has an inherent inability to spend it.  I can understand and admire that, having that sort of issue myself.  This woman is also hardcore.  She will take pride in never paying full price for a diaper EVER.  Believe me, if anyone can do it, she sure can.  And she is quite happy to sacrifice convenience for low price.  In other words: a force to be reckoned with.

The Granola Gal
These are the mamas who are into every organic and natural.  They want no synthetic fibers to touch their baby’s bottoms.  They are serious about lessening their family’s impact on the environment and line dry all their diapers as well as using natural detergents for their diapers.  They get very excited about natural fibers like hemp and bamboo.  And if they can find all of these natural fibers in a diaper that is adorable to boot?  Well then stand aside!  She is willing to spend a little (or in some cases, a lot) extra in order to buy only organic and even if a particular diaper fits all her other desires, if it isn’t organic then it’s not cutting it.  These women are true environmentalists and chances are, they drive a hybrid.  Not to stereotype, of course, I mean them the greatest respect.  They want the best for their baby AND for the earth.  What could be more noble than that?

So there you have it.  I’m sure there are more Cloth Diaper Personalities out there, but this should cover the basics, don’t you think?  So tell me, which personality are you?

Tags: Cloth Diaper Personality, cloth diapers, Diaper Swappers, personality

You’ll have to forgive me, I’m new to the world of cloth diapering and all the goodies out there are still very new and exciting to me!  For instance, I just learned about this particular diaper today and I am already in deep, deep love.  The image at the left there doesn’t even do this diaper justice.  It comes in a variety of really adorable prints as well as a minky fabric that I’m sure I need to have in order to continue existing.  Sometimes, it takes a while for some of these awesome diapers to come in stock but right now they have a very good selection available, if you don’t mind Aplix (like Velcro) closures.  If you must have snaps, then you need to wait a few more weeks.

They’re a little on the spendy side ($23 to $26 or so), but in my mind’s eye, totally worth it.  Of course, I haven’t tried them yet, but I’m thinking that’s a problem that will be soon remedied!

Tags: cloth diapers, KangaCare, One-size, Pocket, Rumparooz, wishlist

Have you seen this yet, ya’ll?  This just about made me wet my pants just a little.  I’m still relatively new to cloth diapering and have only really tried gDiapers and the bumGenius One-Size 3.0 (a pocket diaper).   And, I will admit, I completely and totally adore my BG 3.0 diaper.  I only have three (so far) but would marry it if I had more.  A lot of parents complain of the bulkiness of the one-size feature on a smaller child, but I don’t think it looks anything but adorable.  I even like the suedecloth lining on the inside as it does it’s job of being soft against baby’s bottom but keeping the wetness away very well.

But this right here seems like a gift from heaven.  It has the features I really enjoy from the 3.0, but without the hassle of stuffing the pocket (which, yes, can get old).  Plus, baby has organic cotton fibers next to his or her skin instead of synthetic ones.  And organic, at that!  The liners go a step further, even, by being adjustable to where you need the most absorbency and since they aren’t completely sewn down, help the diaper to dry quicker than your average AIO.

I think you’ve heard it here first, folks.  I think this diaper may very well be the end all, be all.  It’s a tad pricey now, just under $25, but I think one (or two) (or more) of these might have to make it in my next diaper order.  It’s simply too much to resist.  Of course, if I do end up getting one of these charming devils, I’ll be sure to share with you all what I think of it!

Tags: aio, All In One, bumGenius, cloth diapers, Cotton Babies, One-size, Organic