I'm a mother of twins, RDA accredited Cloth Diaper Circle Leader, and an RN discussing parenting tips, green living, and products I love!
I’m probably going to get in trouble for posting this pic some day but when I think of diaper rash this is the image that comes to mind. So cute! This is one of my little ones on a diaper rash day. This was a great set up I am happy to share! Get your handy dandy boppy pillow and lay it on the floor. Then place a waterproof crib liner over it. [I got a couple that are full crib size and a couple that are changing table size. I can't tell you how often these liners have come in handy. They feel like cloth but have a waterproof inner layer.] Then lay a towel over the water proof layer (or you could place a cloth diaper right under baby). Lay baby over the pillow with bum exposed! This is perfect “air time” for pre-crawlers. When my twins got older and needed some serious “air time” I put baby legs on them with a shirt, socks and shoes (or a dress for my daughter) and let them run around outside. This can be difficult for the crawling but not walking stage. A couple times I got a massive blanket and layed it out for them to crawl on. You just have to cross your fingers and hope that they get enough air before they make too much of a mess. “It all comes out in the wash”!
About “air time”… This is the best method of clearing up diaper rash. That and frequent changes. If baby has a bad rash change him/her every hour AT LEAST. Sitting in a wet or soiled diaper makes it worse. I have even heard of parents taking a blow dryer on low heat to a baby’s tushy with every change. A friend of mine was able to clear up her daughter’s diaper rash by applying a bit of breast milk to the area with each change. If it works on nipples, why not bums?
Diaper rash creams
Because I am not a fan of petroleum based products, finding a diaper rash cream was a challenge for me. I am a fan of Arbonne skin care products and so this was our first stop. They sale in 4.7 oz tubes and the price varies depending on if you are a consultant or not. Retail price is $14. This is a cream with no petroleum or mineral oil product. It goes on smooth and wipes off VERY easy. I think it wipes off a bit too easily. I’m not sure how much protection it offers between changes. Bummer, but how often do you get a winner on the first try? I should know better by now….
Next we tried the California Baby Calming Diaper Rash Cream. It comes in a 2.9oz tube for $11.49. This was pretty much the same story as the Arbonne cream. It may be a bit thicker. When you apply this cream you can feel on your fingers that there is a kind of cooling sensation. I thought this would be great for a bad diaper rash. Think again. When I applied this cream on a normal bum all was fine and well. When I applied this cream to a rash, there was crying and screaming. How awful do you feel when you have done something to make your baby scream. I really don’t like giving bad reviews but if it will help anyone else from having this experience I gladly do it.
I was at a loss and in need of a barrier to cover my babies’ bums, so I swallowed my dislike for petroleum products and went with Aquaphor. It comes in a 3oz tube for $8.99 or a 14oz jar for $17.99. I know lots of people who use this, not only for their babies, but also for themselves. Aquaphor has come to be our tried and trusted old stand by. It is a clear jelly that never burns, goes on easy, and doesn’t leave a mess. When my son had breakouts on his face due to irritation from food, my pediatrician suggested I put Aquaphor on his face before meals. Yes it worked. I am irritated to be using a petroleum based product, but it works, so I’ll stick to it.
The hospital sent us home with packets of petroleum jelly for post circumcision care and I used it for diaper cream in a pinch. A 13oz jar of Vaseline will run you $3.29. If you are on a tight budget and like the Aquaphor samples your pediatrician gave you, give it a shot. It is messier than Aquaphor, in that it doesn’t go on quite as easily, but there is quite a price difference to make up for it.
Boudreaux’s Butt Paste comes in a 4oz tube for $6.60. This is one that I never got around to trying but several friends said they loved it so I wanted to put it on the list and let you try for yourself.
Diaper area care
Another issues with diaper rash is cleaning the affected area. Have you tried baby wipes? Most baby wipes have alcohol or some other ingredient that stings when the skin is compromised. If you don’t want to give up using wipes you may want to keep some California Baby Diaper Area Wash on hand for those times when baby has a rash. It comes in a 6.5oz bottle and runs $11.49. Sounds like a lot but the directions say to dilute it 10/1 in water. I use this all the time with cloth wipes to clean up my twins and have yet to buy a second bottle. My babies have been fine when this is used to clean a rash. Please let me know if you have had any other experience!
Please note that most cloth diapers suggest you don’t use a diaper rash cream with each change. Petroleum products have been known to build up on cloth and decrease absorption. Some companies make a cream that IS compatible with their diapers. I have found that this is not a problem with the gcloth inserts I use because of the top fleece layer. Fleece seems to be a magic fabric! If you use cloth diapers made from another fabric like organic cotton or bamboo, you may want to go to a local craft store and get some fleece to cut up and add as a top layer next to baby’s skin. It seems to keep baby drier than any other fabric I have found!
What a fun and exciting topic! Not really, but to give you more information and make “going cloth” seem less daunting, I will tackle it!
To start, there are several items that make cloth diapering much easier. Item one, a diaper sprayer! (Diapers or diaper inserts refer to the cloth portion that gets soiled, not the outer cover.) The sprayer is a push button nozzle which attaches to the water source at the back of your toilet. I USED to wear a pair of rubber gloves and rinse that diaper right into the toilet, rubbing it on itself to help remove debris. (yes, I called it debris, would you rather poo, poopie, poopoo?) Anyways, the sprayer has been a joy to own, making my life much less ‘toilety’. Now, I can hold the diaper at one end, spray downwards into the toilet and then drop the rinsed diaper in my diaper soaking pail (more on this shortly) right next to the toilet without even putting on a glove! Please note that the directions on the sprayer require you to turn the sprayer off after every use. If you do not turn it off, pressure builds and causes the sprayer to leak.
Key item number two, a diaper soaking pail. I looked high and low for a diaper soaking pail. Not just a trash can or dry pail. I wanted a pail, with a lid that I could easily pour dirty water out of, which remained light enough for me to pick up and take to the laundry room without breaking my already “broken” back. I didn’t find it. What I wound up doing was getting a 5 gallon empty paint bucket from Home Depot. I think it was $5. NICE! I fill this bucket almost half way with water and then add half a scoop of Oxiclean (My miracle soaking solution). I wash diapers every other day, so along with any poo soiled diapers, at the end of day one, I add diapers from each dry pail (more on THESE shortly) to my soaking pail. I found that there has been no need to soak the diaper covers. I have never had a stain remain. If you do find it necessary to soak them, a pail of plain water should do.
Dry diaper pails (item three!) for each changing station in your home are a great help. I got some small storage containers with lids from Target and have one upstairs and one downstairs. I empty these in to my soaking pail (on day one) or directly in to the washer if it is diaper washing night (day two). Cloth diaper companies sell “pail liners” which are different sized washable bags lined with a water resistant layer. These bags make it easy to cary your dirty diapers from the pail to the washer and keep your pail clean. These are also great for those who are fortunate enough to have a diaper service!
A small wet bag is also a great bonus to have for your diaper bag. It is similar to the pail liners described above but smaller in size and some have a zipper-like closure or drawstring.
In preparation for two babies and the increase in laundry we were expecting, my hubs and I decided to splurge and get a fancy new front loading washer and dryer. (Not to mention our set at that time belonged to our previous roommate). Imagine my surprise to find out that top loading washers are preferred for washing cloth diapers! Why? Top loaders use more water. Diapers need to be well washed and VERY well rinsed in order to prevent detergent buildup and odor. So, when I wash my diapers I have to use all those fancy extra settings. I wash on HOT HOT, heavy soil, use the pre-wash, extra rinse, and water plus settings.
On diaper washing night I dump all the diapers from the dry pails into the washer. Then I lug my wet soaking pail into the laundry room. I put on my rubber gloves, wring out the diapers and toss them in the washer. I then pour the “water” from the soaker pail into the toilet, rinse and refill it. I put 1/2 a scoop of Oxiclean in the soaker pail and 1/2 a scoop in the washer tub. When it comes to choosing a laundry detergent it is best to check with the company who makes your cloth diapers for their recommendations. I have been happy with Seventh Generation detergent and Costco’s environmentally friendly Kirkland brand detergent. Green Mountain Diapers has wonderful washing tips and detergent recommendations. Check out their FAQ: www.greenmountaindiapers.com/washing-diapers.htm
Many people find it easy to use cloth wipes and a solution since they are already doing a load of diapers! This is nice because all of your diaper change “waste” can go in one pail. I use cloth wipes for wet diapers and use Costco‘s disposable wipes (made from Tincel) for poopie diapers. I am being slightly lazy because I don’t want to stand over the toilet for that extra minute to rinse the cloth wipes. The internet has a ton of recipes for wipe solution. The key to a great solution seems to be alcohol free witch hazel. This may come in handy if you have an extremely sensitive baby. Some babies are allergic to disposable wipes. I used to use disposable wipes to clean the babies up after a dinner at a restaurant. My son’s face would breakout every time. (I can’t believe how long it took me to connect the dots on that one!) A great concentrated wipe solution is California Baby. The instructions say to dilute it 1 part to 10 parts. I got a couple travel spray bottles, put a bit of the concentrate in there and then filled the rest with distilled water. It lasts a LONG time. I have had it for months and have used about 1/8th of the bottle. It makes me feel much better about paying $11.50 for a 6.5oz bottle. To clean baby up simply spray the solution directly on the area in need of cleaning or on the cloth wipe.
Fun fact: Did you know that you are supposed to flush ALL poo in the toilet? Disposable diaper poo needs to be flushed so that it can be treated properly. Biological waste in a landfill creates toxic stew….
For my latest update to my diaper washing routine, click HERE. 
