Diaper Rash Solutions

If you are a cloth-diapering parent, you already know the first thing you can do to help minimize diaper rash—use cloth diapers! But, you also know that despite the fact that diaper rash is greatly decreased when you use cloth, it doesn’t mean you will never see it again. So, what to do when your baby gets that rash?

There are so many options.

1) Try a different diaper: Sometimes baby’s skin reacts poorly to a certain textile. If your baby has a rash, then try switching the kind of cloth diaper you’re using. Generally all-natural diapers made of cotton, hemp, bamboo, and wool will help to minimize rash.

2) Let it breathe: Make sure your baby’s bottom gets a little bit of air time at each diaper change. If you want your baby’s bottom to breathe while they’re wearing a diaper, then try an all natural cover such as wool rather than PUL.

3) Use Rash Cream: We all know that rash creams are a no-no when you cloth diaper. But there are ways to get around that
a. Put your baby in a disposable for a couple of diaper changes and use rash cream.
b. Put a liner in your diaper (a flannel cloth wipe will do) to guard the diaper from the oils that will harm it.
c. Use a cloth diaper friendly rash cream. Check your warrantee first, because some diaper warrantees are voided by the use of rash cream of any type.

4) Home remedies: I’ve heard mom’s recommend such things as baby powder, baking powder, zinc powder and oatmeal baths to help cure diaper rash without rash creams.

5) Wipe Solution: Check out the ingredients in your wipe solution. There are things you can add to it to assist in preventing rashes such as olive oil, tea tree oil, and other naturally occurring ingredients. Be careful with oils, though, as too much can cause a residue buildup on your diapers.

6) Detergent: If you haven’t already, you might want to switch to a natural detergent. The chemicals in regular detergents may be agitating your child’s rash—especially if the diapers have started to build up residue from the detergent.

7) Strip your diapers: If the detergent is the problem, you will need to strip your diapers in addition to switching detergents. There are many ways to strip cloth diapers but a good long soak in a natural detergent with lots and lots of subsequent rinses generally does the trick.

8) Yeast: Your baby may have a yeast infection in which case the yeast will reside in your diapers even after they’ve been washed. You will need to get the yeast out with methods such as washing them in extremely hot water and letting them bleach naturally in the sun.

9) Frequent Diaper Changes: The biggest cause of diaper rash is that the baby has sat in its own waste for too long. So, you should make sure you change their diaper frequently so they’re sitting in clean, dry cloth as much as possible.

10) Take advantage of your resources: Talk to another mom who cloth diapers. Check out blogs such as this one, or go on a public forum. The best and most creative cloth diaper advice I’ve heard comes from people like you who’ve discovered their own solutions through lots of trial and error.

by Becca G.