Dealing with Diaper Rash.

Diaper rash? Just throw some diaper rash cream on that baby's bum!
Not the case with cloth, diaper rash creams can ruin your cloth diapers by creating a waterproof film on the diaper and preventing any liquid from being absorbed. Eek!

Our daughter had frequent diaper rashes in the first few months of cloth diapers and I spent a lot of time researching and trying to figure out how to solve the issue. It turns out what she was experiencing was a yeast infection. Let me share some tips I learned in the hopes that it will help you through the rash.


Tip One: Get rid of the yeast!

Yeast is nasty stuff. It is invisible and can survive even the hottest wash cycle. To kill the yeast you will need either Grapefruit Seed Extract (be liberal-20 drops?) or Bleach. Also add about ½ teaspoon of dawn dish detergent to strip the residue off the diaper. You must make sure you kill the yeast on all the diapers and wipes. This may take a few cycles while your baby also rids their body of the yeast.


Tip Two: Get the rash off of baby’s bum.

Get some diaper rash cream. "Wait! You said I can't use diaper rash cream!!"
Well, there are some creams that are safe for cloth diapers. We used Northern Essence Diaper Rash Salve. Worked great and smells yummy.

One option is to switch to disposables until the rash is gone. If you switch to disposable diapers you can use traditional diaper rash cremes. Avoid using the tradition zinc oxide creme as this is designed to keep moisture on baby's bum. Try a creme like A&D original ointment, this is designed to create a barrier to keep moisture off baby's bum.

Some have recommended wiping baby’s bum with some apple cider vinegar on a cotton ball. I have not tried this method. Apple Cider Vinegar may burn, if baby is in pain try rinsing with water after application. Note: it is important NOT to use white vinegar as the yeast will actually feed on white vinegar and the rash will become worse.

Tip Three: Check baby’s diet.

We found that our daughter stopped getting rashes as soon as we figured out that she had food allergies. Particularly, we discovered that she was intolerant of gluten (just like her mommy!). As soon as we cut out the gluten the rashes went away. When she ate gluten it caused the folds in her small intestine to become flat decreasing the amount of good bacteria that her system was able to make. As a result her excrement was full of nasty things that created a yeast infection.

Your baby’s rash may not be caused by a gluten allergy, but it could be something dietary that is affecting the levels of good bacteria in the digestive system. If your baby can eat solids, and milk products try feeding them yogurt with active cultures. Also you can try feeding them Kefir (a probiotic rich, gluten free yogurt-like product).



Here are some other tips from allaboutclothdiapers.com

* Make a mixture of 10 drops of Citricidal Grapefruit Seed Extract to one ounce of water. The use of distilled water to make your solution is very important. The chemicals placed in your local tap water to kill bacteria can reduce the effectiveness of the active ingredients in GSE. Put the solution into a spray bottle or swab with a clean absorbent pad at every diaper change.

* Slather the rash with plain yogurt containing live cultures.

* Clotrimazole anti-fungal cream (available over-the-counter with the creams for vaginal yeast infections) can be added to a diaper rash cream or you can mix your own cream using zinc oxide and lansinoh.

* A cup full of apple cider vinegar can be added to baby’s warm bath to help soothe his sore bum.

* Add a cup full of apple cider vinegar to your rinse cycle when washing diapers.

* Add 4-5 drops of Tea Tree oil to your wipe solution.

* Wash diapers in hot water.

* Dry diapers in the sun.

* Add Grapefruit Seed Extract to your wipe solution or to baby’s bath.

* Add 4-5 drops of Tea Tree oil to the initial rinse or wash cycle – many mothers find TTO has a strong smell and suggest adding it before the final rinse cycle so that most of the smell is washed away.

* Do NOT use cornstarch powders on a yeast rash. The yeast “feeds” on the powder and will make it worse. This includes plain cornstarch and any baby powder brands that include cornstarch.

* Hydrocortisone cream can help reduce the swelling and inflammation and can be applied under the other diaper creams.

* Remember: Keep treating for 3-4 days after the rash is gone.