Dealing with Rashes AND Cloth Diapers

It's probably no surprise that my daughter is prone to rashes.  It's been said that when I was a baby, I spent many hours with a red, rashy and sometimes bleeding bottom.  Not much seemed to help me and unfortunately, it seems like my daughter has inherited skin sensitivities from me.

We've had rashes, rashes and more rashes.  Any diaper rash is miserable for the baby and heartbreaking for the parents.  In cloth diapers or disposables, poor little India gets irritated and quickly.  While it's said that only about 5% of cloth diapered babies experience diaper rash in contrast to about 50% of babies in disposables, we've been on the unfortunate 5% side.

(PS- Many remember that we've done some Elimination Communication (EC) with India....well, she's been on strike with it for a couple of months.  Otherwise, EC would be the best choice in this situation.  Stubborn little girl.)
 
In order to remedy a rash, it's best to find a cause.  I'm not going to list every rash, the cause and the remedy..."We have a cat and if his hair get in the wipes solution our baby breaks out"...because, well, you know.

Common causes of cloth diaper rashes:

• Excessive wetness
• Yeast
• Detergent build up
• Reaction to synthetic materials, latex reaction being the most common
• Teething or illness
• Sensitivity in mom or baby's diet
• Reaction to detergent
• Reaction to disposable wipes (India had this at a young age)

Once you can figure out your cause, you can try one or several of the following solutions.
(note: besides being full of chemicals, regular diaper rash cream shouldn't touch cloth diapers, so I'm discussing alternatives here). 

• Keep baby's skin dry with a fleece liner
• Change frequently
• Extra Virgin Coconut Oil is great for rashes, especially yeast
• Strip your diapers to remove any residues from detergent, diaper creams or excess buildup.  This process needs even more detail if you are dealing with a yeast rash. 
• Change detergent.  Here is a list of common detergents, their ingredients and their ratings as to how safe they are for cloth diapers.
• Air out (just make sure you're prepared for some big smiles from your baby AND some accidents!)
• Use natural materials instead of synthetic
• Soak baby in warm baking soda water or salt water
• Apply breast milk and let it air dry.  They say breast milk fixes a lot of things and this is just one!  However, if you have a yeast rash, do NOT use breast milk!
• Use a cloth diaper safe diaper rash cream. Here is a great link to many creams and their ratings as to how cloth diaper safe they are.

For us, we've found that India can't have any wetness against her skin, so I cut up fleece to use as liners.  We also quickly learned that one of the most well-liked detergents makes her break out horribly.  Between frequent changes to keep her as dry as possible and using new soap, we've lessened her rashes dramatically!  If we see the start of a rash, we normally fight it off with either coconut oil, Earth Mama Angel Baby Bottom Balm or conventional diaper cream (make sure you use a disposable liner so your diaper doesn't get ruined from the cream).

The bottom line is what works for you may be a disaster for another family.  Keep trying different combinations and seek out help, until you find what works for you and what helps keep your baby's bum rash free! 

Photo courtesy of Jewels & Treasures.  What a stash!

Do you have any really cool tricks which help either prevent or treat diaper rash with cloth diapers?