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Posts Tagged ‘diaper rash’Rash Trouble-shooting…Wednesday, January 20th, 2010 We hear so many Moms and Dads talk about different types of diaper rashes and we give out lots of advice as well as having the unique opportunity to learn lots of great things from our friends and customers as well. We thought we would share some of that insight and hopefully at the same time get our readers to give their advice or ask questions at the same time.First thing is first, figure out what is causing the rash – then you can treat accordingly. Here are the things we usually find are the culprits. 1. It’s yeast. There are lots of ways to treat this – prescription, over the counter and homeopathically. Talk to your health care provider if you suspect your baby has a yeast rash. It’s also important to make sure your diapers aren’t re-infecting your baby with yeast after they are being treated. Usually a couple of really hot washes and a hot dry will do the trick – but some stubborn yeast will take a boiling to be gone for good. 2. It’s an allergy. This could be due to the material of your diaper, your detergent or both (don’t forget about your wipes and/or wipes solution as a culprit too). It also could be that your diapers have a build up. Not all inexpensive detergents that you buy at the grocery store are bad if your baby isn’t very sensitive, but they do tend to build up quicker on the diaper and require boiling or stripping more often. If you suspect that your baby might be allergic to certain materials, start by cutting those diapers out of your rotation that are made of man made fibers – microfiber, suede cloth, non organic fleece, etc. 3. You are leaving the diaper on too long between changes. This happens usually if you are lucky enough to have a baby that sleeps through the night, or takes long naps. If you are lucky enough to have this problem, your baby’s rash could be from prolonged contact with urine or what some people call an “amonia burn”. If you suspect this is the culprit of your baby’s rash, try using a paper, silk or fleece liner between the diaper and your baby’s skin. These liners will often help wick the moisture away from his/her skin well enough to last them through the night or a longer nap before starting to irritate that delicate area. 4. It’s a food allergy. Lots of parents don’t consider this, but it is definitely something to mention to you baby’s practitioner if all else fails and the rash still persists. 5. Baby’s bum needs a little airing out each day! It may sound messy, but its true and works like a charm. It’s amazing what a little air time each day can do for the health of a little one’s diaper area. Try putting down a large beach towel and even a trash bag underneath if you have a heavy wetter! This is also a great opportunity to start learning your child’s elimination cues and perhaps get a head start on potty learning. There are definitely many other types of rash out there, these ideas are just the most popular reasons that we find as the cause for diaper rashes. If you suspect that your baby may have some other problem or a more serious rash, please see your pediatrician or homeopath. We welcome all comments, questions and suggestions – have a great day and Happy Diapering! Cloth Diapering Myths!Sunday, October 4th, 2009I was thinking about all the misconceptions and myths about cloth diapersing and came up with 10 that I think are the most popular ones we have heard. Maybe some of you all have heard others? 1. In order to Cloth Diaper you must use pins. Yes I do know some parents that use them and wouldn’t do it any differently, but there are so many alternatives for those of us that aren’t that coordinated. For those that want to secure a flat or prefold with more than a cover, there are snappis- additionally there are so many other types of diaper that velcro and snap closed just as easily as a sposie. 2. Cloth diapers cause diaper rash. I think if you have a child that is prone to rash then it probably doesn’t matter what type of diaper you use, you have to be sure and change them as often as you can. Urine and feces both can break down skin and cause irritation…that is a fact. More often I have heard of babies that are allergic to the things used to make disposable diapers, the chemicals, the gel, the rough paper, the plastics, etc. 3. Once you calculate utilities, there is no cost savings. This simply is not true. Most mom’s and dad’s will agree that its only 1-2 extra loads of laundry per week to cloth diaper. Utility costs vary from region to region but there is just no way this one is true. I have estimated this myself and it costs me mere cents per load to wash and just a bit more to dry. Additionally, if this issue bothers you, use a clothes line or a drying rack – that will save over 50% of the utility cost of cloth diapering and also help your diapers last longer. 4. Cloth diapering is so time consuming that in order to be successful you must be a sahm. Although I personally am a sahm/wahm - I do not agree with this statement and know many, many families of 2 working parents or a single working parent that have successfully cd’ed all of their children. Like I mentioned above, its generally 1-2 extra loads of laundry a week – so what is that, 5 mins to load, 5 mins to switch over and then 10 to fold or stuff and put on the shelf? Going to the store to buy sposies, taking out extra bags of trash and/or swapping out those diaper genie refills has got to cancel that all out, right? 5. Poopy cloth diapers must be dunked in the toilet before putting in the pail to wash. EWW – do people really do that? It is so not necessary, really it isn’t. Even the nastiest of poops can be scraped or sprayed off and then put into the washing machine. Our washer never smells like poop or has any residue left in it after washing even the worse load of diapers. If I ever feel the need to rinse out a really bad diaper, I use the bathroom sink rather than the toilet, then I spray and wipe out the sink…NOT the toilet! 6. You cannot travel or camp with cloth. We have a previous blog articleabout this and it simply is not the case. I usually bring 2 large wet bags with me, first half of the trip in one, second half in the other. Its that simple. If you are washing dirty diapers that are more than 3-4 days old, do a soak first, then an extra wash or use some biokleen disinfectant if you think you need it. 7. You must have your own washer/dryer. I can personally attest to this as a myth! Although it sure makes it easier, cloth diapering while using shared machines or a laundromat it completely do-able. When I was washing only once a week at the laundromat I used a splash of biokleen disinfectant in the wash just to ward off unwanted bacteria (both from having the diapers sitting around for longer and the fact that other people use the machines) – the only other thing I had to do was strip more often as the shared machines seemed to have more detergent build-up that would end up on my diapers too. 8. Cloth diapers are too bulky and you need to buy larger clothes to fit over them. I won’t completely disagree with this- I think it all depends on the type of diaper you use and the build of your child. Some cloth diapers are bulky and if that is what your child is used to then it probably doesn’t bother them at all. In that case, I would say you probably would need to either size up on bottoms or just buy materials that are stretchy….no big deal. On the other hand, lots of cloth diapers are known for their trimness, these don’t add anymore bulk than a sposie if they are the correct size and are fastened snugly. 9. The added bulk between a baby’s legs can damage leg and hip development and it takes longer for a cloth diapered child to learn to walk. All these things are a definite myth! Only in the past century have there even been disposable diapers. Does that mean that humans up until the last 100 years have had messed up legs and hips? Especially in a time when people were forced to do more physical work to survive? That is just a silly, made-up misconception. Also there is no data that supports that cloth diapered children walk later, my daughter certainly didn’t have any issues! 10. Nobody uses cloth anymore. WRONG! What a relief that this is so incredibly off too, huh? Just writing this blog has given me more energy to spread the word about cloth…go on out and do so yourself too! Pass this blog URL along to your non cloth diapering friends and relatives, lets make it our jobs to help others stop filling the landfills of the world with disposable diaper and dangerous biological waste! Happy diapering everyone |
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