Cloth Diapers & Diaper Rash Remedies

My son went a long time in his cloth diapers before he ever got so much as a slightly red tushy.  This all changed this summer when swimming entered into the equation.  Combined with an already pee-soaked diaper, a diaper that has been soaked by the pool or the ocean.  It is hard to keep baby’s bum dry when your are spending the day at the pool or the beach.  I was unprepared for a red bum that did not clear up completely until after our vacation.

I was scared about what steps to take to help my son’s diaper rash, but not to ruin my cloth diapers.  The zinc oxide used in many diaper creams can stick to the diaper and cause it to be less adsorbent.  We had some Burt’s Bees Diaper ointment with us, but I hesitated to use it.  As the diaper rash grew worse, I tried to remedy the situation by keeping him dry when we weren’t swimming, letting him air out when possible, using a very thin amount of the diaper ointment (hoping it wouldn’t stick to the diapers), and using a diaper liner to protect the diaper from the cream.

We got past the diaper rash in the summer without terrible redness, but we need to come up with a solution for the future.  When cloth diapering, you must choose an ointment that is designed for use with cloth diapers.  A great solution would be Earth Mama Angel Baby- Angel Baby Bottom Balm.  This balm is vegan (no beeswax), made with organic olive oil, and naturally antibacterial and anti-fungal.  Not only is this balm effective at clearing up and preventing diaper rashes, but it also soothes itchy cradle cap, bug bites, scrapes, chicken pox, minor rashes, burns and, yes, more scrapes.

I said, we need to come up with a solution, and Angel Baby Bottom Balm would be a wonderful option.  Well, I wasn’t “on the ball” and diaper rash came again.  This time it wasn’t going away.  I tried all of my previous remedies, but nothing was working.  This diaper rash turned into a red blister that would not heal over.  I tried to dry it out with cornstarch baby powder and I tried letting my son soak in the tub.  A few days of this and I was willing to try anything because nothing was working so far and it was only getting worse.

After spending some time reading, I discovered that the cornstarch I was using was not okay to use on an open sore.  This damaged skin is susceptible to the invasion of bacteria and yeast, the cornstarch can worsen the problem.  I googled natural remedies and came up with an extensive list, including:

• Breastmilk
• Olive Oil
• Coconut Oil
• Lanolin
• Cornstarch (if the area is not infected with yeast)
• Soaking in Baking Soda or Salt Water Bath

My husband said that we should pick one remedy and try it for a few days and if it didn’t work than we could move on to the next.  We started with Breastmilk.  We squirted some on the affected area and let it dry before putting a new diaper on.  We did this each night for 3 or 4 nights.  We were shocked, it completely cleared up!!!  The good news is that breastmilk is free and readily available, but the bad news is I have nothing to report on the other natural remedies.  I supposed I will reserve them for when I am no longer breastfeeding, but he is still in diapers.  I have heard great things from other mother about olive oil, so that would probably be my next choice!

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