Dealing with (major) diaper rash

At my house we're currently battling a pretty bad bottom rash. The Peanut has food allergies, and every once in a while something sneaks by us, and she ends up sad and rashy. One of the occasional challenges of cloth diapering is finding the right solution for diaper rashes. Most popular rash ointments (um, kind of hate that word, not sure why) include ingredients that will result in leaks and/or stains when used with cloth diapers, especially synthetic fiber diapers.

Here's why: most zinc oxide creams and a lot of other diaper potions (like how I'm avoiding that "o" word?) contain oils that have a melting temperature that is higher than the temperatures you use to wash your diapers. That means the oils will build up on your diapers, causing them to become water (and pee) repellent and possibly stained.

So what to do?

Fear not. You have two easy choices.

1. Choose a cloth-friendly diaper cream (they're made with oils with a low melting temperature). Popular choices include CJ's BUTTer and California Baby Diaper Rash Cream. I've personally used California Baby, and I like it for mild rashes.

2. When you've got a serious rash and you need to go hard-core butt cream, make sure to use a liner or something in between your baby's bum and your diapers. I like Bummis BioSoft Flushable Liners. Before I found those, I used to use some little cut-up scraps of an inexpensive Gerber flat diaper. The catch-22 with this option is that the liner itself will hold some moisture against your baby's skin, so you'll need to make sure to be a little generous with the cream. Also, if you like to go the reusable route, make sure to wash the liners separately from your diapers.

Another important thing to remember about all rash creams is that the baby's skin needs to be really dry before you apply them. Otherwise, you're sealing the irritating moisture in, not blocking it out. When you're trying to let your baby's skin get nice and dry after a change, cloth diapers offer you a great option. Try letting her run around in just a fitted diaper without a cover (or a Snappi'd prefold ONLY if you're going to keep a close eye on her - the Snappi can pose a choking hazard if it comes off the diaper). A soft, cozy cotton or bamboo fitted will prevent puddles on your floor while letting baby's skin get nice and dry - something disposables could never do! After a few minutes, you can change her into whatever diaper you intend to use (or just put on the diaper cover).

So while I will wish you a rash-free cloth diapering experience, in the likely event that wish doesn't pan out, I also will wish you a ready supply of cloth diaper-friendly butt creams and flushable liners.

Good luck!