Diaper Rash with Cloth Diapers

I would definitely start with stripping the diapers. If he's not still having problems with hives and stuff, it's probably just a build-up residue in the diapers.

I second the Triple Paste suggestion! It is the bomb for stubborn diaper rash.

When I was little, our family doctor instructed my mom to use a mild soap and run 2 rinse cycles - the first one with vinegar added and the second one using just water. My brother and I used to get terrible diaper rash and were sensitive to many detergents and perfumed soaps.

Plain old corn starch works wonders for diaper rash.

I would just rinse, rinse, rinse. Look to see if there are suds during the wash cycle.
We use baby aquaphor or virgin coconut oil & that usually gives comfort during rashes.
Good luck!

I agree- strip the diapers and when you do the rinse, make sure there are no suds left in the water. Rinse, rinse, rinse. It is amazing how much soap clothes hold. You could also try sunning them when you get them totally rinsed. Can't hurt.

I can't help with the diapers themselves, but my routine for diaper rash is a lukewarm bath with baking soda for as long as your son will sit in it. Then air dry as long as you can stand it and finish with a thick coating of Triple Paste. Usually two rounds of this and any diaper rash my daughter has is gone. Good luck!

Hi... I asked a question last week about diaper rash with cloth diapers and got tons of great advice. We've used cloth diapers on my 19 month old since her birth and she's always had a rash no matter what we did (sometimes a really bad rash). I thought I had tried everything, but mamapedia gave me some great new tips. I wrote about what I did that FINALLY worked at www.UrbanSuburbanFamily.squarespace.com. It was a whole combination of changes including adding boiling water to strip the diapers, changing detergents, and (what I think was key) adding GSE to the rinse cycle and washing her bottom with it. Good luck!

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There are tons of ways to wash diapers and I'm sure that you will hear many different versions. You can try several different things to strip the diapers, from using a tbspn of Dawn dishwashing liquid, boiling them on the stove or using RLR laundry treatment.
I use soapnuts and sometimes some oxyclean to boost. It can really depend upon your water and your washer. Whether it's a front loader or a top loader. I know many people that have a front loader will actually add water to the wash to help. Some of the newer models allow you to adjust the water level.
http://www.pinstripesandpolkadots.com/detergentbasics.htm

http://www.pinstripesandpolkadots.com/hedetergentchoices.htm

H.,
Yes, I think you still have soap in the cloth diapers. I would wash them in the hottest water without any detergent. Have you tried rinsing the cloth diapers and doing a wash only with white vinegar? White vinegar will remove the soap and also rebalance the PH of the diapers from them soaking up urine. You can also use baking soda in-place of white vinegar.

I never use the all natural detergents as their surfactants absorb and coat the cloth diapers too much and don't wash out. The cloth diapers will begin to loose their absorbency as this soap builds up. I always use the free & clear detergents at about half the recommended amount and I always do a second rinse with a downey ball filled with white vinegar.

You can get the diapers back. You could also try drying them in the sun and then doing a quick run in the drier to soften them.

I am still doing cloth bedtime diapers for my 4 year old son and i wish I could educate all moms on how simple cloth diapers can be. I love cloth diapers for their environmental benefit, carbon footprint low impact, and financial frugality. I am just getting ready to re-sell all my infant cloth diapers and covers on e-bay. The best underground network for cloth diapering supplies.

Fondly,
ann m.

i recently had my very first reaction to fabric softener. Your poor kids! I'm 6 months pregnant and I was itching for a month and absolutely miserable. It was taking several washes to get the clothes non itchy before I realized that there was softener residue still in the dispenser. After thoroughly cleaning the dispenser I've had no trouble. May you need to clean your washing machine. You can buy special solutions that do this from the store but you could also try using vinegar in a wash cycle with no clothes in.

happy to hear from H.,
I am a 1970's mommy with cloth diapers and bonding and nurse'n babies wearing overalls ...
good to see 'we' are back !
** ADD A 1/4CUP CLEAR VINEGAR [ white] TO RINSE CYCLE ....
RINSE COLD WATER
*** ADD 2 TABLESPOON OF BAKE SODA [ YELLOW BOX] TO WASH CYCLE ...[ HOT WATER]
GOOD FOR YOU MOMMY . FAKE DIAPERS STAY IN OUR LANDFILLS FOEVER... WHERE WILL THE CHILDREN BUILD THEIR HOMES IN 20 YEARS ???????????????????
a little sprinkle of corn starch or bake soda on butt/ bottom ... works every time ! a little naked time too ... right after you change the baby .. leave naked !!! [ safe ]
cotton soaks up more 'suds' when wet in a washer ... it may be a matter of excess residue in the diapers ... cut the 'washing eco soap' in 1/2 ... it will still clean just as well .
a hippie grammy
with hippie children
and a eco friendly grand child !!!!
good for you !!!!!
hang out on wash line to dry ....!
ps= n-e-v-e-r- use fabric softener sheets w/ diapers ... [ can be highly allergic] also interfers with 'pee' absoration .......get the plastic laundry 'balls' [ cvs sells them]

Hi H.,

Check with your pediatrician for some ointment for the rash.

Good luck. D.

I don't know anything about Ecos detergent, cuz I don't use it. I used to use Ivory soap with chlorox bleach to wash diapers, and you need to be sure you don't overfill your machine, so the rinse cycle gets the soap out.

With cloth diapers, you may find you need to change your son more often. Cloth doesn't get the urine away from his bottom the way the fake diapers do. Either than, or put vaselline on his bottom before you diaper him.

If your kids have allergies, why not go to a very basic laundry detergent -- as in "not a detergent", just a soap product. Something like dreft, or ivory, or, if you want eco-friendly, Shaklee has been making ecofriendly, biodegradable laundry soap and other cleaning products for over 30 years.