Help with redness?

Danielle2482

Please help me trouble shoot a possible diaper rash.

My son is 4.5 months old, exclusively breastfed.  We are noticing splotchy redness in the front only around the base of his penis.  This happens only during the day.  It ranges from very light pink to occasionally a bright red.  In the morning, it is completely gone.  Even at its brightest, it doesn’t bother him at all so we are unsure if it is actually a diaper rash?  During the day, we use a variety of diapers, Kawaii HD2, BG freetimes and Simplex AIO so it is mix of natural and synthetic fabrics.  At night, we use 2 prefolds with a microfleece liner and a pul cover.  We usually put EMAB on at night as a preventative measure because he’s in it for 12 hours.  During the day, he is changed every 2 – 3 hours. 

My wash routine is:

HEFL with whole house water softener

Prewash (with 2 TBSP bac out), regular hot wash (with full scoop of Nellie’s), rinse, extra rinse.  I use the water plus option for all cycles.

The nighttime diapers are washed with the others so I don’t think it has anything to do with the wash routine.  It seems odd to me that this goes away at night.  If there was going to be a problem, I would expect it to be a problem after the diaper he’s in for 12 hours.

I've read so much about ammonia and yeast on cloth diaper websites that every time I see any redness, I immediately wonder if it's those!

Rrrrrachel

Is it maybe just from pressure?

Chichigo

Do you use EMAB during the day?

Danielle2482

We don't.  We also have CJs and waxalene but don't use a cream with every change.  Is it normal to need to use a cream with every change?  Seems like we'd go through a lot of cream that way!  We started using it at night when we stopped MOTN changes.

The reason I thought maybe it wasn't a rash is because it's only in the front and nothing on the butt.

Chichigo

It's not necessary to use a cream with every change, but I would try it to see if it helps.

Sgriff1

Have you tried letting him hang out without a diaper to see if the air helps? I have a girl, but she gets a little red sometimes and I let her lay out for a half hour or so on a towel and it usually clears it up.

Danielle2482

I'll try the cream on every change.  He's not crawling but he is rolling.  We've been trying an hour or 2 of prefold with no cover each day.  It's so hard because it changes from very light to just occasionally a darker red.  We can't find a pattern to it other than that it is always gone in the morning.