Diaper ointment questions, did I get taken?

kay anthony

Hi all,

I'm a FTM and have a few questions about diaper ointments and cloth diapering. Upon the recommendations of both the internet and a friend I bought a "special" cloth diaper ointment, Thirsties Booty Love. This ointment is ridiculously expensive ($15 on amazon for 2 oz). My understanding was that more common ointments, like A&D for example, are difficult to wash out of the cloth would cause the diapers to repel moisture. This made sense to me since they contain petroleum (Petrolatum) and lanolin. I *assumed* (my bad) that booty love would be somehow water-based and therefore wash out easier. But the first two ingredients listed are olive oil and beeswax. Why would olive oil and beeswax (which are both water repellent) be any easier to wash out of cloth than petroleum and lanolin? 

I asked my chemist husband this question and he didn't think there would be any difference in terms of difficulty washing. I feel like maybe I just got suckered into spending a ridiculous amount on a product that I could have bought for 1/6 of the price. Can anyone explain this to me?

And as a follow up question, do you use diaper ointment every time you change the baby? (FTM -- due in 4 weeks) With disposables, friends of mine used A&D at every diaper change. Thanks for any help you guys can give me!      

TJ1979

I do not use cream at every change. The cheapest option is going to be straight up coconut oil. I use that at the first sign of redness. But I also really love CJs BUTTer. I put it on everything. A&d and the like are definitely no nos for CDs. But I'm not familiar with the specific cream you got.

Into+the+Kitty

I probably wouldn't use the first product, because I think it would cause issues. So will creams like A&D and desitin. I rarely had to use diaper creams, definitely not with every change, so I don't have a brand to personally recommend.

ElleBeeDub

The lanolin and petroleum in "normal" diaper creams can certainly make them difficult to wash out. I believe it's the zinc (which is an active ingredient in many diaper creams) that also makes it difficult to wash (someone correct me if I'm wrong?). Beeswax and olive oil are fine because they have such a low melting point that when you wash your diapers in hot water, they come out easily.
Bottom line, your friend was right in that you cannot use standard creams without a liner or you will have problems. If you're looking for a less expensive option, though, many people use coconut oil with great success. I use bum balm at every at-home change, but my kiddo has sensitive skin so it's not necessary for everyone.

freezorburn

I'm not a chemist, but from what I remember of high school chemistry olive oil and beeswax have relatively low melting points, so between the hot water and agitation and detergent that they will encounter in a laundry machine, they will wash away. 

Based on the same reasoning, lanolin should also wash away, but anecdotally people have different views on this. Maybe the molecules are longer and tend to stick to fabric more tenaciously. I think that's probably also why petrolatum is something to avoid.

I go through periods when I use cream at every change, such as when DS's eczema flares up, and then I have also gone months on end when I only use diaper cream at night.

I don't have experience with Thirsties Booty Love, but their diapers have a great reputation and I would guess it's probably a good quality product. But, there are others out there. You can even make your own. Some people have good results with just coconut oil. So yes, there are less expensive options. Also keep in mind that a little bit goes a long way with these types of creams. You are not meant to slather on a thick layer of it like you would with A+D or Desitin.

PipSqueak0313

Think about the petroleum and olive oil in terms of washing your hands. How hard is it to remove gas and motor oil from your skin...then consider how easy it is to remove olive and coconut oils.....same basic concept applies to diaper creams and diapers. I use CJs as well for the few times I have to put something on ds. But he has little to no rashes in cloth...most of his rashes have been from novice diaper changers not getting him completely clean after a poopy diaper, only one was caused by contact of poop on skin. (After his mspi/milk allergy was diagnosed). My one bottle of CJs spritz has lasted over a year now.

kay anthony

So, I'm sorry if this is a super basic question, but...

When you change the baby's diaper to you just spritz him off with water and wipe with a cloth wipe and then re-diaper him? No additional products at all unless the baby's bum is starting to get red? 

sarenu1

I use CJ's for just about everything.

If I see any redness I usually use the spray. If it looks dry, I put on some of the thicker cream.

For overnight, I usually put a good amount of cream, but I use a fitted and don't change at night.

freezorburn

kay anthony said:

So, I'm sorry if this is a super basic question, but...

When you change the baby's diaper to you just spritz him off with water and wipe with a cloth wipe and then re-diaper him? No additional products at all unless the baby's bum is starting to get red? 

Some people do just as you describe. Others pre-moisten their wipes. Some people will add some kind of commercial wipe solution to their water or make their own wipe solution. Do what works for you.

ElleBeeDub

freezorburn said:

kay anthony said:

So, I'm sorry if this is a super basic question, but...

When you change the baby's diaper to you just spritz him off with water and wipe with a cloth wipe and then re-diaper him? No additional products at all unless the baby's bum is starting to get red? 

Some people do just as you describe. Others pre-moisten their wipes. Some people will add some kind of commercial wipe solution to their water or make their own wipe solution. Do what works for you.

Yup, wss^. I use a spray bottle with water (and a drop or two of baby wash if I'm not feeling lazy), and i spray the wipes (rather than his bum). Wipe, pat dry, bum balm (sometimes), clean diaper

bumpuser5078523

We don't use any cream unless he's red, which is rarely.

I wipe him off (I have a folded stack of dry wipes, squirt some water/baby wash solution on them as needed and wipe) and put him in a new diaper.

I have a small container of Grandma El's (around $15) that I have had for over a year. It is maybe a 6th gone. It will literally last me years at this rate.

karenhorning

You didn't get taken.  Barrier creams like zinc oxide and petroleum are difficult to wash out.  Natural oils wash out well with detergent...think about it, they are similar to the oils that would be on your skin or in the foods you eat that the detergents are designed to wash out of your clothing.  There are cheaper options for cloth safe diaper creams. We generally use either CJs Butter (online for $15 for 8oz / $21 for 12oz, or $9.50 for a 4oz spritz bottle for the diaper bag) or cold-pressed virgin coconut oil (bought from the grocery store) with every change (after cleaning with a cloth wipe with just water).  But we use a much smaller amount than the huge gobs of Destin the nurses put on at the hospital with disposable diapers.

unaveragejane

karenhorning said:

You didn't get taken.  Barrier creams like zinc oxide and petroleum are difficult to wash out.  Natural oils wash out well with detergent...think about it, they are similar to the oils that would be on your skin or in the foods you eat that the detergents are designed to wash out of your clothing.  There are cheaper options for cloth safe diaper creams. We generally use either CJs Butter (online for $15 for 8oz / $21 for 12oz, or $9.50 for a 4oz spritz bottle for the diaper bag) or cold-pressed virgin coconut oil (bought from the grocery store) with every change (after cleaning with a cloth wipe with just water).  But we use a much smaller amount than the huge gobs of Destin the nurses put on at the hospital with disposable diapers.

This is another really good point. We use Grovia Magic Stick, and one $12-$14 stick of that stuff lasted us at least 18 months. I apply it probably every other change b/c DS has very sensitive skin and gets raw when he poops. Comparatively, we use A&D or Desitin when he's been in disposables (when he was a NB, when he's got a really bad rash, or when we travel...so barely  4 months of his 2 year life in total), and we've been through at least 4 $4-$6 tubes of those. The only downside I have found to the Magic Stick is that it does leave a gray "shadow" on some of my diapers with fleece inners, and so far the shadows haven't come out with sunning. It doesn't bother me a lot, but it does make me want to try something different like Grandma El's for DS2.