Help! Discouraged

jbranden12

Hi ladies,

We just started CDing DD who is 6.5 weeks adjusted. She is over 9 lbs with chunky thighs so her OS BGs fit now and we use a mix of 4.0s, Freetimes, FB XS, Swaddlebees Simplex 2.0s, and small GMD Workhorses or osocozy prefolds with Thirsties and Bummi's covers. 

My concern is that it's only been two days and her bum is already red! She usually eats every 2-3 hours during the day and 4-5 hours at night and we change her after. I knew cloth would not hold as much but I didn't realize her bum would get so red even when she hasn't filled her diaper. We haven't had any leaking so I don't think absorbency or repelling are issues. We have been putting Grandma Els on it but this morning I put a sposie on her so I could slather on Risamine ointment. I have to admit, I was relieved to put a sposie on which made me sad . 

Do you all really do diaper changes every 2 hours? I don't mind it if she's awake and playing, but I don't want to wake her up from a nap just because it's time or because I hear her poop. And what about overnight? A freetime or 4.0 with large insert won't even be soaked after a 4 or 5 hour stretch, so should we still change her after a couple of hours? Or could her skin get used to the wetness?

I also don't love how bulky they are but I know that will get better as she gets bigger. But the red bum is a no-go! It makes me want to send DH to Costco for some sposies and use those until until I'm ready to try again. Tell me it gets better!

Mandmeesh

We change every two hours...no matter what, and especially after a poop. She'll be more surly with a red rash than if she gets woken up to be changed to try to clear/prevent that rash

Overnight, the longest is 4 hours and we change even if there's no wetness or poop. Make sure after you're wiping clean that LO is completely dry before fastening the next dipe.

ETA also a fleece liner could help with the wet feeling, but doesn't extend that 2-hour diaper change "limit" 

jbranden12

Mandmeesh:

We change every two hours...no matter what, and especially after a poop. She'll be more surly with a red rash than if she gets woken up to be changed to try to clear/prevent that rash

Overnight, the longest is 4 hours and we change even if there's no wetness or poop. Make sure after you're wiping clean that LO is completely dry before fastening the next dipe.

ETA also a fleece liner could help with the wet feeling, but doesn't extend that 2-hour diaper change "limit" 

Thank you! I want to do this, but it seems daunting! We try to make sure she is changed before every nap during the day, but sometimes she'll just fall asleep after play time, and I want to let her! And at night, how do you ever get any sleep? It seems like it means putting her on a schedule because surely if we wake her up, she will want to eat, but she won't be waking herself up to eat, you know? Either way, if we wake her up, she wants to eat NOW and will scream wail if we try to change her. That's why we usually wait until after she eats. I want to let her sleep as long as possible, so her two parents can sleep as long as possible! Whew! Sorry for the rambling, just feeling a little overwhelmed. 

gollywollypog

It gets better!!  It really does.  9 lbs is still really small, the bulkiness really does go away after a while.  Emery had rashiness in the beginning- he grew out of that, too.

I'd recommend getting some cj's butter spray and using that every diaper change to combat the redness.  If the redness gets raw or turns into a real diaper rash I'd use burts bees diaper ointment(not technically cd safe, but I used all the time the first few months with no issues) and lanisoah lanolin alternating.  

If you use a moisture barrier like above you should not have to change so frequently.  If she poops and has a red bum you really do need to change her right away, and that would be the case with sposies, too. 

Emery is over 9 months now but for a few months now I've only been changing him really about every 3-4 hours unless he poops, then I change right away.  He doesn't struggle with rashes at all anymore.

You could use a fleece liner at night if she's sensitive to wetness right now for overnights. 

Good luck!

jbranden12

bookitup:

Is she red all over her button or just in certain areas? One of the biggest things I had to learn for cloth diapering is to make sure my LO gets really dry with a dry cloth wipe between diaper changes. I pat dry his bottom, especially in between the cheeks. I try to let him air out a little too if possible. Then I put on the diaper rash cream with every change. 

I change about every 2 hours during the day or when he is awake and ready to eat. Don't wake her up to change, but definitely change ASAP when she wakes up.  At night we go as long as he sleeps, which is sometimes 6 hours.

it could be your LO has a sensitivity to wetness if she is reacting to the cottons that aren't stay dry. Or your LO might have a sensitivity to the stay dry material. I would do disposables for a day or two with rash cream until the redness is gone and then start over. I would maybe stick to one type of diaper (cotton or stay dry) for a few changes and see how her bottom looks to see if one is causing a reaction.

As far as the bulkiness, it drives me nuts too. My LO is 12 pounds and I still don't use our BG diapers because they are huge! But I hate to sell them because I know later they will fit better. Just takes patience to wait it out!

Thank you! She is red all over. Not a horrible rash that would make me think yeast or allergy, but still red. Good idea to try one type of diaper once we go back!

jbranden12

Chickypoo2468:

I don't wake a baby for changes, unless they poop. ALWAYS wake for poop. It's poop.

We will definitely do this during the day, but at night we don't always know! DD poops after every feed. I am glad we don't have constipation issues but I am hoping this doesn't last forever!

jbranden12

Chickypoo2468:

I don't wake a baby for changes, unless they poop. ALWAYS wake for poop. It's poop.

We will definitely do this during the day, but at night we don't always know! DD poops after every feed. I am glad we don't have constipation issues but I am hoping this doesn't last forever!

jbranden12

Chickypoo2468:

Also, if she wants to eat first, feed her. You can change halfway or after. Not sure if you BF or FF but thats whats advised for BF babies anyway. Again, unless its poop. L was STTN at 6 or 7 weeks, CDs really don't interfere with that. ETA of the advice given here, I would say bookitup's is the most sound. So go with what she said.

She is EBF. We feed her and then hold her upright for 20-30 minutes due to reflux. I hope she grows out of this! 

jbranden12

KLilley:

It gets better!!  It really does.  9 lbs is still really small, the bulkiness really does go away after a while.  Emery had rashiness in the beginning- he grew out of that, too.

I'd recommend getting some cj's butter spray and using that every diaper change to combat the redness.  If the redness gets raw or turns into a real diaper rash I'd use burts bees diaper ointment(not technically cd safe, but I used all the time the first few months with no issues) and lanisoah lanolin alternating.  

If you use a moisture barrier like above you should not have to change so frequently.  If she poops and has a red bum you really do need to change her right away, and that would be the case with sposies, too. 

Emery is over 9 months now but for a few months now I've only been changing him really about every 3-4 hours unless he poops, then I change right away.  He doesn't struggle with rashes at all anymore.

You could use a fleece liner at night if she's sensitive to wetness right now for overnights. 

Good luck!

Thank you! We might play around with different barriers to see if anything else works.  Good to know your DS adjusted!

TexasMom7137

It will get better. Daily naked bum time or at least time in a fitted with no cover really helps DS when he gets a little red. Also remember it does not have to be all or nothing. We do cloth during the day but sometimes do disposibles at night. DS sleeps 11 hours so I am still working on a good night time solution. You can mix cloth and disposibles while you are figuring this out.

DaisyJanie

Just to throw another variable in there, my LO was red all over his diaper area as a newborn, and it turned out to be a detergent issue. I switched brands and it went away almost immediately. 

ForeverEverAfter

I have never changed every 2 hours. For newborn I changed after feedings (about 3h) and for poops. Now I do it for poops, and when I know she's wet, so anywhere from 1-4h depending on when she naps. I make sure she's very dry (pat with a clean, dry flannel wipe) and put on bum cream. When she had a rash (bad reaction to pampers) the only thing that worked was air time, with a fitted and no cover for the day. But that was at a month old, no rash since.

jbranden12

TexasMom7137:

It will get better. Daily naked bum time or at least time in a fitted with no cover really helps DS when he gets a little red. Also remember it does not have to be all or nothing. We do cloth during the day but sometimes do disposibles at night. DS sleeps 11 hours so I am still working on a good night time solution. You can mix cloth and disposibles while you are figuring this out.

This is true. We'll probably pick up some disposables just to have while figuring out what works for us. Thanks! 

jbranden12

DaisyJanie:

Just to throw another variable in there, my LO was red all over his diaper area as a newborn, and it turned out to be a detergent issue. I switched brands and it went away almost immediately. 

Will definitely consider this. Right now we're using liquid tide because I had a lot but I'm going to pick up some powder to try.  

jbranden12

ForeverEverAfter:

I have never changed every 2 hours. For newborn I changed after feedings (about 3h) and for poops. Now I do it for poops, and when I know she's wet, so anywhere from 1-4h depending on when she naps. I make sure she's very dry (pat with a clean, dry flannel wipe) and put on bum cream. When she had a rash (bad reaction to pampers) the only thing that worked was air time, with a fitted and no cover for the day. But that was at a month old, no rash since.

Thank you! I think a dry bum will be key. We're still using disposable wipes because we were gifted a Costco box, but I am considering cloth wipes. We have about 30 washcloths from her shower that I may try to use.  

bhdoucette

Chickypoo2468:

I don't wake a baby for changes, unless they poop. ALWAYS wake for poop. It's poop.

This. We change every two hours unless DD is sleeping.

aisha&travis

I only have one thing to add with all the good advice. Use coconut oil rather than diaper or rash cream. Much better for baby's skin, all natural and will be more effective. Good luck sweety!