Terrible Diaper Rash...CC question

mwilson44

I was reading through many posts.  I read something about ammonia burn.  I think that my diapers have this scent and I need to strip them.  However, Aidan has a terrible rash this week and two very distinct sores...could this possibly be the ammonia burn I read about??  Anything you ladies suggest?  Maybe I'm not using enough detergent.  How much CC do use with CD?

mwilson44

I should clarify that I just ordered CC so I haven't used it yet...I was using Tide.

ashersmom

I use about 1.5 T of CC.  We live in an apt so we share our washer, so I add a little extra to counter-act the yucky stuff everyone else is using.  I also use vinegar in the rinse (put it in a downy ball).

smurfetteinred

I'm the ammonia burn candidate. I'm not 100% positive that's what it is but Hippy mentioned it and I'm fairly certain she's right. I have some awfully hard water and haven't found anything to keep my mf inserts from going ammonia-y yet. Earlier in the week ds woke up two nights in a row screaming and was very hard to settle down. The first night I thought it was just that he was overtired but the second night he was a wreak and wouldn't stop screaming for a half hour straight. I wound up changing his daiper and it was ammonia city (I didn't notice till I changed him because he was in a sleep sack which blocked the odor). He instantly quited down - honestly it was dramatic how fast he went from screaming to quite.

His penis was somewhat red and a couple days later it actually peeled a bit so ammonia burn or not - obviously something relating to his diaper did some damage. 

You may or may not be dealing with an ammonia burn but at the very least you could be dealing with a reaction to the diaper. Tide isn't rated very highly for washing cloth diapers (though it has been recommended to me to try to fix my ammonia situation so it's different for everyone) and it's always possible that regardless of the detergent you're using that you might be using too much. Too much of any detergent can cause buildup issues. 

Do you only have pocket diapers or do you have some fitteds or prefolds - I'd try putting him in that without a cover for a couple days (when you're home) to try and clear up the rash. If not you could be brave and let him run around nekid every now and again. 

With cc you should use between 1-2 TB. I usually start lower and go up. Wash with 1 and before you dry them put your nose right down in the diaper and smell. If they smell clean then they are. If they smell even a little off, try washing with more detergent next time. 

Kris&KC

I'm no expert, but I'd never heard of ammonia burn until the other day.  I think that diaper rash also has an ammonia-y smell to it.  It may just be a bad case of diaper rash.  Haven't used CC yet, so I can't help there, but as for the diaper rash, I know its not an EF product, but I had it and used the regular, not creamy, desitin on DD's bum the other day for a pretty bad rash, used sposies for 24 hours and voila!  no more rash :-)  OH-- and 1/4 c bleach in the CD laundry took care of the smell!

Hope you both get some relief!

Kris&KC

ohh--- and your boys are too cute!!!!  Love the matching shirts :-)

E C

I recommend doing extra rinses - for us the ammonia smell is too much detergent not being rinsed out.  We have HE washer/dryer, and I use 1/2 - 1 T depending on how much or how bad the poop was.  I do a hot wash w/ detergent + extra rinse, then a cold wash w/o. detergent.  Since I changed to that routine, I haven't had a problem.

MrsAHoffman

Tide has enzymes which eat away at substances like urine...So the enzymes could cause a rash.

jeffsbabe

Try using a gentler detergent, and using about half of the recommended amount.  Also, I use an extra rinse before washing and an extra rinse after washing.  Sometimes I add a little bit of vinegar to the wash cycle, too.

Some people also recommend using a silk diaper liner to help with diaper rash.  Maybe try these:

 https://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=17600470

Good luck!