Diaper Rash

smashtree7 · November 2014

I'm sure this is discussed frequently and I apologize but the search function doesn't seem to be working for me right now.

We started using cloth again on our 15 month old about 2 weeks ago. GMD white flats during the day and workhorse at night with a Thirsties cover. I change her about every 3 hours during the day. She's always wet but not soaked. I wash her diapers in Tide free and clear powder which is what I've been using on all of our clothes since before she was born. But for whatever reason she seems to get a diaper rash almost every day. As soon as I put CJs on it goes away within a matter of hours, normally the next change, but then it comes right back the next day. Any ideas on what might be causing it? Nothing in her diet is different, the diapers are just cotton and it's the same ol detergent as always. It makes sense that having that moisture always on her skin would be irritating but I always heard cloth lead to fewer rashes.

freezorburn · November 2014

So, is it in the morning when the rash is appearing?

TJ1979 · November 2014

What is your wash routine?
What does the rash look like?

TJ1979 · November 2014

charmingthemoon said:

I also have heard that free and clear can slowly lead to issues over time. Maybe try regular tide powder instead of free and clear?

I thought that was only the liquid, not the powder?

smashtree7 · November 2014

freezorburn said:

So, is it in the morning when the rash is appearing?

No, it's normally in the middle of the day or the evening

smashtree7 · November 2014

TJ1979 said:

What is your wash routine? What does the rash look like?

I have a front loading HE washer. I do a hot rinse, then a warm/cold wash with detergent, then an extra cold rinse at the end. Normally I hang dry unless I need the diapers sooner at which point I pop them in the dryer for about 20 minutes. Since they're just flats that is always enough drying time.

ETA: It's bright red, bunch of little dots. Occasionally the dots will be a little "oozy" for lack of a better word. But it covers a pretty good portion of her skin; not the entire area touching the diaper but enough to make you wince when you look at it.

smashtree7 · November 2014

AFwifelife said:

I would change more frequently during the day. We change every 1.5-2 hours.

I thought about that, but she doesn't get them overnight and she's sleeping 12 hours at that point waking up with the diaper completely soaked so it seems like it wouldn't be an issue of having it on her skin for too long. I could definitely be wrong though.

smashtree7 · November 2014

TJ1979 said:

charmingthemoon said:

I also have heard that free and clear can slowly lead to issues over time. Maybe try regular tide powder instead of free and clear?

I thought that was only the liquid, not the powder?

I thought that too. I haven't come across anything that mentions F&C powder causing issues. We don't use regular because it irritates my skin when my clothes are washed in it. But I'll look into it, we could always use regular just for the diapers.

Unknown · November 2014

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smashtree7 · November 2014

theultimatesak said:

TJ1979 said:

What is your wash routine? What does the rash look like?

I have a front loading HE washer. I do a hot rinse, then a warm/cold wash with detergent, then an extra cold rinse at the end. Normally I hang dry unless I need the diapers sooner at which point I pop them in the dryer for about 20 minutes. Since they're just flats that is always enough drying time.

ETA: It's bright red, bunch of little dots. Occasionally the dots will be a little "oozy" for lack of a better word. But it covers a pretty good portion of her skin; not the entire area touching the diaper but enough to make you wince when you look at it.
How you describe the rash is how I would describe F's & H's eczema. Okay in the morning, worse as the day goes on. Mainly in their diaper area but not covering the whole thing that the diaper touches. Goes away when you put something on it. Little red dots. Sometimes theirs turns into more angry red patches.

Yes! That sounds just like it! She's had trouble with rashes since she was born. I've mentioned it to the pediatrician on numerous occasions but she's never said anything about eczema. What do you do for that? She's only had a rash when I've brought her in once when she was about 3 months old. It was horrible and bleeding and they prescribed a medicated cream that did wonders, but it's not for every day use. I was hoping switching to cloth would help with the rashes but if it's something else I'd love to know how to help her.

freezorburn · November 2014

smashtree7 said:

TJ1979 said:

What is your wash routine? What does the rash look like?

I have a front loading HE washer. I do a hot rinse, then a warm/cold wash with detergent, then an extra cold rinse at the end. Normally I hang dry unless I need the diapers sooner at which point I pop them in the dryer for about 20 minutes. Since they're just flats that is always enough drying time.

ETA: It's bright red, bunch of little dots. Occasionally the dots will be a little "oozy" for lack of a better word. But it covers a pretty good portion of her skin; not the entire area touching the diaper but enough to make you wince when you look at it.

Try switching the temperatures of your washes to: warm rinse, then hot wash with detergent. You will get the most out of your detergent if you do a hot cycle with it.

Also, Jillian's Drawers has this to say about F&C detergents.

If you are still having problems after you switch to a hot wash with detergent, you might consider a clean-rinsing detergent. They don't have the additives that you might be concerned about with sensitive skin, and they are excellent for cleaning diapers. The only caveat is that if you have hard water you may need to add your own water softener. Calgon works really well for that purpose. Or, if you use Charlie's, they have a water softener that is designed to work with their detergent.

TJ1979 · November 2014

@charmingthemoon Check out @freezorburn's link to Jillian's Drawer. Very interesting.

TJ1979 · November 2014

I read it as saying that whether it was liquid or powder, the fact that it is a F&C means that it has the microbiostats and thus caused issues.

smashtree7 · November 2014

I got the impression that they were only causing issues with certain fabrics, not cotton flats. But maybe it was just the wording. I'll try switching to regular Tide powder since that seems to be considered safe. Thanks ladies.

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