Allergic Reaction...Help!

BethanyAnn27 · December 2014

Ok, I need some help from you cloth diaper gurus ASAP. DD had a yeast rash that was clearing up well with nystatin, but flared up again yesterday. Took her to the pediatrician today, and it turns out this "flare" is actually an allergic reaction to something on her diapers. She is 10.5 weeks old and we have been using the same diapers/wash routine since we brought her home (osocozy prefolds, sweet pea covers, 2-3 T. of tide powdered). Long story short (and on recommendation of our pediatrician), we need to put her in disposables until this clears, are changing the yeast cream, adding a steroid cream, and need to wash all the diapers in a free & clear laundry solution. She cant go back in cloth until this clears up, and then we need to stay away from tide (unless it is free & clear).

So on to my questions: if any of you have gone through this, what detergent has worked well for you for your sensitive-skinned LOs? Has anyone had luck with tide free& clear (we have an old top loader coin operated laundry...nothing HE!)? Any other suggestions would be great, because I want DD back in cloth as soon as it is ok for her but want to make sure we are going about it the smart way. TIA!

kmc84 · December 2014

My DD had a reaction to Tide because of the enzymes. (She also reacted to Bac-Out) So no Tide at all for us. I switched to Charlies powder and have been happy with it. I washed all her diapers 3 times in Charlies before use (as recommended by Charlies to strip all residue out before use).

I had used Nellie's, Allen's, and All Free and Clear when I was starting and none of them did a great job for us. The All F&C did the best but we still had stink issues and I guess it's known for causing repelling issues down the road.

BethanyAnn27 · December 2014

missmimsyy said:

My guess would be the tide. I use tide free and clear with no real issues, but it may not work for you. The more important thing is whether you stripped your dipes after the yeast. You need to do a bleach load or use tea tree oil in the wash to kill the yeast. I haven't had to do a strip yet, but I'm sure someone can give you better instructions.

We have been using bleach with an extra rinse since the yeast was diagnosed. I did a lot of reading here to figure out what to do to strip the diapers. Good to know the free & clear tide works for you. We will probably give that a try because we need to start somewhere and, if it doesn't work for the diapers, DH & I will just use it to wash our clothes once our normal detergent runs out. Thank you!

freezorburn · December 2014

Do you have exclusive use of your TL or are you doing laundry at a shared facility? Because if you are using a shared machine then you always run the risk of getting detergent redepositing from other users, depending on how well the machines are maintained.

F&C detergents are generally not recommended -- if you check Jillians Drawers detergent page, they believe the microbiostats can contribute to stink issues. I think their purpose is to retard the growth of dust mites and other common allergens, but honestly you are washing diapers so frequently (in hot water) that that shouldn't be an issue. That said, I think there is someone here who has used Tide F&C without issues.

If your goal is to avoid fragrances, enzymes, brighteners, etc., then you might want to go with a CD safe detergent. Charlie's, Nellies, Allens, country save, or tiny bubbles are all pretty well regarded here. If you have hard water you may also want to stock up on Charlies booster or Calgon.

BethanyAnn27 · December 2014

kmc84 said:

My DD had a reaction to Tide because of the enzymes. (She also reacted to Bac-Out) So no Tide at all for us. I switched to Charlies powder and have been happy with it. I washed all her diapers 3 times in Charlies before use (as recommended by Charlies to strip all residue out before use).

I had used Nellie's, Allen's, and All Free and Clear when I was starting and none of them did a great job for us. The All F&C did the best but we still had stink issues and I guess it's known for causing repelling issues down the road.

Do you need to order Charlies on line? I have never seen it in stores around me. Thanks for the tips!

BoothBaby · December 2014

Ditto that you need to bleach the dipes to kill the yeast (add 1/4 cup to your load and do a bunch of extra rinses).

I think in general the Free & Clear detergents are not recommended. I'd try a CD friendly detergent like Nellie's, Charlie's Soap, etc. We are currently using the Bum Genius detergent and it works well for us.

BethanyAnn27 · December 2014

freezorburn said:

Do you have exclusive use of your TL or are you doing laundry at a shared facility? Because if you are using a shared machine then you always run the risk of getting detergent redepositing from other users, depending on how well the machines are maintained.

F&C detergents are generally not recommended -- if you check Jillians Drawers detergent page, they believe the microbiostats can contribute to stink issues. I think their purpose is to retard the growth of dust mites and other common allergens, but honestly you are washing diapers so frequently (in hot water) that that shouldn't be an issue. That said, I think there is someone here who has used Tide F&C without issues.

If your goal is to avoid fragrances, enzymes, brighteners, etc., then you might want to go with a CD safe detergent. Charlie's, Nellies, Allens, country save, or tiny bubbles are all pretty well regarded here. If you have hard water you may also want to stock up on Charlies booster or Calgon.

Unfortunately we have to use a shared machine. I had read that about free & clear detergents before but our pediatrician is very CD-friendly and she recommended starting there which is why I will probably start there. Good to see that Charlies has come up so many times.

tinybugsmom · December 2014

I am really allergic to tide. We use seventh generation, thi not cding yet since I am pregnant and this is my first. But my sister uses seventh Gen with her diapers.

I would do what others suggested, try new gentle detergent, and maybe try just prefolds when at home.

It is rare but could be a PUL allergy. I am also allergic to latex, petroleum products, and many plastics. So you may need to try other covers.

Some here suggested trying pocket diapers as covers for me, since pockets have PUL between fabrics so none exposed that would touch skin.

BethanyAnn27 · December 2014

mamakate12345 said:

Go to ewg.org and they rate all the ingredients in everything...from detergent to makeup. The website is a little hard to use. Go to consumer guides and you can search for products in there. Based on their site, even Tide Free and Clear gets a bad grade. I use Seventh Generation Free and Clear Powder, as it is virtually free of everything. I've been using it since day 1 of cloth diapering and haven't had one stain or smell.

This is so great to hear! "Pinstripes and Polkadots" rated Seventh Generation Delicate Care detergent as "good" for CD care, and doesn't have enzymes, brighteners, etc. DH & I started using Seventh Generation for our laundry soap because I started having allergic reactions to what we were using before while I was pregnant for the first time, and we love it. From the responses here, and now that I am less frantic about the whole thing, we might dump the tide completely and start with the Seventh Generation brand because of the good rating for CDing and how much it helped reverse my allergic reactions when I was pregnant. Our pediatrician told us to get the Seventh Generation disposables because they use the least amount of chemicals out of all the disposables currently on the market, so I already know it is a brand she approves of when dealing with allergic skin reactions.

BethanyAnn27 · December 2014

tinybugsmom said:

I am really allergic to tide. We use seventh generation, thi not cding yet since I am pregnant and this is my first. But my sister uses seventh Gen with her diapers. I would do what others suggested, try new gentle detergent, and maybe try just prefolds when at home. It is rare but could be a PUL allergy. I am also allergic to latex, petroleum products, and many plastics. So you may need to try other covers. Some here suggested trying pocket diapers as covers for me, since pockets have PUL between fabrics so none exposed that would touch skin.

I was wondering about that too. I am latex sensitive, not sure if that would make DD more suseptible to an allergy to something like PUL. I hope not, but good to know that pockets would be another CDing option if that turns out to be the issue. Plus, then I could continue to use my beloved prefolds (I am not being sarcastic...I really do love those things!).

PipSqueak0313 · December 2014

Ummm, since you're supposed to wash everything in Charlie's if you're using that on your cd when you have exclusive use of a washer, wouldn't that make Charlie's a bad choice if washing in a shared laundry facility situation? Is it possible that LO is reacting to the bleach and not to the detergent?

freezorburn · December 2014

Do you have room someplace for a portable washer?

countrycotton · December 2014

I may have missed something but I believe you said since the yeast was found you have been adding bleach and one extra rinse. When you use bleach you absolutely need SEVERAL rinses. You should rinse untill you no longer smell even a hint of bleach. My thinking is if you haven't had a allergic reaction prior to this point; that this rash may be a reaction to residual bleach in the diapers. I have only had to bleach once, only used an 1/8 cup, and rinsed 4 times to get all the residual bleach out. If it were me I would use disposables untill everything has cleared up, and in the mean time wash the diapers several times to ensure no bleach residue, and try again. My thinking is of it were a reaction to the tide it would have appeared sooner, and not in relation to the yeast.

BethanyAnn27 · December 2014

countrycotton said:

I may have missed something but I believe you said since the yeast was found you have been adding bleach and one extra rinse. When you use bleach you absolutely need SEVERAL rinses. You should rinse untill you no longer smell even a hint of bleach. My thinking is if you haven't had a allergic reaction prior to this point; that this rash may be a reaction to residual bleach in the diapers. I have only had to bleach once, only used an 1/8 cup, and rinsed 4 times to get all the residual bleach out. If it were me I would use disposables untill everything has cleared up, and in the mean time wash the diapers several times to ensure no bleach residue, and try again. My thinking is of it were a reaction to the tide it would have appeared sooner, and not in relation to the yeast.

I wasn't specific enough...we have been adding several rinses, and the diapers do not smell like bleach when they come out of the wash. Thank you for the clarification though! I also wondered if maybe it was a bleach issue since that was one thing that we added to the routine since the bleach.

No place for a portable washer in our apartment sadly, that would be ideal. Good to know that Charlies may be out because of this.

Ok, all this said, the only CD safe soap that we can get locally is apparently Rockin' Green (no enzymes, softeners, fragrance, etc.). Anyone had experience with this?

BethanyAnn27 · December 2014

missmimsyy said:

Not trying to sound sarcastic, but wouldn't all of this make OP a fine candidate for flats and hand washing?

That is a great suggestion. I would like to try to salvage the stash we already have built up if all it takes is changing the detergent, but if it continues to give us issues, we might try this. Thank you!

BethanyAnn27 · December 2014

Seriously, you ladies are life-savers when it comes to CDing questions. I don't know what I would do without your tips and suggestions. Thank you all so much!

kmc84 · December 2014

So since they are shared washers, Charlie's probably isn't the best idea....but since you asked, I was able to find powdered Charlie's at Fresh Market and liquid Charlie's at a local 'crunchy' baby shop. When I was happy with the results, I ordered the gigantic bucket from Amazon.

BethanyAnn27 · December 2014

missmimsyy said:

I think the largest factor here may not be your detergent but the possibility of detergent and/or softener residue in the machines. Do you have a friend or family member that would let you experiment with your current routine to see if that is the issue?

I wish...closest family member is over an hour away, and all our local friends use similar community washing machines. That said, we did spend a week at my parent's house and used their new washing machine. DD had the same rash which makes me lean toward it being the detergent we were using.

Edit: Clarification: we went to the pediatrician about the rash before we left when it was starting, gave it a week of treatment while we were away with improvement, called the pediatrician when we got home and the rash was still there, they gave us some suggestions and saw us today...so we haven't been ignoring the rash!

ComeMai · December 2014

BethanyAnn27 said:

countrycotton said:

I may have missed something but I believe you said since the yeast was found you have been adding bleach and one extra rinse. When you use bleach you absolutely need SEVERAL rinses. You should rinse untill you no longer smell even a hint of bleach. My thinking is if you haven't had a allergic reaction prior to this point; that this rash may be a reaction to residual bleach in the diapers. I have only had to bleach once, only used an 1/8 cup, and rinsed 4 times to get all the residual bleach out. If it were me I would use disposables untill everything has cleared up, and in the mean time wash the diapers several times to ensure no bleach residue, and try again. My thinking is of it were a reaction to the tide it would have appeared sooner, and not in relation to the yeast.

I wasn't specific enough...we have been adding several rinses, and the diapers do not smell like bleach when they come out of the wash. Thank you for the clarification though! I also wondered if maybe it was a bleach issue since that was one thing that we added to the routine since the bleach.

No place for a portable washer in our apartment sadly, that would be ideal. Good to know that Charlies may be out because of this.

Ok, all this said, the only CD safe soap that we can get locally is apparently Rockin' Green (no enzymes, softeners, fragrance, etc.). Anyone had experience with this?

I used to live by the Osocozy manufacturer and they recommended Rockin' Green. It worked for a short while for our prefolds, but then I had stink issues. I think there are much better detergents out there. Tide gave my DD2 a horrible rash. (I'm sensitive to it, too, but I was desperate after the Rockin' Green.) Now we use Country Save. It has worked pretty well for us with hard water.

Also, have you seen how small the portable washers actually are? I don't have experience with them, but the dimensions look like they are less than two feet square. Cover it with a tablecloth and call it an endtable?

freezorburn · December 2014

I think there are at least a couple of ladies in our FB group who are getting good results with RnG.

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