advice appreciated....i dont want to give up on cloth...

[rokki]

hello everyone, i'm new around here but am so excited to have finally found somewhere that give advice and support to cloth nappy users (i dont get any support off my friends and family - they think my son should be in "nice clean disposables"! )

anyway, my son is now just over 4 months and has been in cloth nappies since birth - a few weeks ago we noticed he was red and sore across his tummy and on the inside of the top of his thighs - where the nappy fits

it looked like chafing, and it took ages to clear up, during which i turned to disposables, metanium cream (i tried all sorts before that - vaseline, nipple cream, sudocrem, aqueous cream etc but none worked as well as the metanium) and loads of nappy free time
eventually it looked like it was all healed, but i put a cloth nappy on him yesterday (a fleece lined bumble) and when i went to change him after a couple of hours the rash/sore area was back already and in the same place!

i cant understand what we're doing wrong, and i really dont want to give up, we've spent so much money and invested so much time and effort - my family and friends are already giving me the "i told you so" looks so no support there

what might cause this chafing? is it the nappy too loose or too tight? should i be using a barrier cream at every change? all i used to do was wash him over with cotton wool and warm water, dry carefully then use a cloth nappy, with a fleece liner if not fleece lined, and a plastic pant

its just so wierd that after only a couple of hours in a cloth nappy its flared up again when it looked healed and healthy....

[kermi]

Ok there are a couple of possible explanations here so to try and pin point what it may be, I have a few questions:

Have you given your nappies a strip wash?
Are they all fleece lined?
If not, do the natural lined nappies have the same effect?
Have you tried using Calendula ointment?

I have found that my youngest has a sensitivity to fleece inners on nappies.
To help with that (as we have a lot of fleece lined ones!), I strip wash them at regular intervals, use flushable liners and put him in natural lined nappies during the day.
Sometimes he still flairs up and I use a good amount of Calendula then but on the whole he is doing well.

Just a few thoughts there.

[MadMumof3]

ok several things it could be
first i would try a strip wash - there may be a build up of detergent in the fleece (its quite common thing to happen)
then
maybe try something with a natural liner. it may be a sensitivity to fleece i know theres a fewgirls here whose kiddies have this issue -
if you search theforumfor both these things you will probably get loads to read


SNAP CARMEN

[mum2miya]

another thought - when you say plastic pants are you using PVC pants? PVC is not breathable and so might be creating a very humid environment under the nappy. Wool, Fleece and PUL are breathable options for nappy covers

[MadMumof3]

oh i didnt read that detail yes pilchers/pvc pants are not breathable and the elastic on them i always thought was tight and being exposed may create irritation too . ......good thinking donna... maybe get a Pul cover or 2 they arent all that dear .. there are often some on Buy4baby too

[kermi]

Or have you tried soakers/longies yet?

[rokki]

not sure if the pants are pvc or pul - they are motherease airflow if that explains any better?

as for the fleece sensitivity - if he was sensitive to the fleece, wouldnt he have soreness over the whole area where there is fleece? or could it still just be where it fits the snugest?

all my nappies are in the wash at the moment - not sure what is meant by a strip wash but i am washing them all at 60 with some ecover, then i'm going to wash again at 60 with a bit of nappy soak/sanitiser, then i was going to do a final 60 degree wash with no detergent or anything in

i've got a mix of nappies, some fleece lined, and some that need a liner and i've always used fleece up to now, but i've got some paper liners i could use (they just seem like they might be a bit scratchy) - are there any other liners i could try that are natural fibres? i think i've heard of silk ones but not sure where to get them or how they would wash

i'll try and post a photo of his red areas if i can:


should i keep him in disposables till it looks healed again or just go for it with the cloth again?

[MadMumof3]

it looks a little like maybe the elastic is rubbing on the thigh........

the motherease covers are fine
Liners - thers some good disposable ones on The WeeWuns and Janie is a pleasure to deal with

and i would def try the calendula that stuff is amazing

[kermi]

hmm that looks like a heat rash or fleece sensitivity to me.
I'd advise trying natural (hemp/cotton or bamboo) lined nappies closer to his skin and seeing if that helps.
Also trying to give him more nappy free time in between too?

[Helen]

Too me that looks like an allergy type rash. In my own experience, for instance, I can wear stockings fine, but if I scratch my leg through the stocking, it gets hot red and itchy. so where the fleece is rubbing, could cause a rash even if it is fine elsewhere. Perhap it is the Motherease binding instead? Try a different cover like wool or fleece and see how that goes?