We have been using our precious Bumgenius Elementals since the end of May, when we were finally able to get them. And we couldn't be happier. They work really, really well. They don't leak, they contain all messes, they are very soft and gentle on baby's skin, they breathe, they are easy to use, they absorb a lot (they can even handle the whole night, at 7 months), they fit well, they are cute... They are everything we hoped they would be (and then some).
The some being that, as I had read, cloth diapers seem to protect babies against diaper rash. I can now say it from personal experience. I had never even seen a diaper rash, and I did not want to search the web for it, because looking for skin conditions on the internet is like jumping in a dark hole of grossness. And what you see can't be unseen. Well, when we were in Switzerland, we used disposable diapers (Pampers!!) for 11 days, as I was not going to always have access to a washing machine. On day 5 of using said diapers (which we used together with a Zinc Oxyde and lanolin ointment), I was shocked to discover what undoubtedly was a nappy rash on baby's bum. I started freaking out, because I did not know how to treat it and I was already using a cream that was supposed to help prevent it. I was also changing her diapers every 3-4 hours, as we normally do, so it's not like she had been sitting in chemicals for long periods of time.
After some research we decided to use Bepanthen (a cream that contains pro-vitamin B5) and, luckily, the rash went away. I also made sure to dry her bum really well and to let her be diaper-free for at least 5-10 minutes every day. It was like magic, the lesions disappeared in 2-3 days, then healed and completely went away.
We are back to using cloth diapers and her bum is soft and healthy again. After such an experience I just had to sing the praises of cloth diapers loud and high. We have only experienced the famous poop blowouts 3 times, and on each and every one of those times we were using disposable diapers. I think this particular issue has to do with design, as the back of disposable diapers tends to be very flat, letting messes run up the back of the diaper.
Do you know any tricks / products to prevent or treat diaper rash?
Paloma only had nappy rash once and it was in disposable diapers in the very beginning. Our midwife recommended to have her bare bum to the air during tummy time.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you're loving your diapers. Maybe I should pick up some all in one's!
Yeah, bare bum does wonders! I am really really liking them, so easy to use. The only thing is these being 100 % cotton, they take long to dry, but I know at which point to wash them so that they have to dry before the ones she has are up.
DeleteHearing this makes me feel even more confident about my decision to go cloth. There just seem to be so many awesome benefits.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad to hear that Yulia's rash cleared up quickly.
Thanks... and yeah I was so glad to see it disappear. Definitely loving cloth diapers. And I don't think it's that much work. It's not like you wash them by hand... the most work is hanging them, and depending on which you have they can also go in the drier.
DeleteI have been thinking about you, I hope you are doing well.
So happy to hear that the bumgenius diapers are working out for you!
ReplyDeleteAs you know, we had our daughter in disposables for the first 3 months, and were constantly battling diaper rash. We tried lots of different brands, they all gave her diaper rash, but pampers were the worst for her. For the severe rash, Bordeaux Butt Paste helped somewhat (used at every diaper change along with vaseline), but really switching to cloth diapers was the magic bullet for us. Also, we change diapers about every 2 hours.
Around 8 months, our baby started getting a diaper rash after wearing a cloth diaper at night because she started peeing much more at night. We had to switch to disposables for overnight. Of course, I was concerned about diaper rash, but luckily we found disposable diapers that don't give her diaper rash AND hold in all the night pee. The brand is Earth's Best, and they are chlorine-free diapers, so maybe that's what makes a difference. Nowadays, we rarely see diaper rash, and if we do, it's mild and treatable with California Baby diaper rash cream, which is safe for cloth diapers.
Oh wow, and I thought Pampers were a "good" brand. I guess it's all the chemicals in them, like you mentioned. It is nice to hear of creams that work and that are cloth friendly, I have to see if they are distributed here.
DeleteI will keep an eye on nights, but yes, I am noticing she is wetting them a lot more these days. HAve you used boosters / extra in lays with the elementals yet?
Nope, we never used extra inlays in the elementals, the diaper itself seems sufficient for us so far. We've never had a leak, except once when I snapped the diaper too loose. :)
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