12 – Cloth Safe Rash Creams

Apr 23,2012 / By Maria / 6 Comments

If you have a cloth diaper question, have it answered in a Mailbox Mondays post, and get other Moms’ opinions too!

Questions don’t have to be cloth diaper related, just email maria at change-diapers.com with “Mailbox Mondays” in the subject, or fill out my contact form for readers, which you will always be able to find on my Contact Page.

Sadie says::

Hi Maria

I’ve been scouring your blog posts and archives to try and find if/where you review diaper rash creams for cloth diapers. I know enough to know that some of the normal kinds (desitin) aren’t good for cloth but I dont really know why (what to look for in other brands) and what you should be using instead. My hubby and I are expecting in 4 months (our first) and have committed to cloth. I’m working on my registry and want to make sure to add the right items for cloth diapering. Thanks so much!
Sadie

Congratulations on the baby! If you’re ever looking for something, you can click the review archive link at the top of the page, and skim my reviews by category. My site has a search box, but I usually have better luck going to Google and typing “change-diapers.com rash cream” (or whatever.)

You can use zinc based, or medicated rash creams if you need to, just use a fleece liner between baby & the diaper. In general, you probably won’t see a whole lot of rash with cloth, though that’s not to say it won’t happen.

There are several cloth-safe creams out there, including Earth Mama Angel Baby Bottom Balm, Grandma El’s, GroVia’s Magic Stick, Motherlove Diaper Rash & Thrush Salve, Thirsties Booty Luster & CJ’s (among others). Many moms have luck with plain old olive or coconut oil. With any of these, be sure you are using a very small amount, or use a fleece liner.

For me, one application clears up any redness, and if one of my boys isn’t feeling well, a preventative layer serves as a barrier against acidic or just repeated bowel movements.

What is your favorite rash cream?

This post contains affiliate links.

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Cloth Diaper Advice – Mailbox Mondays 4/9/12 – Training Pants

Apr 9,2012 / By Maria / 4 Comments

Having cloth diaper issues? Every Monday, I answer a question asked by a reader, and give other readers the chance to weigh in.

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Cloth Diaper Advice – Mailbox Mondays 4/2/12 – Hand Washing Cloth Diapers

Apr 2,2012 / By Maria / 3 Comments

Need cloth diaper advice? Every week, I answer a question asked by a reader, and give other readers the chance to weigh in.

Questions don’t have to be cloth diaper related, just email maria at change-diapers.com with “Mailbox Mondays” in the subject, or fill out my contact form for readers, which you will always be able to find on my Contact Page.

Aislinn says::

My little girl is due in a week and a half, and I can’t wait to start cloth diapering her! I’m from Florida but live in Asia right now. I have no washing machine or dryer, but I do have a house helper who does our laundry by hand. Our CD stash is mostly prefolds & covers with a couple of pocket diapers plus some additional inserts (microfiber and hemp).

I am looking for any and all advice you might have on hand-washing diapers! What’s the best process? What detergent should I use? How often should I wash?

I need to make sure I understand this well enough to try it myself and then teach it to someone else in another language I’ve only been learning for 6 months! Thanks so much for your help.

Hand washing won’t be as easy as using a washing machine, but it can be done! The key to successful hand washing will be similar to machine washing: using enough water, hot enough water, enough detergent (but not too much), agitation and thorough rinsing.

Several moms I know have to pay to wash their diapers, so they partially hand wash them (pre-rinsing and such) to save money. Last year, Alyssa wrote a guest post on cloth diapering without a washing machine, and she details her wash routine there. Hannah used flats while traveling to Italy, and while she had access to a washing machine, flats do well with hand washing since they are a single layer (they will dry quickly too.)

The prefolds and covers will likely be much easier to keep clean that microfiber (the shape of the fibers tend to grab oily material more than natural fibers) but they’re not impossible to hand wash; they will just require more agitation and rinsing.

I don’t know what detergents you have available in Asia, but stay away from anything with bleach, fabric softeners or optical brighteners if at all possible. Often, less expensive store brands have fewer additives than premium brands.

Have you hand washed cloth diapers? What was your wash routine!

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Cloth Diaper Advice – Mailbox Mondays 3/19/12 – Flat Cloth Diapers

Mar 19,2012 / By Maria / 4 Comments

Do you have a cloth diaper question? Each Monday, I answer a reader question, and ask for my other readers’ input as well.

Questions don’t have to be cloth diaper related, just email maria at change-diapers.com with “Mailbox Mondays” in the subject, or fill out my contact form for readers, which you will always be able to find on my Contact Page.

Leigh says::

Tell me all things flats! I don’t really understand how they are so simple when the folds seem so confusing…

Carolyn says::

And are there different kinds of flat? (What the HECK are flour sack towels, anyhow??) But do they come in different sizes and materials? (Like prefolds?) Or is a flat always a certain size and a specific kind of material?

Ok, you all know I’m a pocket diaper loving Mama, and I am very glad I don’t have to use flat cloth diapers & pins like our Grandmothers did. Even so, lots of people love flats. They can be very affordable, are easy to wash & dry (they are a single layer of material) and can be customized based on how you fold them. Hannah wrote a guest post about using flats while traveling to Italy.

You can get flats for as little as $1.46 each for birdseye cotton and as much as $7.50 each for hemp flats. You may hear people refer to flour sack towels used as flat diapers as well. They are simply lint-free, absorbent kitchen towels very similar is size and makeup to flat diapers. They are available in different sizes.

Flats are generally about 27″ x 27″ before washing (some you can get larger, like Diaper Rite’s) and can be folded into quarters and used pretty much like a prefold; trifolded, or folded & snappied, pinned or simply placed under a cover. Green Mountain Diapers has a page about flats that includes folding a flat to prefold size with another inside as a doubler, flats on a newborn and many other babies, and a photo tutorial of the origami fold. Diaper Pin’s Diaper Pin Corner has lots of flat diaper posts including a photo demo of the mini neat fold and how to pad fold a flat.

I didn’t participate in Dirty Diaper Laundry’s flats & hand washing challenge last year because I wasn’t able to commit to it the week it was being done. However, I believe 50 (or more?) moms participated & blogged about it.

If I had to choose between diapers or food, I would definitely use flats, t-shirts, towels or whatever I needed to. Especially if I didn’t have access to a washer & dryer. Fortunately I have a stash of modern cloth that I love and my own washer & dryer! I know I need to master all the flat folds so I can really be a cloth guru, but it may have to wait until my little one is a bit bigger and I have a little more time on my hands!

Have you used flats? What do you think of them? How did you fold them?

This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase after clicking the link, I receive a small portion. Thank you!

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Cloth Diaper Advice – Mailbox Mondays 3/5/12 – Cloth Swim Diapers

Mar 5,2012 / By Maria / 11 Comments

Do you have a cloth diaper question? Every week, I answer a user submitted question, and ask for reader input as well.

Questions don’t have to be cloth diaper related, just email maria at change-diapers.com with “Mailbox Mondays” in the subject, or fill out my contact form for readers, which you will always be able to find on my Contact Page.

Leigh says::

Can you recommend swim diaper options for a girl? I have heard you can use an unstuffed pocket but don’t really know how that works…

Hi Leigh! Cloth swim diapers are just like their disposable counterparts, in that they are intended to hold solid waste, but allow liquid (pool water & urine) to run through. I’ve also heard of people using a pocket as a swim diaper. I’d be concerned about the exposure to chlorine damaging the diaper, so I’d only use one that had delaminated, or that I was otherwise not using. I’d also wonder if you’d get water caught inside it!

I’ve used Kushies swim diapers and Bummis Swim Diapers (and bought a large Bummis swim diaper the next year.) You can click those links to read reviews. Both were fine, nothing really outstanding to report!

In addition to the Bummis Swimmi & Kushies swim diapers, you can find Appleckeeks swim diapers, Imse Vimse swim diapers and Imse Vimse tankini tops (squee!) to match. (affiliate links.) Mother-Ease has swim diapers too.

Do you use cloth swim diapers? What brands have you used? If you have used a pocket as a swim diaper long term, did you experience any fading, or damage to elastic or PUL?

This post contains affiliate links as indicated. If you make a purchase after clicking the link, I receive a small portion. Thank you!

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Category : Mailbox Mondays

Cloth Diaper Advice – Mailbox Mondays 4/23/12 – Cloth Safe Rash Creams

Cloth Diaper Advice – Mailbox Mondays 4/9/12 – Training Pants

Cloth Diaper Advice – Mailbox Mondays 4/2/12 – Hand Washing Cloth Diapers

Cloth Diaper Advice – Mailbox Mondays 3/19/12 – Flat Cloth Diapers

Cloth Diaper Advice – Mailbox Mondays 3/5/12 – Cloth Swim Diapers

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