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?
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Maria wants to live in a world where cloth diapers are the norm and moms can make parenting choices without judgement. When she’s not chasing her 18, 14 and 11-year old kids around, you might find her checking out the latest gadgets, organizing something (again) or exercising in the fresh air. 
oh, and to search on just one site through google, type site:url
for example – – diaper balm site:change-diapers.com
Earth Mama Angel Baby. I tried CJ’s and the rashes won’t get better, sometimes worse (I tried three or four different times, hoping that the rave reviews would prove true).
As far as fleece liners, yes I do throw them away on occasion, but usually only after months of use. Since I cut up fleece from Joann’s, the cost of one liner being thrown away after lots of use is rather minimal.
I love THE BALM’s Diaper Balm! Works better than anything!
My questions when I hear this fleece/diaper cream solution are- does the diaper cream wash out of the fleece? Or are the fleece liners treated as ‘disposable’, and it’s better to ruin a cheap fleece liner than a diaper? And, how is absorbency affected with a fleece liner+a stay dry layer in a pocket diaper or AIO? That’s an awful lot of layers for wetness to get through before it’s absorbed. Thanks for your help!
It may or may not stain, and may or may not cause repelling (especially zinc.) You’re not going to have to throw them away after each use, but the thinking is, better for a scrap of fleece be ruined than a diaper, kwim? If you have the diaper on snugly, you shouldn’t have absorption issues, but fleece does take a bit to wick the moisture through, so if you have a child who wets really quickly/heavily, there’s always the chance that it will take too long to get through. In that case, I’d just place your absorbent layer directly under the fleece liner!
I use pockets, and even with the layer of fleece I’ve never had any problems. My fav stuff is ButtPaste so I have to use a liner, I’ve only had rashes with sickness, or when my daughter was first born she would poop at least 12 times a day, and that got her all raw. Plus, we tried to use a special lotion that was supposed to help, but she was allergic to something in it which made things worse.