Do Cloth Nappies Cause Nappy Rash.

It is inevitable as a parent that you will one day experience nappy rash. There nothing worse than seeing your babies perfect skin looking all sore and red. Of course as parents we always worry it something we’ve done wrong. When my daughter got a bad case I immediately worried it must be because of her cloth nappies. To the point I even asked the doctor if that was the case.

Cloth nappies themselves do not cause nappy rash. There is no evidence to say cloth or disposables nappies are more likely to cause nappy rash. In fact many argue because parents that use cloth nappies are more likely to change more frequently, there is less chance of severe nappy rash.

When it comes to cloth nappies and nappy rash the best thing is to know what the causes are and then find out how to fix them.

what causes nappy rash?

When a baby wees the urine that comes out is sterile (unless of course there is some kind of infection). When urine is left in the nappy it becomes stale. When a baby then poos the bacteria in the poo reacts with the stale urine and turns it into ammonia. Ammonia is what will give a baby nappy rash. This is why it is important to change your baby as soon as they have done a poo. And to regularly change your baby every 3 or so hours whether you use cloth nappies or disposables. See “How Often To Change Cloth Nappies.”

The difference between redness and Nappy rash.

It is also worth noting that not all redness is nappy rash. There could be a number of things that cause a little redness on a babies bottom all of which is perfectly normal and can be solved with cream and a bit of fresh air.

Causes of nappy rash in cloth nappies.

1. Lack of a fleece liner.

The fleece lining in a nappy or a stay dry layer is there to keep moisture away from babies bottom, keeping them feeling dry. Without it wet material sitting on babies bum will not only make them feel uncomfortable but can cause redness or nappy rash.

2. Allergy to detergent.

That time I spoke about when I asked the doctor if cloth nappies were the cause of my daughters bad nappy rash, she told me no but it could be a reaction to the washing detergent we were using it, suggesting I try something else. Even if you haven’t changed detergent recently companies can change ingredients. She was right. Switching back to our original detergent solved the problem over night. The problem was I has switch from this particular one (Aldi’s own brand) because we had been getting slightly smelly nappies, the own brand clearly wasn’t cutting the mustard. It took a few tries and switching to disposables while we tested it out but we eventually realised she had a reaction to any detergent that was highly fragranced. Since we realised this we’ve never had a problem.

3. Inefficient wash routine.

As I mentioned above we hit some problems with smelly nappies when I was using an own brand detergent. Turns out many own brands bulk out with soap suds. Your washing looks like it’s getting a soapy wash but it may not be an effective clean. This worked fine on our clothes but when it comes to nappies you really need a deep clean.

I has also been pretty relaxed with our wash routine. What setting I used on the machine and how much a filled the washing machine. I know many say to not worry too much, not wanting to over complicate things but I believe a good wash routine is so important, otherwise you could hit problems and then things really will seem complicated.

Of course once you know what to do nothing is that complicated. Follow my step by step guide to a “Brilliant Cloth Nappy Wash Routine” here.

4. Build up of ammonia.

If you continue with an inefficient wash routine over time you could end up with ammonia build up. You’ll know if you get this, ammonia is a smell that easy to spot, as it burned in hairs in your nostrils. If you know you know. This can be a cause of nappy rash too. It’s a little bit of a faff to fix but easy enough. A strip and sanitize is necessary in this instance. Strip and sanitize is something I would only do in this instance or if you’ve brought some preloved nappies that you want to sterilize. Clean Cloth Nappies Down Under are, in my opinion, the queens of cleans and their Strip and Sanitize instructions are the most effective to follow. It may seem a little extreme (it uses a very small amount of bleach) and is a bit time consuming but after our problems with a wash routine and smelly nappies this was the only thing that worked to reset us. Find it here.

5. Poorly fit nappy.

This is no biggy and the easiest to fix. If your nappies aren’t snug around the leg gussets, when they become wet you can get a little chaffing. Making sure you dry your babies bum before you put the nappy on and have a good fit this will be solved instantly.

6. Sensitive to essential oils.

Lots of people like to use essential oils in their dirty nappy bucket or in their clean cloth wipes to keep them smelling nice. But be careful when doing this. Many babies can be sensitive to essential oils so it’s important to do you research. Oil and water do not mix without an emulsifier so if your adding your wipes to water with essential oils in or spraying nice smelling water onto your wipes at some point you’ll get a concentrated bit. It’s for this reason that I think the best and most effective way to use cloth wipes is with pure and simple water. I've also never felt the need to add essential oil to dirty bucket. The lid keeps in any smells anyway. Plus I’m a little lazy and don’t like to complicate things.

7. Sensitivity to disposable wipes.

If you find your baby is sensitive to wipes regular disposable wipes it’s well worth giving cloth wipes a go. Even if their not sensitive try them out. The most money saving and perfectly brilliant way to clean your babies bottom. I have a “Complete Guide to Cloth Wipes” waiting for you.

Can a baby get a rash when getting used to cloth nappies?

There are lots of reports of it taking a few days for a baby that was previously worn disposables to get used to cloth nappies. Disposables keep babies bum artificially dry so the switch to cloth will be different for their skin. To help the transition make sure you use a fleece liner and a barrier cream. I recommend Weleda Calendula Nappy Cream. I used this on sensitive newborn skin too.

Remember that nappy rash in common and always solvable. If your worried always seek you doctors advice.

Hannah xx

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