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Hi,
I've decided to give up on my OS diapers. My son has a rash no matter what I do with them. I have boiled them, rinsed them numerous times, used vinegar, tried Oxiclean, tried a few detergents but no matter what I do, he gets a rash. I am wondering if he is developing a sensitivity to polyester.
Has anyone tried the 100% Cotton Sandy's? I am considering getting rid of all my diapers on the forum and trying these. I am desperate as the thought of using disposables really bothers me and his pants don't fit! 
If anyone has any other suggestions on how to avoid polyester or make things as gentle as possible for a baby with sensitive skin I'd appreciate it.
Thanks,
Lona E |
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I'd try one first before getting rid of your old ones or investing in a brand new stash. I have tried the organic and I like them a lot but I can't say wether they'd help with the rash or not. Does using a fleece liner make the rash worse? Is it all over where the diaper touches? Have you had a doctor look at it (maybe it could be yeast)? What does the rash look like? Does stripping them helps at least temporarily? What detergents have you tried exactly?
One suggestion to minimize costs while experimenting would be to use some cheap prefolds for a while to see if the rash goes away. You could even just line the OS with any cotton fabric to see what happens. T-shirts, cotton receiving blankets, thin towels, whatever you don't mind potentially getting stained...
Karen.
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Hi Karen,
My son is 13 months old and I have been using Tide for HE machines without a problem until a couple of months ago. I switched to Purex Baby detergent and that seemed to help for a little bit but then his rash came back. It clears up completely when I put him in disposables and then reappears whenever I put him back in cloth. I tried OxiClean with baby detergent and he still gets a rash. It is mostly right on the end of his penis. The doctor did see it and she said to just put lots of vasoline on it. That plus the disposables did clear it up. It almost looks like the skin is eroding right off. I don't try for long. Once I see it getting a little red I switch him right back to disposables. I have never tried fleece liners. I use stay dry liners and a flat fold diaper for absorbency in each diaper.
I remember my daughter getting problems with redness right around this age but I can't remember what rectified it so I've just been trying whatever I can think of.
I have lots of receiving blankets that I am no longer using so I will give those a try to see what happens.
Thanks,
Lona E |
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The stay-dry liners are almost surely 100% polyester so if he's reacting to polyester that would be the first place I'd look. Technically ME says that polyester isn't supposed to touch baby's skin the way the fabric is made (there's no poly in the 'loops' of the terry, only in the base of the fabric) so if it's polyester the liners are the more likely culprit.
That said, if it was a polyester reaction I would think that his whole bum would be affected (ie anywhere the polyester touched), not just the end of his penis. But try it anyway, you never know... Try the blankets, just make sure they're 100% cotton first.
Could still be the detergent though, both of those are pretty average detergents so they probably have pretty similar ingredients (even the 'baby' one, often all that means is that it has fabric softeners to make fabric softer against baby's skin and *maybe* has less perfume or maybe baby-powder perfume). Maybe give soap nuts a try? You could get a trial for pretty cheap and they're excellent for front loaders. They don't cause build-up so if build-up is a problem it might solve it...
Karen.
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Thanks for your help Karen. I am excited to have my son back in cloth again during the daytime. A couple more days and we'll experiment at night. The receiving blankets did the trick.
Lona E |
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Glad to hear the liners are helping. I second the soapnuts suggestion. They are 100% natural, cause no buildup, naturally soften your fabrics, and clean like nobody's business! Plus, they are cheap compaired to most chemical detergents. Goggle it to research your options & pricing. You can get a "sample" bag for under $10 including shipping at most places and if you only use it for the diapers, that sample bag can last you a couple months. You can't beat that with any other detergent prices!
We use it for all our clothes and it's cost us $40 for a year's supply. And that's a family of 4! So it's economical, environmentally friendly, and no stripping or rashes. If people think you're crazy using a "nut" to wash your clothes, just show them the bubbles in your agitating washer! They really work wonders! Even getting out older stains on clothes!
Cheers! |
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Okay, I'll give the soapnuts a try. I just ordered them and they should be here soon. I'll start a new thread re: the soapnuts.
Lona E |
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Just wondering how the rash was coming along? One thing that occured to me today was perhaps your detergent is the type with enzymes in it?? It was never a problem for my kids but I know that for some babies the enzymes in some detergent can cause some funky type rashes (where the enzymes literally seem to be eating away at the skin).
I don't know, just a guess...
Karen.
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Karen,
Thanks for asking. That's a possibility because it's mostly been Tide for HE machines that I've used.
It's going better. I'm using the receiving blankets as liners and just received my soap nuts so I am washing with those and am cloth diapering full time during the day. I tried a cloth diaper last night and he went all red again. It wasn't wearing off his skin but I can tell if I left it for a few nights it probably would. I used to use the polyester stay dry liners at night but have those completely and had a OS with a receiving blanket in it. It might not have been as absorborant as what I normally use but I wanted to use diapers and liners that I've washed with the soap nuts. He's sleeping with a disposable as we speak. I have bedwetter pants stored away but he might be too small to try those. He's about 25 lbs. and isn't chunky the way my daughter was. Right now, I'm happy with how things are going during the day, but I'm not sure what I'm going to do at night.
Thanks for checking in.
Lona E |
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