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DS had a little surgery over a month ago. The incision is under the diaper area (lower abdomen). It looked like it had healed up nicely until just over a week ago, when a tiny little spot started looking infected, then there was a little discharge, and then a couple more little spots started looking infected too. It is all right on the incision line, but it was worrying me because it was getting worse looking instead of better, and my antibiotic ointment didn't seem to be helping. Anyways, I just took him to the Dr. and got some other ointment, and the Dr. wasn't too worried. I want to do the right thing for my son and have him get better faster (and not get worse), and also have as minimal scarring as possible. So of course I went ahead and asked the Dr. (not my regular Dr) if using cloth vs. disposables could have any effect on the healing, knowing that she probably didn't have the MOST educated opinion in this matter and I wouldn't know whether to trust the answer...but then she is "THE DOCTOR". And of course she said it might be wise to use disposables for a couple of weeks (!!) until it scabs over, etc.... I guess now I feel torn thinking of the well being of my son and wanting to do the "right" thing (and not knowing what that is...), and thinking of the pile of diapers that would go to landfill over a few weeks time (if I go ahead and use them just in case thats the right thing to do)... I'm not convinced that the disposables would be any better, but I feel like I just don't know what would be best. In a way I think of how before disposables there was no choice, and that its just in peoples heads that disposables might be more sanitary....but then I wonder if the disposables would help keep the moisture/bacteria away from the infected area? But then again, he soaks right through a disposable at night...I would prefer not to go the disposable route, but if there is a good enough reason to I would.
Sorry this got so long and rambly (hopefully not too confusing?)
Does anyone have any advice for which diapers would be better for these few weeks and why?
Thanks!!! |
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Could you maybe do a combo of both? Like cloth during the day when you can change frequently and then disposables at night? If you change frequently enough the front of the diaper (where I gather his incision scar is) would probably never get wet anyway so it would be a non-issue.
Also, maybe look into Gdiapers for nighttime (and maybe long naps). They're essentially the inside of a disposable diaper (with mega absorbant gel and everything, so you get the dryness factor) but there's no plastic so you use a cover of sorts over top. The disposable 'insert' is flushable or compostable so that should ease at least some of your guilt. Now, for just temporary use I wouldn't go all out buying their 'pants' (their version of a cover) but you could always buy one intro kit and give it a shot. Or, even better, if you already have either velcro covers (like Rikkys) or pocket diapers of some sort, then you could just use those with the flushable inserts. All you need is something that will hold up the inserts in the same way it would hold up a prefold for example. You can check out their website <A href="http://www.gdiapers.com">www.gdiapers.com</A> or check them out at local health food stores.
Karen. |
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| Have you thought about stay dry liners? I have a few diapers with the stay dry fabric, and my daughter's bum is very dry after using them (compare to the dampness when I use my regular cotton onesize). They might be a bit of an expense for a few weeks use, but if you buy the liners instead of the diapers you wouldn't have to start from scratch. Hope everything heals up well. |
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What did people do before there were posies?
What do people in other countries do that don't use posies like we mainstream North American's do?
I feel like "going posie" is everybody's answer to everything.
I'm sorry, but that's my feeling. I think you can get through most stuff just fine with cloth. Sure, you don't want to cause more harm than good by a "choice". So it's ultimately your decision but I refuse to put my son in a posie. No matter what. He'll go naked before I go posie.
You can work through it with cloth if you so choose to. Cloth has been around longer and is used more worldwide than posies. Posies are a relatively new invention. Made actually for traveling parents intitally. Just research it before you decide what you do. At least be informed, no matter what you do decide for your baby.
Good luck! |
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That's a hard one.
Were you using any kind of stay-dry liner (or fleece) when the incision began looking bad? If not, I'd wonder if that might help keep the incision drier (during the day at least).
The only reason I can think a disposable might be better is that it might isolate the pee (i.e. gel it more on the spot) than a cloth diaper, which will probably wick the moisture in a wider perimeter. If that is the case, Karen's suggestion of using something like a g-diaper insert might help. Karen, since you've used them, do you think it would work to lay a g-diaper insert inside a normal diaper so the insert is against the incision? It would obviously be a bit bulky, but then the diaper could do the holding in place and you're working with diapers/covers you already have? If that might work, I think the inserts can even be cut in half, so depending on how mobile baby is, maybe you could use even fewer that way? |
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| Side note--when I had a wrist cist removed, my doctor told me to find a cream with high lanolin content for the best scar-minimization. |
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That's a great idea!! You could totally just use the flushable inserts inside a cloth diaper! You could get just the smallest insert they make and then even cut it in half! That way the incision stays dry but you're minimizing the disposable aspect as well as the extra costs!
The only problem with cutting an insert though is that then the gel part inside can (and probably will) touch baby's skin. Now, of course the company will tell you this is perfectly safe (and it is fairly common for a little gel to leak out of regular disposables and again they say it's no big deal) but many people are uncomfortable with this. I've researched it and personally I don't think it's a huge deal but it depends on your comfort level (if anyone is interested I could go into further detail about this).
Either way though you could use the inserts (whole or cut) and it would work very well! I've even used the inserts in my cloth diapers as a nighttime super liner and it works wonderfully!
Karen. |
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| i'd keep on using cloth if i were you. you could cover the incision with a clear plastic bandage (op-site and tegaderm are some brand names you can ask for at the pharmacy). it is still a throw-away item, but it is less than a diaper. you could also try putting some petroleum jelly or something similar on top of the ointment you have been prescribed. not so great for the cloth diapers, but hopefully it'll be a temporary thing. those are some ideas that come immediately to mind. good luck! |
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| However you decide to go once the incision is all healed you might want to put vitamin E cream on it. Our daughter had a scar on her face and I put it on 2x/day for a year and the scar is completely invisible most of the times. |
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I had a similar problem with my son. He got severely burned on his shoulder and leg and the lower fitting diapers and covers (MEAF, Thirsites, Bummis) rubbed the burned area. Then he had to have a skin graft and they took skin from his upper thigh on the opposite leg. Even the disposables rubbed the graft donor site. The only diaper I could find that was bikini enough and low rise enough to not rub the burns on his lower back was flats.
I fold them really low rise and when I put them on I jellyroll the wings before pinning. The best cover was Nikkys because they are high cut and low rise. I fold the flats into the kite fold and add another flat as a doubler. He goes coverless at home and is changed with every pee. We used covers out of the home. Could you fold and fasten the diaper below the incision?
The g-diaper covers also are low rise and I used trifolded prefolds in them, but they can be messy when the baby poos. |
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I have been meaning to do an update and just keep not quite getting to it. I really appreciate all of the help and advice! I kept him in cloth during the day and made sure to change frequently. I had already been using fleece liners for naps and night-time, but I made sure to use one in every diaper and be more conscious of the placement over the scar. I ended up using a disposable under cloth at night for a few nights, while I was looking into G-diapers and where to get them in my area. Within only a few days of all of this (and the ointment) it started looking better instead of worse! And so I felt confident going back to all cloth and just being more diligent with the fleece and frequent changing. Someone had suggested an “op-site”type dressing, which could have also been an option. We used these right after surgery, but they are really meant to stay on for prolonged periods and by this point we wanted the air to get at it at least during the day for healing. That was the hard part with the location...a soft dressing would get wet every time, and I would think pulling an op-site off every morning would be too disruptive to the healing...
Anyways, he's doing great! Thank you to everyone for the help!
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Karen, I am curious about what you were saying about the gel leaking out of disposables (and possibly G-diapers). Would you care to elaborate a little?
Looking into the G-diapers got me thinking, and I am wondering if they are the solution for us for camping this summer? Do you think they would work with just the insert in a Bummis Super Whisper Wrap? We only have Airflows, not Rikki’s (and I have a few BSWWs that are not currently being put to use). I realize that putting the insert in a CD would hold everything in place better, but would also mean the storing and washing at camp. Is it true that G-diapers are pretty messy for BM’s (my son is now almost 16mo.)? I’m thinking of investing in a couple of the pants (used if I can find them), but only if necessary and if I can make them work without a lot of practice.
Thanks, again! |
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Hi there,
Glad to hear your little one is doing well and that you were able to make cloth work for you!
For the Gdiapers, yes absolutly they'd be great for camping! I'm sure you could dump them straight into the outhouse if you have one. If you're doing more 'wild' camping you'll probably have to bring them out with you but at least you won't have to worry about washing.
A Bummis wrap should work great! I've used them like that myself and it was great. I also used them in various pocket diapers (just laying on top of the fleece) and in some Proraps as well I think. I personally found that these actually worked better than the G pants!
For the gel thing, it's just that there's powder inside disposables (and Gs, although a little less apparently) that turns liquid into gel form. That's how disposables can be sooooo absorbant. Anyway, if the diaper gets rather full or I suppose if there's a small hole in the lining, sometimes some of that gel can leak out and you'll find little gel beads on baby's skin. With the Gs I mentioned it because I had suggested actually cutting the insert in half (many do this to boost a nighttime diaper without using a whole second insert or sometimes to 'recycle' part of a used insert as they tend to get wet in the front but often stay dry in the back). If you cut it in half then there's probably a really good chance that the gel will indeed get on baby's skin. Personally I don't think it's a big deal but some people are very uncomfortable with this. It is a man made chemical against delicate skin and surrounding genital areas so I can understand the concern but there's no real evidence of any risk.
As for mess, they're about the same as a prefold. There's no elastic on the insert so if the poop is soft or gets smushed a lot then there's a good chance it'll end up on the cover. How big a deal this is depends largely on what your son's poops are like and probably how often they happen.
Personally I wouldn't bother with the G pants. They're super cute but other than that I just don't see the benefit especially if you're only using them for limited periods of time. They have the one advantage that if the snap-in insert (the part where you put the flushable) gets dirty you can change that out without having to change the outer pant (and you do get two of these snap-ins with each pant). But you still have to take everything off the baby so it's really no extra work or anything, just perhaps a little less expensive as the snap-ins are pretty cheap and you could just buy a bunch of those instead of more covers. At least in theory... I found that I would almost constantly get leaking/wicking from the wet flushable to the cotton pant and then to clothing. So I had to change the cover each time anyway and when I went on a trip with them, I had to put an Airflow over top each time I used their pants (never with just a regular cover) to prevent wet clothing! Now, apparently you can fiddle around and practice and you're supposed to be able to fix this problem (it's true that not everyone gets these leaks). But for someone just looking to use them temporarily and that already has some covers to use with the flushables, I just don't see the point.
Karen.
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