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| My son recently developed a bad allergy to the plastic in disposable diapers. I have just ordered motherease cloth diapers and the covers. The covers are made of polyester which is a plastic. Do you think this will irritate his skin? How much of the diaper cover is in contact with the child's skin? |
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hi there. just to let you know that there is a tiny bit of polyester in the base of the fabric in the diapers as well. the diapers are made in such a way that only the cotton touches the skin though. as far as the covers are concerned, no inner portion of it touches the skin and the outer portion has fabric on it. so your son shouldn't have a problem. the reason that your son breaks out is because the whole disposable diaper, no matter how cloth-like it feels, is made of plastic. this includes the inner portion that is in contact with the skin as well as the outer portion. i would suggest putting one unwashed diaper and cover on when you first receive the diapers just to see how your son's skin reacts. after he has used the diaper and if there is no irritation, go ahead and wash the rest of the diapers before use. the reason that i am telling you this is just in case your son is allergic, you can return the rest of the diapers and covers if your son has a reaction to the first diaper. this way, you did not waste your money. mother ease says that you are allowed to return any unused (urinated and/or deficated in), and unwashed products. so if he does have a reaction, at least you will be able to return the rest of the diapers and covers minus the first one that was put on him.
i really hope that this suggestion helps. |
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Although the suggestion to try a diaper before washing and committing to them all isn't a bad one, personally I would wash that diaper if you're doing any more than trying it on. New diapers need to be washed to remove the oils (an unwashed diaper may not absorb very well at all), and there's always a chance of some sort of residue on the diaper that could prove a red herring.
As Fire Dancer said, ME diapers are woven such that no poly in the diaper will touch baby's skin. The only place for poly to be a problem could be the very edge elastic of the covers. It's very rare, but some kids do react to that. I would go in assuming it won't be a problem, though. ME diapers should also keep your babe cooler than a disposable, so that may help as well.
So all of that being said, I hope that you love your ME diapers. There can be a learning curve with cloth, just because it's a different process to learn, but once you get your routine down, you will very likely love it. I have been so thrilled with my ME diapers. They really do perform better than disposables (depending on your baby, but if you have pee or poop leaks with disposables, these will almost definitely go away with ME diapers and covers), and end up not being more work--different work, but not more once you get it down. Snap, snap, snap perfect. My husband far prefers using these over disposables because it's what he learned on and what he knows. It becomes second nature and somehow transforms diapering from something gross into something cool. Okay, you're still dealing with poop, but somehow it changes the overall experience.
Alright, I'll stop, but good luck, and please do ask questions here! |
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now that i think of it, aavd is right. when i received my dipes though, the diaper absorbed right away without being washed, i was that excited to get him into cloth after 5 horrible months of disposables. pampers were the worst! i have really bad asthma and whenever i would get a whiff of perfume in those diapers, that would send me running for my nebulizer. same with luvs as well. with both of those diapers, my son would also cough and sneeze and he would have dry patches all over his bottom and a fever around his anal opening. trust me, both of us were miserable but my dh said that having a respiratory reaction to the diapers as well as the things that i found wrong with ds' skin was all in my head. whoever said that disposables are safe must be getting paid extremely well by the diaper industry.
the only disp that neither me, nor my son reacts to is huggies pure and natural. all others, we cannot use. |
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| Thank you for the input I feel much more comfortable about my purchase now. |
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| This was really helpful, thank you. I feel so overwhelmed with this sudden change. I had to order diapers quickly since he needs them now and I wasn't completely sure I had any clue what I was doing. This is very helpful. We should have our cloth diapers by Tuesday or Wednesday. |
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| so your son just developed this alergy? oh man... i feel terrible for him to have to go through that. just out of curiosity, how do you know that he has an allergy to the plastic and not all of the chemicals in the diaper? have you tried other disposables and his reaction was the same? |
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| Well I say just developed but really it seems he has had it for about 4-5 months but it is just now being diagnosed. He was actually tested for a plastic allergy although he could also be allergic to the diaper chemicals. We have tried every brand of diapers, even Nature Babycare that are plastic free in the areas that touch the baby but he still ended up with a chemical burn and blisters. I should say my son does have other allergies including some that are very severe. Hopefully the cloth diapers will solve this issue for now. |
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oh my goodness poor little man! he has been going through this for 5 months? oh my... i would be writing letters to the diaper companies about this and demanding that they make a plastic free, yet waterproof product. the chemical burns that you are describing sound like the dioxen or the SAP that is in the diapers. have you tried tushies and 7th generation? 7th generation has the SAP, but is chlorine free. and tushies is totally chemical free as well. instead of SAP, it uses cotton fluff to absorb the urine. i have heard some negative reviews about tushies, however, so cloth is most likely the best and safest way to go.
ETA
if by chance that this does not work, you can always go diaper free. i know it sounds strange, but it is all about learning your child's elimination schedule and queues without having to use diapers. |
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Not sure if that's what you've already ordered but if not perhaps consider the organic ME diapers. Those are totally polyester free. I wouldn't assume they're absolutly necessary but just thought I'd let you know that they're a good option.
If things also don't work out with the covers because of the plastic you could consider using wool covers. Unlike many people's image of itchy/scratchy wool sweaters, wool diaper covers are actually very soft and comfy. They're the ultimate in breathability and having only natural fibers against baby's skin. They're more expensive and washing is a little more complicated but if it keeps your little one's skin healthy then it may be worth it.
Along the same lines, if you really wanted to keep as much plastic away from him as possible you could go with cotton prefolds. They're basically old fashioned diapers but with modern fastening devices like snappis or even just laying in a snap wool diaper cover, they're really nothing like the olden days. Very inexpensive and made with nothing but cotton. Again, I doubt it'll be strictly necessary but it's an option.
I'm glad you're willing to give cloth a chance. I'm sure you'll find cloth much more comfy for your son. As aavt said, it's really not any extra work once you get your routine down. Bit of a learning curve at the beginning if you're used to disposables but we're all here to help you in any way we can.
Karen. |
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| this is my first time cloth diapering as well so forgive me if i do not know as much as these other moms do. it has been 7 months or so since i started and i still come in here from time to time with questions. but yeah, if you need anything and get confused in how to use the diaper or wash them, just let us know and we will be happy to help in any way we can. |
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| Plastic Allergy -- Read "Is This Your Child" By Dr. Rapp. It is a great book about all sorts of environmental allergies and food allergies and how to prevent them. She has 40 years of experience in allergy work, so she knows what she is talking about. I recommend this book to anyone that mentions any sort of allergy in kids. |
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