did you experience a rash/reaction when switching from disposables to cloth?

[thewaffler]

DS is 5 weeks old and I started using reusables yesterday, today I noticed that he had a reaction and was red and slightly raised under the nappy area. I know that some reaction when changing can be normal - if you experienced this, how long did it last? Feels counter intuitive to continue put him in something that is causing issues with a wait and see approach but wondering if to persevere if this is common but stop if it gets any worse.

In The meantime am currently strip washing all of my nappy stash, rather slovenly of me had retrieved from the loft and used without washing (they'd only been there 6 months after my daughter had moved to size 2 and were clean when they went up!)

I'm using totsbots fluffles, with a fleece liner and from a brief search on the internet also thinking it could be either a reaction to the fleece or the microfibre, if the rash doesn't clear up will have to use process of elimination.

I've a couple of other queries - do I need a liner for bf poo? Have just read on another post its not necessary? I dry pail, so would you rinse the whole nappy if you didn't use a liner, or just stick it in the nappy bin and let the washing machine deal with it (i usually do a rinse cycle first, then 60 wash)

Lastly, if it turns out to be microfibre can anyone recommend a different 2 parter nappy? I didn't get on with aio with my daughter, so want to stay with 2 parters but we don't have a tumble dryer so they can't be too long drying

Thanks for reading - appreciate I've asked loads of different questions, any advice on any of them would be greatly appreciated!

I'm sorry to hear that your DS has a rash.
I'm not sure what to recommend there. It could be a reaction to the fabric, or maybe your washing powder.
I hope you can work out the problem soon.

With regards to the liners issue.
In the beginning I didn't use liners. Then I started to and I never went back.
I found it so much easier to just remove the liner with most of the poo and stick it in the bin/down the loo if using flushable liners.
With new born poo it doesn't always all stay on the liner, but it still allows you to get off the majority with ease.

Personally, I always rinsed pooy nappies before putting them in the bucket.
I never rinsed wees, but always poos. No poo ever went in the bucket!!
I guess that's personal preference though.

Oh crikey, I'm going to sound really lazy after Ruth's reply....!

I didn't use liners until weaning, just didn't see the point as BF poo was like liquid anyway. I just bunged it in a bucket and stuck it in a normal wash (not even a rinse cycle until started weaning). It was absolutely fine, the machine got them perfectly clean and any stains - which aren't prevented by using a liner - were easily bleached out by the sun when I could be arsed.

I'm not sure about the rash? I use a bit of sudocrem if my LO gets a bit sore but it tends to be when he's eaten something he shouldn't have (dairy intolerance) or when he's teething rather than an actual reaction to the nappy.

As for nappy choices, I really like Bambinex bamboo shaped nappies. I've got velcro ones but they lost their stickiness quite quickly so I'd probably go for nippa or popper fastening ones if I was to buy them again. I also like Tots Bots Bamboozles and Bamboozle Stretchies although they do take a while to dry. I quite liked Sandys when the boy was tiny too. Ooh and Bimbles. I had quite a lot of nappies when he was small......

Hope you get it sorted out x

I agree with you ziggfy about the rash.
I too used sudocream to clear up any small patches my DC's got.
However, I'm wondering about the coincidence about the rash coming at the same time as changing the nappies?

No, you don't sound lazy in comparison to me.
I always washed my nappies together with other laundry. That's why they had to be poo-free before they went in the bucket.
I gave them one rinse on their own and then put other laundry on top for the standard wash.

Hi both

thanks for your replies.

over the past 2 days have stripped washed all size one nappies and ive begun the process of elimination today - he's currently in a flexitots which has bamboo inside to see if hes ok in bamboo. next step is to try one with a fleece liner and then a fluffle as this is when i noticed it last time.

im convinced its a reaction rather than a nappy rash as the whole nappy area came up red if you see what i mean, front and back, rather than a rash as my daughter has had - when my first port of call would be sudocream or metanium if really bad.

Ruthchan, can completely see why you would not put a poo-ey nappy in the normal laundry! am rather intigued by the non liner approach and must say it appeals, especially if staining isnt an issue.

with dd, i became fairly obessed on mat leave about becoming a cloth user and spent a fortune on lots of nappies, including a suitcase full of very pretty AIO's which turned out not to suit her and have remained unused ever since - i think the liner appealed as i thought the nappies were too pretty to ruin. ended up liking the 2 parter fluffles best then buying a load of preloved size 2s from ebay, would never have considered preloved before she got here...

will be a bit of an arse if ds is reacting to the micro fibre as this now makes the majority of my stash, but now a preloved convert should be able to pick and sell some fairly easily - ziggyf, thanks for the recommmendations - have checked out bambinex, which i like and also the bamboozles, haven't yet looked at bimbles, will do that next although perhaps ought to wait before getting too excited again on the result of the experiment today. The bamboozle stretchies look similar in shape to the flexitots i've got already, which seem to be a bit gapey around the leg, which is why didn't use on my daughter, feeding ds at the moment - not yet managed to breast feed and keep both hands free, hence lack of uppercase in message - and can feel a wet patch already, hmmmmn.

Anyway, thanks again, i'll let you know how it goes

I think mine got a bit red all over at first, I had started a new pack of wipes at the same time so thought it might have been them, never heard that changing over to cloth could provoke a reaction but it might well have been the case from what you say. Anyway it cleared up on its own in a day or two. I use BG without liners at the mo - I do a cold pre-wash and the BF poo just washes straight out.

I think changing over can cause a bit of chapping sometimes until the skin toughens up a bit. Like chapped lips at the beginning of colder weather. If it's that, it should clear up if you give lots of nappy off time in between changes. Mine all went straight to cloth at birth, but they all chapped a bit for a few days. They quickly toughened up though

With regards to staining, I never found much difference with new born poo whether using a liner or not. I found that the poo was so liquid that some colour always seeped through into the nappy anyway.
Line drying in the sun keeps them shiny and white though.

The point about wipes is a good one. Have you changed wipes recently? Could the rash be due to that?
I always wiped with cotton wool and water when possible. That tends to help reduce rashes due to chemicals.

Well after a day trying different combinations, it looks so far touch wood that the strip wash may have done the trick. He's still a little bit red where the elastic from the wrap has been but nothing like yesterday, even with the fluffle. Given how fluffy and fiberous they are I wonder if its easy to get a build up of powder on them, especially ad I never did a strip wash on them, had read also that some people do a rinse after the wash, I do a cold wash first but have never done a rinse after, which will now become part of my routine. He's in a fluffle at the moment, and will continue in th these through the night, if still ok in the morning, then reckon should be ok. Good to know from TChaikovsky and curlykate that some redness is likely too initially. I'be been using washable wipes this time, so no chemicals there, although wondering whether to get some bamboo ones as towelling a bit scratchy.

Ruthchan, I've had the rest of my size one nappies on the line today and have witnessed the power of the sun on some very old stains, as was preparing to sell my microfibres, will be extremely happy if I don't have to sell stash and test out others. Has prompted me to sell on all the rarely used AIOs I didn't use with my daughter tho. I've just put my first pooey nappy without a liner into the nappy bin, felt a bit odd but liberating, if it works that will be fantastic and suspect will please hubby greatly who hates 'faff'.

Fingers crossed the non redness continues!