Real nappies and a wet bottom

[rabster]

Had my first day of reusables (DS is 10 weeks old) and they worked really well. No leaks and a happy baby. I changed after every poo - roughly every 3 hours (he poos as he feeds - a multitasking boy!)

But, when changing the nappies, I noticed that DS's bottom was damp. It never was with disposables. I use a flushable liner - I can't face rinsing poo off a fleece at the mo.

Is there any way of keeping his bottom less damp? Will this lead to nappy rash?

Please help, as I really want to go reusable, but I don't want DS to get a sore bum!

you do have to change them a lot more than when they are in disposables.

ds was a heavy wetter and it had to be every 2½ hours that I changed him. he rarely had nappy rash, and when he did, it didn't bother him.

the dampness is sometimes useful when it comes to potty training as it's said that they don't like the dampness and therefore want out of them asap!

Message withdrawn

Welcome to the world of reusables, you'll never leave!
DD is sometimes damp when I change her, and I use fleece liners most of the time. It doesn't appear to bother her and she only gets nappy rash when I don't change a pooey nappy fast enough.
I'm sure it is poo that causes most nappy rash as opposed to wetness.

How wet was his nappy as well? Had you prewashed the nappies? I ask as they may have been saturated if the absorbency isn't up to maximum. I found it took about a week before DD's were absorbing everything.

HTH

fleece liners? perhaps not around 5 years ago! sound fab.

remember not to use softener when you wash them.

With breastfed poo (and possibly formula too), you don't need to pre-rinse the fleece liners. It just soaks in and comes out in the wash. Well, the liners get a bit stained but that's hardly the end of the world. The fleece keeps bottoms lovely and dry. Bit too dry actually - DS is 21 months and has absolutely no notion of being ready for potty training...

The nappies have been pre washed 2 times. They were pretty wet, but luckily didnt get through to his clothes or anything.

So if I use a fleece liner instead of a disposable, that'll keep him dry (or drier)? and the poo will just wash off? Or should I use a disposable liner on top of a fleece liner?

Agree that fleece and breastfeeding is fine, as is double lining

what is double lining?

I never used fleece liners, just the disposable ones, and DS only ever had a couple minor episodes of nappy rash in nearly three years.

Just re read Yorkie Girl's post, and realised what double lining is. D'oh!

the dampness in itself won't cause nappy rash, it's usually either bacteria growing when a nappy has been left on too long (which is why both dispoable and cloth nappied babies can get rash) or poo and wee reacting if the pooey nappy isn't taken off pronto.

DS has had cloth on for 5-6 hrs wet and it's not caused a problem (when we've been on long journeys or I've just plain forgotten) and goes 12 hrs overnight with cloth and no liner at all (he's 3 yrs old). One other thing to consider is that both hemp and bamboo fibres are anti-bacterial so should be less likely to cause rashes than say cotton???

i dont bother rinsing the liners, i use motherease one size and fleece liners. Just spin them in the washing machine to get water out from wet-pailng (with 6 drops of tea tree oil) then do a 60ºC wash with a prewash and extra rinse, the stains dont show so much once they're dry again and who's looking anyway?! i do a wash at 90ºC occasionally.

tea tree oil in bucket not in washing machine

As MrsW has said, it's the combination of poo and wee that causes the rash: bacteria in poo change urea into ammonia, which burns! Change as soon as he poos and he'll be fine.

Old wives used to recommend a baby's wet nappy for clear skin- nice!

Have read through people?s comments, and no-one ahs asked if you boost you nappies. You might need to. I had to boost all my nappies when DS was younger. Now he doesn?t wee so much, he only needs a booster at night! Just thought I might add my 2p worth!

My 3 year old is still in nappies full time. He's a very heavy wetter, so I boost his night nappy with another terry padded inside a "kite" fold, with a flushable liner on top. The nappy is soaking in the morning, but I don't get any leaks or sore bottoms. I'm not worried about his bottom being damp, because a liberal application of zinc and castor oil cream has avoided nappy rash, and any wetness seems to encourage him to tell me when he's filled his nappy. My main concern is to get him out of nappies by his 4th birthday!