recurrent nappy rash in cloth :(

[becksydee]

DS is nearly 6mo, been in bumgenius pockets with a fleece liner since 3mo, but gets a nappy rash every couple of weeks. a day or 2 in disposables & slathered in metanium seems to sort it out, but i'm wondering if i'm missing something/doing something wrong? DP is quite keen on just using the bumgenius during the day & switching to disposables overnight, but would like to avoid this if possible. any tips gratefully received!

becksy, have never used bumgenius, but have you tried stripping the nappies. I found that a build up of wee and soap powder made my dd and ds sore and when i got rid of that, they were much better. There are various ways of doing it, not sure what to recommend with bumgenius, but you could google it.
Usual things include washing hot with no soap powder and a good slug of white vinegar instead etc...
Sure someone more helpful will be along in a minute!

My DD2 had very sensitive skin and despite me trying everything, cloth nappies just irritated her bum. In the end, we gave up and used disposables. But that's probably not what you wanted to hear is it?

I found fleece liners made DS2 go pinky-rashy. And Metanium gave DS1 the worst rash he ever had. DS3, so far, is rash-proof.

You will probably find BumGenius wouldn't last the night anyway very soon - have you thought about a dedicated night nappy like Wee Notions Night Notions or any well-boosted fitted nappy with a fleece soaker?

humpty - hardly use any detergent on them anyway & do a rinse cycle afterwards too so doubt it's detergent build up, but i'll try stripping them in the next wash, thanks for the suggestion

ellokitty - no, that's not what i wanted to hear, shush!

swampster - i have some bumbles - they were really bulky on him as a newborn but they'll probably be ok now. i'll get a fleece soaker & give it a try, thanks!

becksy, this kind of happens with us... DDs nappy rash is always worse in cloth; i do the extra rinses, tiny amounts of detergent, occasional hot wash etc etc. no difference i'm afraid, i think she's just really sensitive. i have started only using disposables all the time when she is teething (when rash is terrible) and the rest of the time i alternate cloth and disposables at each change. she poos like crazy so there are lots of changes! i figure the fewer disposables i use (even if they are eco) the better, even if it's only 50% of the time.

Fleece is often the cause of this. Have you tried a coolmax lined pocket nappy - something like a Tirsokas? These are great for preventing nappy rash. They dry (both on and off your baby!)even more quickly than fleece, and your baby is unlikely to have an allergic reaction to coolmax, than to fleece.

Check it is just nappy rash. DD got thrush which has little white spots in the rash and a couple of days in dispies made it go away (cause it's not as moist) but I had cream from the HV in the end when I realised it wasn't just nappy rash.

are you using loose fleece liners on top of the suedecloth inners of the Bumgenius? If so, I'd remove the fleece and give them a go with just the suedecloth against the skin. Amazingly, suedecloth is even more stay-dry than fleece! And I've come across a number of people with babies who are allergic to fleece. 2 of my 3 children have been sensitive to fleece and got rash from it. My 10mo son's skin is very sensitive, he can't tolerate fleece liners at all, and we had lots of issues with various rashes. But once we went over to suedecloth pockets (first discovered by putting a Bumgenius on him), all was sorted! So Bumgenius work well for him, though my favourite brand is GreenKids (also a one-size pocket, with suedecloth inner), which comes in a wide variety of colours and even soft & fluffy Minky outers! So it's just possible that all you need to do is remove the fleece liners (if that's what you've been using). But also, sometimes 100% cloth does bring my little boy out in the occasional rash (don't know why!) and a night in a disposable with some California Baby Calming Diaper Cream sorts it out, and he's back in cloth the next day.

Unless you have a baby with super skinny thighs, I'd avoid buying an expensive Tirsokas nappy. I was very disappointed with it. We had a size large and it was so tight on the legs (on the largest setting!) that it left huge marks on my then 7mo's legs. It seems to have very little adjustability for the legs/thighs - tho waist had plenty of room! And we had wicking/moisture transfer issues too, as it didn't seem as reliable as a BG, etc.

Are you giving him any citrus fruits? This used to cause an instant rash with my little ones - maybe have a look at diet a bit closer to see what he eats when he gets the rash.

littlepants - i'm quite reluctant to switch to a different nappy & can't really afford to at the mo either, so would rather try and adapt what i've got (10 bumgenius, 2 coolababy & 10 bumbles (although don't have any wraps to use with these at the mo)) if at all possible

thepinkone - it's definitely just a rash, no white spots, but thanks for that, i'll keep an eye out for any changes.

rachelinscotland - that's what i've been doing, yes, partly to save the nappy from staining & partly because it was rubbing his tummy where the suedecloth met the outer fabric at the top. i'll try them without the fleece liners though, thanks for the suggestion. thanks also for the tips re: tirsokas (DS is a chunky monkey so sounds like they won't be suitable!) and greenkids - hadn't heard of them before but i'll look them up in case i get an opportunity to add to my stash in the future sounds like i may have to ditch my coolababy nappies if it is the fleece, but hey, at least they were cheap!

octo - nope, DS is still exclusively breastfed at the mo, although i guess he could be having a reaction to what i'm eating. will try the other stuff first before i start looking at possible allergies/intolerances.

another question for you all - are silk or silver liners any good at prevention of nappy rash, or are they just useful for helping it to heal?

Silk liners stick to the sore bits and are a nightmare - silver liners are fab - get them from ecoearth in Bristol - online store - fab and cheap.

The citrus is more to do with the acids than the allergy. We used to get a horrible bleeding rash and realised was after he had an orange juice or I had juice.

Strip washing always a good maintenance idea.

There are loads of creams out there - vaseline is a good preventative barrier for each nappy change and is cheap as chips!

sorry - for healing not prevention.

DD had this. Vaseline worked wonders (although I had to give up the reusables, sadly) It was the only thing that helped.

ok - silk liners crap, silver liners good, ta. & see what you mean about the orange juice, will keep an eye out.

have also made a mental note re: vaseline & olive oil

which creams/oils can you use with cloth nappies by the way? i thought you weren't supposed to use anything because it would coat the fabric & make it less absorbent.

day 2 on using the bumgenius without fleece liners & so far so good

oh good, pleased to hear that so far so good w/out the fleece liners!