The rash that would not die

Jen - posted on 11/05/2009

Yeah you are not the worst mother of the year!! Aw, I am so sorry you are going through this with your baby. Good luck. Have you tried sunning them yet also? That might help get the bacteria our of your diapers. Man, if bleach didn't do it ...

well, good luck!

Jessica - posted on 11/03/2009

You are cerainly NOT the worst mother of the year! Unfortuntely, rashes happen. At least you're working to eliminate it! :)

Jessica - posted on 11/03/2009

Back from the doctor yesterday! The butt rash is a staph infection that just won't die in the cloth. I am thinking about just dousing some tea trea oil on them and letting them soak. Vinegar didn't work, oxiclean didn't work, bleach didn't work, grapefruit seed extract (which is more potent than tea tree oil) didn't work, tea tree oil in the amount that most people use did not work... grrrrrr!

The hives were caused by a bad ear infection. Did anyone know that ear infections cause hives? I sure didn't, and I've seen a LOT of ear infections (used to work at a daycare nursery) and eczema on his face. My poor baby! he's all rashy!

The doctor said that if the five medications don't clear it up then it is a food allergy (She wanted to rule everything out- the staph infection and the ear infection- before testing) We are going to see her again next monday.

I feel like worst mother of the year because my baby is one big infected rash!

Jessica - posted on 11/03/2009

I had the same problem. I used disposables that were given to me for a few days and returned back to my faithful Fuzzi Bunz after that. Blisters and everything just as you've described. I ended up changing our washing routine by adding a vinegar wash and rinse cycle. It has cleared up her rash, but after a month or so...I just noticed one stray blister on her bottom. *sigh* Perhaps it had something to do with their bottoms not being used to the chemicals in the disposables?

Jessica - posted on 11/01/2009

Just another update. It's almost certainly a food allergy or contact allergy of some kind. He now has hives. The doctor refused to test him when we saw her last month, but I am going to call tomorrow and insist. I am so frustrated. He is back in disposables again, because the ointment was going through the flannel inserts that I made for the diapers and staining the diapers red (yuck!) The ointment definitely seems to relieve him, but at the same time he is also not used to wearing diapers so much and I don't think he likes it! Let's hope that we get this figured out this week!

Jessica - posted on 10/20/2009

Thanks for all the advice, I kinda forgot that I started this conversation!

After using Tiny Bubbles (which is a detergent designed specifically for cloth diapers) the rash pretty much went away. But, as has been the trend, it came back this morning after spending the night in his bumgenius again. I'm wondering if he is having a reaction to the microfiber, or if there's something in the inserts. I don't know, I'm about to my breaking point on this. His poor butt is full of blisters.

Vilate, his skin gets plenty of chances to breathe, trust me. We don't use diapers during the day, we use elimination communication for about 55% of the time we're at home. Which is why this is so frustrating. The rash comes at night, when we only use wool, or pocket diapers. It actually clears up during the day which is when we would use our PUL covers if we use them at all.

The most frustrating thing is that we've spent hundreds of dollars on our cloth so that we would never have to buy diapers, and now I feel like I'm just throwing money away when we have to use the disposables. And also this is the reason that we were avoiding disposables!

Another thought is that he is allergic to dairy, which his doctor refused to test him for the last time we saw her. I might ask again when we see her this month.

Jenny - posted on 10/15/2009

My doctor gave us a cream called calmoseptine, if you wanna try it. It worked well for a couple of the rashes my sons have had (they seem to be prone to them).
If you think it is your detergent, you may want to try charlie's soap (unless that is what you use now, of course), that is what I use and my kids have sensitive skin.
Also, just a thought, my son was in prefolds for the first year, and had lots and lots of rashes, (about every other day, or every two days). We switched to fuzzi bunz, which has a fleece inner that wicks moisture away from his bottom, and he's gotten down to a rash once or twice a month instead of every other day. I know you're getting lots of ideas from people I just thought I'd add what worked for us. Hope it helps.

Vilate - posted on 10/10/2009

there are a few things I would like to point out and then a few suggestions.

Some detergents have enzymes in them. the enzymes are used to kill the bacterial on our clothes. They are left on the fabrics in a residue after washing, and when your baby pees it activates them and they start to kill the natural bacterial, and literally start eating your baby's bum.

I add a few drops of tea tree oil to every load of wash.



I also have to wonder about the cover you are using. What do you use as a cover? If it is plastic or has a waterproof layer then your baby's bum doesn't get a chance to breath and this can cause terrible rashes since it holds in all the wetness and ammonia.

I suggest wool covers! I love wool and i am a total convert!

I have a webpage that has a list of enzyme free detergents and tons of wool info on my webpage http://niftynappy.com



good luck, I hope you can get it to clear up. You can try to use some triple anti-biotic ointment too!

Kim - posted on 10/10/2009

do you nurse? Might be something you are eating! My daughter had a horrible rash that would not go away (I'm talking months!) and it turns out the tomatoes i was eating were causing it. Just a thought!

Lynlee - posted on 10/07/2009

Our son had the same sort of sounding rash on and off for about 18 months ago. I finally worked it out that we were not washing his nappies in hot enough water to kill the bacteria. He is finally rash-free.

Stephanie - posted on 10/01/2009

Try Hydrocortisone cream three times a day then cover with butt past. That is what my doctor said to do.

Robin - posted on 09/30/2009

I would say the detergent also. Country Save has samples on Little lions site, I have heard great things about Rockin Green and Tide original powder (the regular and HE kind)

Nikki - posted on 09/30/2009

My daughter uses Gro Baby and gets a rash when I use too much detergent (We use Costco's Kirkland Signature - Dye Free/Fragrance Free)... and used to get a rash with the wipe solution I made up (Water, Almond oil, a tiny soap, a few drops of Tea Tree oil and a few drops of Lavender oil). I stopped using the soap and Lavender and now we don't see a problem there. Good luck!

Andrea - posted on 09/30/2009

I'm so sorry! I wish I could suggest something but you sound overwhelmed already anyway. I hope he feels better. I remember when my daughter had a really bad rash and I cried too. So I kinda know how you feel.

Monique - posted on 09/29/2009

What sort of wipes do you use? I make a mix of boiled water, a few drops of tea tree oil and a bit of weleda calendula oil, using re-washable cloths. The tea tree is a great anti-fungal agent and I also put a few drops in with every nappy wash to disinfect and freshen. Hope you find some relief quickly!

Louise - posted on 09/29/2009

Definitely sounds like an allergy. Our youngest had what we thought was just nappy rash til it spread past the nappy and got really sore. We switched to a sensitive brand of detergent and stopped using soap in her baths. Doc also diagnosed eczema and gave us some Pinetarsol to put in the bath and reduce the redness, plus aqueous cream to slather her with. The nappy rash is completely gone now, although we still have to keep on top of the eczema. She's in cloth during the day and disposables at night (never found an overnight washable that held enough liquid!) and the nappy rash only ever comes back a little when she's teething.

Jessica - posted on 09/29/2009

Oh, I might add that my son has been using cloth since the day we brought him home from the hospital, and he has NEVER had a rash until we used the disposables on vacation. Now it is a bigger headache than it would have been to take our cloth and find a laundromat!