Treating the Beastly Yeastlies.

Recurring diaper rash that won't go away? Looks like red, raw clusters of dots? It could be a yeast rash and not a regular diaper rash. (Do yourself a favor and DON'T Google it...there are some baaaad yuck yuck brain bleach pictures out there. But if you're REALLY desperate for visuals - here or here. These are graphic/bad but not brain bleach bad.)

If you Google (does Google get a commission every time I say that? Google Google Google!) "yeast and cloth diapers," you will discover that a) it takes a bit more work to get rid of a yeast rash than it would if you were using disposables and b) there are a great many methods to getting rid of it. Because I haven't tried them all, all I can do is tell you what worked for us.

Many people feel like they need to use disposables while treating yeast; we did not have to.  However, there is certainly nothing wrong with going that way.

By the time I discovered it was yeast at a well baby pediatrician visit, it'd been there for at least a week while I thought it was regular diaper rash. So when I figured out what it was, I felt like I had to work quickly to get rid of it...it looked painful! Poor kid. And the routine I stumbled upon worked like a charm, and worked very quickly.

We did three things concurrently:

1. Bleach (on the diapers) UPDATE: See note at bottom of post! I will now use grapefruit seed extract or a mixture instead of just bleach.
2. Sun (on her and the diapers)
3. Monistat cream (on her)  UPDATE: I switched to using CJ's Spritz Plus (more natural) to start with and only doing Monistat if it persists.

To start, each load of diaper laundry I did, I included 1/4 to 1/2 cup of bleach. I didn't measure exactly so I couldn't tell you the exact amount, but somewhere in that area. I did an extra rinse the first time I did it (on top of the extra rinse I already do, so an extra extra rinse), but I forgot the next time and it seemed like all the bleach was out, we didn't have any performance issues, and she didn't have any reaction, so after that I just did the one regular extra rinse. You may want to do an extra extra rinse just to be sure. We always wash with a "quick wash" on cold with no detergent, then run the "whitest whites" setting which is a hot water cycle (and includes the aforementioned extra rinse) using Dropps detergent. NOTE: I have a front loader with a separate bleach compartment. You should never put bleach directly on diapers. I take no responsibility for any bleach spots or yellowing of diapers! It's always a risk you take with bleach. It didn't happen to me, but that doesn't mean it won't ever happen! UPDATE: See mixture recommendation at the end of this post.

After each load was done, I sunned the diapers. SO IMPORTANT. To explain this, know that yeast likes dark, moist areas (so is it any wonder it likes to take up camp in vaginas and baby butts?) and it *hates* sun. Yeast and sun is like Hitler and ice cream (I assume Hitler hated ice cream, being evil and all). I kept them outside in bright sun, making sure that the inside of the diaper that was against her was facing the sun, for several hours. This wasn't a big deal, since I usually try to dry anything with PUL, elastic, or velcro in the sun anyway - but this time, I included all the inserts and soakers and wipes as well. If it touched her butt, it got sun.

I also made sure that she had naked butt time every day - in the sun whenever possible. I kept most of her body in the shade, and just exposed the area with the yeast rash to the sun (this involved holding her legs like I was wiping her during a diaper change, to expose the goods to the sun the best). I did this at least once a day for five or so minutes at a time (some days more than once). This gave the area a chance to get nice and dry, and again - yeast hates sun and the sun is a natural antifungal and disinfectant, so doing this really kills it at the source. This is much easier with a non-mobile baby than it is with a crawler or walker, but it can be done!

Finally, twice a day, I put Monistat cream on the rash (ok, I'm cheap, so I used the generic version). When I did this, I used a fleece liner to prevent the cream from getting on the diaper and washed the liner separately with our clothes - and sunned the liner when it was washed. You do have to look a bit to make sure you're getting the cream and not the suppository version. UPDATE: I discovered CJ's Spritz Plus, and it's worked wonderfully. I now use that to start with and only go with Monistat if necessary because it's extra stubborn. UPDATE #2: Some babies may have a sensitivity to the CJ's Plus. I'm not sure what in it causes the sensitivity, but because of that I wouldn't recommend using it all the time - only if battling yeast - and watch to make sure that it's not bothering them.

With the combination of these three treatments, the yeast cleared up almost overnight. I continued the laundry routine for a week or so after it was gone, just to be sure that *every* diaper had the bleach/sun treatment. A few weeks after that, I got thrush AGAIN, which meant that she was more likely to get a yeast rash AGAIN. Sure enough, during my vigilent checks, I noticed a couple of the same red spots pop up. I immediately started the bleach/sun/Monistat [CJ's] again and it never got worse than two or three dots and cleared up extremely quickly.

So that's what worked for us. Your experience may vary, but I think all three parts of the treatment are equally important - the sun is one that's often overlooked but does so much. And it's free and natural! I also started taking probiotics and AZO Yeast pills every day to help prevent another occurrence of thrush, which will help prevent another yeast rash on her (though they are linked, you can have one without the other).

(By the way, if you get thrush, these all are also great ways to treat it: put your nursing bras outside in the sun so the inside of the cups get treated, and also to expose your nipples to sun for a little bit each day...if you can do so without getting arrested. And then some Monistat cream on your nipples twice a day as well, being sure to wipe it off before nursing.)

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UPDATE: I have since learned that while bleach works, it may not be the most effective way to treat yeast on diapers. Though it kills active yeast, it does NOT kill yeast spores. To kill yeast spores, treat with grapefruit seed extract.  This seems to be the only natural way to kill yeast spores.  For normal disinfecting, use 10-15 drops per load. For heavy disinfecting, use up to one teaspoon per load.  Be sure to get grapeFRUIT seed extract, not grapeseed extract. Note that I have not yet had an occurrence of yeast to try this with, so I can't speak personally about the effectiveness, but I have heard great things. For more on disinfecting, look here:

http://allaboutclothdiapers.com/simple-effective-ways-to-disinfect-cloth-diapers/

UPDATE #2: This combo of bleach, tea tree oil, and grapefruit seed extract seems to be a winner for a lot of people (I'm sorry, I can't find the original source - if it's yours speak up and I will credit!):

Use 20 drops Tea Tree oil and 20 drops of Grapefruit seed extract and 1/4 cup of bleach in your prewash. Then wash as normal - if you can, turn up your hot water heater to 130 (don't forget to turn it back down!). The bleach kills the yeast the TTO and GFE kills the spores.

Eww! Diaper Stains!

Let me put this out there first:

Poop stains.

GASP! What??

Yes, it's true. Your diapers will get stained at some point. You can minimize this with a good wash routine, and some diapers stain less than others. For example, microfleece and suedeclothe hardly stain at all.  However, most fitteds and natural fiber diapers? They will stain up the wazoo.  Do you have to worry about stains? Not really. The diapers are still clean, even if they stain. It's much like if you wash spaghetti sauce in a Tupperware container and it gets tinted orange. Still clean, just stained.  But many (probably most) people would rather use diapers that LOOK clean as well as ARE clean.

So what do you do?  The answer, my friend, is blowing in the wind....

...not really. But it does involve the great outdoors.  For stains, the best thing is...SUN.

Here's a progression of diapers on a line.

Some lovely bright yellow breastfeed poop stains will be our test subjects:

After just FIVE minutes in the sun:

 After twenty minutes, they are nearly completely gone:

And after half an hour, they are completely gone!

MAGIC!

Wash Routines

We are working to get a list of wash routines for specific washers and dryers together.  Add yours today!


Wash Routines

Diapers, Laundry, and Rashes

Worried about diaper rashes or detergent sensitivity? There's a great post over on the Knickernappies blog about just that!

Beware of Bad Cloth Diapering Advice

Diaper Type Video

Along with the "Cloth Diaper 101" video series that was linked a little while back, here's another great video that explains the different types of cloth diapers for those that are just starting out or are a bit overwhelmed.






The video goes hand in hand with this blog post from the Eco-Friendly Family (a great resource for all things green!):

Cloth Diapers: So Many Choices!

Cloth Diaper Rules

This is a fantastic article that re-iterates much of what we've said on this blog before!
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A Cloth Diapering Addict's Rules
Originally featured at The Cloth Diaper Whisperer (check out their weekly Fluff Friday giveaways!).

I began cloth diapering my now seventeen-month-old son, Sullivan, a litle over a year ago. What started out as an attempt to rid him of horrible diaper rash created by disposables has becoming an all-consuming obsession. As odd as it seems, cloth diapering is now a huge part of my life. I write about it. I dream about it. I stalk diapers on second-hand sites. I have become good friends with many cloth diaper company owners and fellow cloth diapering mamas. Choosing to use cloth on my son's bum has been one of the best parenting decisions I've made. It's also one big, endless learning experience. I've dealt with every stone cloth can put in my path: leaks, rashes, ammonia stinkies, empty PayPal accounts, and occassionally having to explain to my husband why I absolutely, positively, NEED that new diaper RIGHT. THIS. MINUTE. But through it all, I've been able to help other mamas on their paths to choosing cloth. Through my trials, I've developed a few rules that help guide me with my cloth journey.

1) Nothing is a rule is cloth.
I know, confusing, right? Here I am, laying out my rules, only to tell you there are no rules! But it's true. What works awesomely for one mama is going to be a disaster for you, and vice versa. Some things, you have to figure out as you go along. Read reviews, read blogger's opinions, and talk to other moms about what works for them. However, in the end, remember that cloth is a "to each their own," adventure.

2) Don't purchase an entire stash of one brand of diapers...unless you're 100% positive you will always love them no matter what.
A second half of this rule could be, "Don't sell off any of your diapers unless you're 100% positive you'll always hate them." I started with an entire stash of Grobaby diapers, only to find out they didn't work for us. I read reviews. I researched. I went with what I thought was the best brand for us, and I was wrong. So I had to sell off every one of those diapers in order to rebuild my stash. It was a pain in the heiny. On the other end of the spectrum, I can't tell you the number of times I've sold a diaper I just didn't think would work for us, only to find that a few months later, it would fit my son perfectly. Children grow and change, as do their diaper needs. What works for you in the beginning is probably not going to work at two years into cloth diapering. So keeping a variety of diapers in your stash is a great way to ensure you always have what you need to diaper. You don't have to spend a fortune. Having some prefolds, a handful of All-in-Ones or pockets, and a few fitteds and covers won't cost you a ton, especially if you look for good sales and second-hand diapers. But a bunch of different types of diapers will keep you from having to desperately search for a nighttime solution because your old stand-by suddenly fails.

3) Be careful with second hand purchases.
I love buying diapers second hand. I can give new life to a diaper someone else previously loved. More often than not, I end up with a high quality diaper at 50-70% the cost of retail. But sometimes, I get a real dud. The problem with second hand is that the seller determines the condition. "EUC" or "Excellent Used Condition" can mean a wide spectrum of diapers depending on who's deciding. Be sure to read the seller's feedback. Be sure they use tracking and delivery confirmation. Always pay with PayPal to keep your money safe. And have fun!

4) When you find a great wash routine, STICK WITH IT!
It's so easy to be lured into the world of cloth diaper detergents. Many work-at-home-mom detergents are proclaimed as the best for your diapers. To some people, Tide is the enemy and must be avoided at all costs. To others? Tide is the only thing that works. Enzymes must be used. NEVER use Enzymes! Everything you read is going to be conflicting. Ultimately, you have to figure out a routine that will work best for your diapers and your water. If you ever move, you'll have to figure out a whole new routine (possibly). You may end up with ammonia or stinkies at some point. Remember these basics; it's better to use too much detergent than too little. Build-up is not as bad as not removing nasties from diapers. Rinse, rinse, rinse. An occasional stripping does everyone some good, and sun is your best friend. After that, anything goes. Once you find what works for you, don't change your routine until you experience problems. Otherwise, you'll end up with diaper issues, and it can be too hard to pin point your problem.

5) Don't give up.
Even the most experienced cloth diaper mamas and dads run into issues here and there. It can be so frustrating when you just can't figure out what your problems are with cloth. Maybe night and naptime diapering is a struggle. Maybe your little one has gotten yeast or heat rashes. Maybe you're dealing with leak or repelling problems. Just remember, mamas that use disposables deal with problems, too. Every time your child grows, you'll going to have to make adjustments. Reach out to the cloth diapering community. There are thousands of moms and dads that would love to help you solve your problems. It may take a little while, but more often than not, the problem is a simple one with a simple solution. Once it's solved, you can enjoy a fluffy bum again!

Sally is a full-time SAHM of a seventeen-month-old son, Sullivan. She is married to an Army Officer, and they are currently expecting child number two due in August. You can check out Sally's writing and cloth diaper reviews and giveaways at Exploits of a Military Mama. 

Newbies and Newborns and Poop, Oh My!

A great round up of videos and articles at Dirty Diaper Laundry - articles for those new to the CD world, newborn vs. one-size comparison, even an article on the different types of poop and how to clean them!

(Update: She changed the way the articles are listed, so below are links to the tags involving newborns.)

Newborns
Newborn cloth diapering
One-size diapers and newborns