Aquaphor, Eczema and Bum Genius Diapers

All three of my kids have had pretty severe eczema - so I feel your pain. I just have one concern - I was told by my pediatrician that if it really is eczema, typically it does not manifest in the diaper area. That was certainly true for us. The rashes showed up everywhere else, but not in the diaper area. If your son is having what looks like eczema even in the diaper area, you may want to bring that up to your pediatrician just to make sure there's nothing else going on.

I used bumGenius pocket diapers and they have been great. My son is just too tall for them now, otherwise I would still be using them. We also use Aquaphor for our guy when he has rashes and we haven't had any problems with it either. We just make sure to wash the diapers with some Dawn dish detergent to strip them (look up stripping diapers on cloth diapering websites--everyone has to do a super deep wash or "strip" at some point). Anytime we use Aquaphor we just use the dish detergent in the wash to get the oil out and then we run an extra rinse to make sure it is all rinsed well.

I hae been selling cloth diapers for 4 years. Almost any oil or cream will build up on diapers over time. Synthetic diapers (such as BumGenius) are the most likely to develop build up. Regular diaper service quality prefolds (not the kind you can find at big box stores) will be your best bet. They don't get buildup as fast as synthetics and they are easier to strip as needed to remove any buildup.

Some kids with eczema do better in natural fibers but you will need to be sure he stays pretty dry. If needed, you an use an inexpensive fleece liner to provide extra wetness protection. Bummis cloth diaper kits come with some washable fleece liners and some flushable liners.

I would question your diapers. EVERYONE I know who has used bumGenius! Dipes has switched within a year of using htem to something else, like Fuzzi Bunz. The Microfiber liner over time holds things in and children get severe diaper rashs and reactions to it. I know at least 15 people who started with bumGenius! diapers and have switched within a yaer to something else.

We used Fuzzi Bunz exclusively, and never had a problem.

If your son has eczema, you need to find the source of he problem. Is usually dairy protein, and if you are using formula... cna't really do much about it. My oldest son suffers eczema and psoriasis, and after years of creams, steroids, oral meds, and suffering from open sores, bleeding, skin falling off, crying and in pain, we finally found out how to cure eczema, form the inside out. Eczema lives in teh colon as a bacteria, and it presents itself on the skin. To get rid of it, you need to eliminate the problem (usually a food sensitivity or in your case with the BG diapers, external). We also give our son (and all of us, its good for you) Acidophilus. Its a probiotic, so it replaces the bad bacteria with the good, and takes care of the eczema. Its safe for everyone, and good for everyone.

When you start using it, the eczema will move around abit trying to escape it. Then it will go away or get very very minimal. If he's itchy o the skin is sore/flaky, get some TEA TREE OIL. You can find it for less than $2 in Wal Mart by the band aids. ITs an antifungal, since eczema on the skin is a fungus. Put 10 drops into a bowl of warm water, dip a washcloth and lightly wring it out, and place it over the eczema for a few minutes. This will reduce the itching, take care of the fungus, and make the skin feel good.

Since your posting implies that the aquaphor is being placed on the torso and not on the buns, you might consider placing a t-shirt between the skin and the diaper. The t-shirt can absorb the chemicals in the Aquaphor.

The alternative is to look at a different kind of cream - one more holistic - that won't react with the cloth diaper.

When our daughter was young, we looked at diet and environmental factors to treat the eczema. We found that she was allergic to soy & wheat and one of the baby shampoos. When we switched her diet to fruits and veggies for a week, the eczema decreased. We also used a coconut based cream instead of a chemical based and the eczema went away permanently.

This is not specific to your question but it does pertain to eczema.

There people who claim that they get an eczema CURE with swedish bitters or NCD zeolite.

If you use a liner with your cloth diapers that will help. Bum genius makes a liner for there diapers they are fleece and are soft and washable. These also keep you diapers from staining and easier to dump the solid waist. Love my BG diapers and reccomnd them to every mama thinking about cloth diapers.

If you really want to use cloth diapers, you should use a microfleece liner so the ointment won't rub off. I just found some fleece at the store that was absorbant, cut it into liners. Works great.

Also, I make my own balm that washes away pretty well. It is very nice and I use it for my boy's entire body it is so light. He has eczema as well.

Eczema is usually caused by an allergic reaction. Something you are using on your son's skin (bath products, laundry products, baby products), or something he is eating, is causing his skin to dry out. One solution is to find out what is causing the solution.

I have eczema and sensitive skin, which I've passed onto my children.

I use Ecosense laundry line, which is pH balanced and has no harsh chemicas, on all our clothes. I also use ReNew lotion,bath oil, and body wash on the kiddos. The lotion as been proven to help improve eczema from days to weeks on people. The bath oil and body wash help soothe the irritated skin. I also use Koala Pals bath products on my kids. All of these products have naturally derived products and have been scientifcally prove to work and be safe.

Let me know if you'd like to know more about it!

I know you'll find a solution to you problem!

Sincerely,
Tricia
www.4OurFamilysWellness.com

I love Bum Genius!!! They are great. I think using any type of cream affects the asorbancy but using the cloth should help with the rash. I got mine at cottonbabies.com. Good luck!

I also would strongly suggest trying to discover the cause of his eczema. Really test for food allergies. Then try changing detergents, and consider any other products you are using on his skin. My daughter had really bad eczema until we discovered that she is allergic to dairy. Going off dairy cleared her skin right up in a few weeks. I also stopped using Johnson baby bath products. i use mostly just water unless she is really dirty and then I use an organic body wash, and an organic lotion. This has also really helped.
I also use bum genius but I have to say that i haven't tried it with any diaper rash treatment because of the absorbency issue. When I have to use a rash cream I use a disposable for a short time. Or i use gdiapers. Have you heard of them? they are a hybrid between cloth and disposable except now they also have a cloth insert option. The typical insert is flushable., which I love, and it won't matter if you use aquaphor. I have also noticed that my daughter very rarely gets any rash with these diapers. the only drawback is that they are a bit pricey. But i do like them a lot.
If you go to www.cottonbabies.com they have some great tips about what you can do about washing your cloth diapers. If you do use the aquaphor and your bum genius diapers start losing their absorbency, they have tips on how to strip them.
Also www.cottonbabies.com has a new diaper system called Flip which are like the gdiapers. The flip system is made by the same people that make bumgenius. You can use cloth or disposable inserts and it cheaper than gdiapers. I have ordered some but they haven't come yet so I can't tell you how they compare yet, but they have gotten wonderful reviews. You should check them out. Anyway I hope this is somewhat useful information.
Also a tip I just remembered is that you can buy a roll of a flushable inserts and put it on top of the cloth diaper. You can cut it into thin strips so you don't waste any and the cream will be absorbed by that without ruining the cloth diaper. You could also use a strip of cloth (you could use an old t-shirt or something) or fleece or even a dried baby wipe.

I love my bumgenius diapers and I have had to use diaper cream more recently as y daughter has been more adventurous in foods that turn her sensitive bum red. I bought some white cotton flannel and cut and serged the edges for homeade wipes, but I have ended up using them as liners. I am not concerned about getting the diaper cream on the liner and it protects the diaper. I have also used biodegradable flushable liner that you place btwn your baby and the diaper. In almost two years of using the same bumgenius diapers I have had zero absorbency issues.

I would strongly suggest exploring the root cause of his eczema. Food allergies are an extremely common cause of eczema and diaper rashes. Knowing nothing of your situation, it's most often dairy or gluten that causes the problem. Good luck!

A.,
The reason Aquaphor works for your son is because it is a moisturizer with Petroleum-based Petrolatum. As such, it repels water and other liquids. When you put this on your diapers, it causes them to repel water, when they are supposed to be absorbing it. So it sounds like you have to make a choice. If it is better for your son to have the Aquaphor, then I would stick with disposables, or maybe try G-diapers because they are flushable. There are ways to strip cloth diapers by using Dawn dish detergent, but I don't think that is ideal to do all the time. At some point, the diapers will not be absorbant.
I use BG's, and we had to strip the diapers any time we used a diaper cream.

Good luck,
T.
www.ReadandGrow.com

Why don't you give your son probiotics to get to the root of the eczema problem? Good bacteria in the gut prevents and cures so many things, including eczema. I have two grandchildren who had severe eczema and probiotics helped! They make them for babies and children. You will find them in the refrigerator section of a whole foods store. Vitamin Cottage sells probiotics for kids in Parker.
For more info heck this out>
http://www.babybites.info/2009/11/10/probiotics-health/

I don't know anything about cloth diapers but my daughter has eczema and we use vanicream instead of aquaphor. It isn't patroleum based so it may not effect your diapers the same way. It has been the only thing to help with her skin. We have to have the pharmacy order it but it is not a prescription.