Night Diaper Causing Diaper Rash

I've read that babies like big people don't normally pee in their sleep but only when they're awake; but I can't verify that b/c we still have wet morning diapers. I also use motherease diapers on my 14 month old son, but I put in a doubler at night--I use one that's fleece on the side against his skin, b/c that wicks away moisture, and flax on the other side, b/c that's super-absorbent. I got them online at green mountain. Even with a totally soaked diaper in the morning, the fleece against his skin feels dry. I think fuzzibuns or other fleece-lined diapers might work that way too; also motherease makes a lined fitted diaper that wicks away moisture; you could try that for daytime use to help keep his skin as dry as possible (and naked time in the sun is great too). My son isn't really prone to diaper rash, but when he does get it (usually when he's cutting a tooth, b/c their saliva and pee get more acidic) I use Weleda calendula diaper cream--it works like MAGIC. It may be that the rashing is aggravated by teething or food allergies--something might be making the pee more acidic or irritating to his skin.

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Hi C.,

Plain old corn starch (in the yellow box)...it DOES work.

Blessings....

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C.,
Diaper doublers can be lifesavers. They come in cloth and disposable.
My daughter was severely allergic to disposables, so it was cloth for her all the way.
My son had no troubles with disposables.
Try using detergent and softeners that don't have fragrance and be sure to let your baby go bare butted as much as humanly possible. I never just put another diaper right on unless we were in public or at someone's house. At home, they aired out. By 12 months, I put cotton training panties on them during the day. It was no worse than washing cloth diapers and as a result, they actually were very easy to potty train. Switching to panties was no big thing and they never had diaper rash. Disposable diapers can't breathe. They have their place to be sure, but you have to make sure to get plenty of air on the tooshy in between.

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C.,

Have you tried adding more inserts, like an overnight doubler? As long as I have enough in my dipes I don't usually have a problem and my ds has very sensitive skin. When I do have to use disposables (like when we are on a trip) I have to change in the middle of the night or they leak. I also changed from disposables because they were causing rashes -- haven't had any since I changed to cloth (I use microfleece for stay dry next to his skin).

Also, I would suggest posting this question on the diaperswappers.com q & a board there are tons of people there with a wealth of knowledge about cloth diapering. I am sure they could give you some alternatives to try with your current diapers. Also searching the archives for best overnight you would find lots of threads with recommendations for heavy wetters.

Good luck!

Hi C.,

My son is 2 and I use a blue stitch premium chinese prefold with and infant green stitch chinese prefold folded in thirds as a booster on him. I combine that with a wool cover for breathability and put a thin layer of Northern Essence Diaper Rash Salve (wonderful stuff and made to use with cloth diapers) on his bottom. He wakes up rash free every time. You may also need to consider stripping your diapers, especially if there is a strong ammonia smell when he wets. Good luck and feel free to email me if you have more questions.

-H.

I can't help with a diaper recommendation, but I can recommend Caldesene powder. My son always got diarrhea whenever he took amoxicillin for ear infections. The diarrhea gave him incredible diaper rash. A friend recommended the Caldesene powder and salve, and they worked miracles. Unfortunately, I have not seen the salve in years, but I still see the powder--it is in a round pink container at Raley's, BelAir, etc. The powder used to have a label on top to show you how it kept your baby dry--it recommended covering your finger with the powder, dipping it in water, and then blowing off the powder. Believe it or not, it worked--the powder stayed dry even after being dipped in water.

Hi C.,
We use disposable diapers ourselves, but our babies tend to have pretty sensitive skin. So they can be totally fine one day and have a raging red rash within hours. We use a wonderful prescription diaper cream called HNZ cream. It looks just like Desitin, and you apply it the same way, but it has zinc cream (like Desitin) for the barrier affect, Nystatin ointment to treat the rash itself, and hydrocortisone to treat the redness, inflammation and itching/burning. It works absolute wonders. I can put that stuff on at night, and in the morning, wet diaper and all, the rash is gone. You'd have to ask your pediatrician for it, of course, but it is great. And I'll echo the statement made before. It may be best to go disposable at nighttime for a while. Good luck and God bless.
-J.

I use cloth diapers during the day, and disposable at night. My daughter was waking up wet, so the disposable has been our answer. But if your son is sleeping through it, but getting a rash, another type of cloth diaper may do the trick. I know a lot people like the FuzziBunz cloth diaper because the fleece layer wicks away the moisture from baby's skin. I'm not sure where you're located, but I get them at Tiny Tots in Campbell. Good luck.

It might help if you change the diaper before you go to bed at night. It won't get as full, and the urine won't set against his skin so long, that way.

It might be the detergent rather than the diaper. My son is also in cloth for 13 or so hours at night. The 'baby' detergent gives him horrible rash. I use ECOS now and he is fine with that. Make sure you rinse them well, too. And a good cream (baby bee do a really good diaper cream that STAYS all night and doesn't absorb).

E.

I made my own diaper doublers by folding a terry-cloth wash cloth in thirds, wrapping in flannel, and sewing all four edges, plus one seam down the center (which prevented bunching). They're a little bulkier than the ones you can buy.
If you google "diaper doublers" you can get some links to places that sell them.

What we use for my 14 month old son that works well is a Bum Genius One-Size with two hemp babies inserts (in addition to the bum genius insert). One we place inside the pocket and the other we set on top. We've never had any leaks or rashes with this method. Even though the Bum Genius is made with synthetic materials, the hemp liner is what touches the skin and it's organic cotton and hemp. You could also try going without the liner if you think that moisture is a problem, as the bum genius material stays dry against the skin. As for diaper creams, we've been very happy with the CA Baby version. It's works the best out of all that we tried and is the most natural.

Have you tried putting aquaphor on his diaper area before you put him to sleep? Aquaphor works REALLY well for blocking wetness and also for helping protect rashes (I use it on my son's face from drool rashes).

I got regular unbleached cotton diapers from babyworks. After you wash them a few times they are very absorbant. I use them at night.

http://www.babyworks.com/catalog/product.asp?dept_id=11&a...

good luck

FUZZI BUNZ!!!!! with 2 liners -- the biggest ones you can fit in the diaper. or if you cant afford, make sure you have a fleece-type liner for your cotton diaper. as for the diaper rash, i found powder to be a miracle worker. my kid has real sensitive skin, and i even used burts bees which is loaded with fragrance and such and it still relieved immediately. none of the creams did a bit to help.

I HATED tushies diapers. I use nature babycare diapers ... they are biodegradeable and compostable so that might be an option for you for the night time. My son has only had one diaper rash and it was from the wipes that I was using... I no longer use any other wipes but those from this company.

my lil guy gets rashes from wearing disposables but he is fine if we just use one at night. I should probably switch to cloth at night too. There was one suggestion to limit the intake of liquid before bed and honestly, that sounds like the best idea to me. None of us sleep well with an overly full bladder. Also you could try setting him on the potty before bed. I have been working with mine on potty training. If all else fails sometimes I run the water or pour a little bit of warm water into his potty while he's on it to get him started. Good luck there are a lot of great suggestions

I didn't have time to read the other responses so sorry if this is a repeat. The best diaper rash cream we have ever used is triple paste. Buy the kind in the tub, not the tube, the tub is thicker. My daughter had a diaper rash that was so bad it was cracked and bleeding, two days of triple paste and it was gone. Our doctor recommended it and it worked great. It is a little expensive, but a little goes a long way and the tub lasts forever. Smother your son's butt with a thick coat before bed and it will help protect his skin overnight. Good luck.

Have you already tried double diapering? Its bulky but usually works. I use cloth and this is what I do. I haven't had any problems with rash-- yet.
Also I use LOTS of Desitin -- and it has to be the original NOT the creamy. :) The creamy just wipes off, but original desitin stays on all night for us.

C.,

I would get the Mustela protective barrier cream for your son. Its very good at keeping their skin protected and its not too expensive. Also, I know you mentioned you would be willing to try diapers even if they are disposable-- try huggies overnight diapers. We have had great luck with those-- my son also urinates a lot more and we had the same issues. Good luck!

M.

I can't help you with the diaper issue, but I strongly encourage you to use Desitin every night before bed time. I have put a decent layer on my girls every night and we have never had diaper rash. They are 2 1/2 now.

Wash his bottom well before bed. Then SLATHER on Triple Paste cream. It's the best thing I've ever found for treating and/or preventing diaper rash. Nothing compares! It's worth the extra cost.

Hi C.,
Try purchasing a few pocket diapers. I like the ones from Blueberry diapers. The lining of the diaper wicks away the moisture to the cotton/hemp insert. Good Luck

I used cloth during the day and disposable at night because my sons too seemed to really soak the diapers at night. My sons are long out of them, but I did buy some as a shower gift at the Elephant Pharmacy--not sure of brand (I'm sure you can get some natural based ones at Whole Foods too). While I was there, again I don't remember the brand, some father recommended a diaper rash ointment. I remember using one years ago that was a zinc based ointment that worked the best. Ask at both places. The staff should know about the items.

My DS2 was a very heavy wetter even in the daytime so we used a cotton/hemp doubler wit a fleece top... we put it inside the cloth diaper but some folks use it on top (against the skin). If you aren't experiencing leakage then this option isn't necessary. We tried the 7th Generation and the 365 WholeFoods diapers at night and he woke up more than usual... they're really not that absorbent in our experience. To deal with the rashiness... which was a constant factor for our eczema baby we simply started putting him on a potty at 6mos so he'd have less urine on his skin. Eventually he figured out how to empty his bladder enough before naptime/bedtime that the rashes were lessened. Every time a diaper was wet we rinsed his bottom off in the bathroom sink to make sure it was free of pee... that helped a lot too.

Hi C.,
I never used cloth diapers but when my daughter had a terrible diaper rash our neighbor, a nurse at a NICU, recommended the Weleda Baby calendula diaper care. I found it at Whole Foods. It is the ONLY thing that cleared up her rash and it only takes a little bit. I still put it on her at night under Desitin and she hasn't had a rash since. I really like their whole line. I also use diaper doublers from Babies-R-Us inside her diapers at night.
Sincerely,
L.

Another idea would be to monitor his drinking intake - I remember having this issue with my son and his dr. said to cut off drinking 1-2 hours before bed. It definately helped. good Luck

Hi C.,
I know you'd rather use cloth diapers, but maybe while your son's rash clears up you might consider "Nature Babycare" diapers. They're gel and chlorine free and work much better than Tushies. I order them from diapers.com and haven't seen them in stores, but I haven't looked hard.
~A.

Not sure about cloth diapers, but Burts Bees Diaper Ointment is amazing...might help relieve/prevent his rashes. Good luck.

We use Swaddlebee AIO at night w/ a Swaddlebee double folded in half and put in front for my 18mo son. I do notice that some mornings his skin will be really red all over the diaper area. Other mornings no. I have been struggling w/ "stripping" the diapers (making sure all of the detergent is out). Turned out I wasn't using enough detergent, but that's another story. Make sure the diapers are well washed and rinsed...that's a start. Good luck. D.

We use cloth diapers and at night use Fuzzibunz (stuffed with microfiber and hemp). While the fleece lining in pocket diapers can keep bottoms a little drier than cotton cloth, once they are soaked the baby bottom is wet too. Still, we rarely get rashes (only if there are diet or illness impacts). I have never tried treating an established rash with cloth diaper friendly rash creams. I just put on lots of Desitin and a disposable, and go back to cloth when the rash is cleared up.

C.,

There are a couple of things you can try. The first one would be to double him up for his night time diaper, but not the traditional way. Now what you do is take a cloth diaper and do a tri-fold with it, then put that right in the center of the diaper. So it's basicly going to run right down the center for the most part. The second thing you can do is use a really good diaper rash cream ritual. What I did with my boys was original Desatin applied on top of Aquaphor. Slap it on like your killing snakes honey! Every little crack and skin fold. This creates a fortress if you will, against the urine on his skin. It works whether you do cloth or disposable, and you can also add some corn starch on top of the shmear too! This has worked successfully for all four of my boys,the last which were twins!

I hope this helps your sweet little lamb, God Bless.

A little about me:
I am a 35 year old, happily married stay at home mama to 4 boys ages 9,6, and twins that are 4. We are a Christian family, and we are a home schooling family. Jesus is our rock, our anchor, and the glue that bonds our family together, especially in these hard times. We have hope because HE is!

We didn't use cloth diapers, but my daughter would end up with diaper rash too. My mom found a wonderful product called "Triple Paste." She bought it on-line, but it is now available at Wal-greens and possible Target. The stuff works overnight. I would suggest getting a good layer on him before he goes to bed and see if that protects him from the wet diaper.

Good luck and God bless you and your little one.