36 answers

Sensitivity to Disposable Diapers

My 9month old is suffering at every diaper change and in between and I don’t know how to help her. I’ve taken her to the pediatrician who at first diag. yeast and we tried Vusion cream. After a third trip it seems my daughter is sensitive to the prod. used to make disposable diapers absorbent. Her vaginal area always looks bad: red, discolored, and raw looking. I try to keep her nails freshly trimmed because in addition to heartbreaking screaming I struggle (sometimes unsuccessfully) to keep her from pulling and scratching her vaginal area while I’m changing her. Sometimes she draws blood. I’ve tried liberally applying Butt Paste, A&D, Tripple Paste, and/or Vaseline to create a barrier. It didn’t work. The only thing that seems to help is cotton diapers with training underwear which is fine because I change her as soon as she gets wet. This seems to help the situation. But I use a cloth diaper inside a disposable diaper (to create a barrier) when we go out and at night but this promotes the irritation again because the diaper gets wet and it’s on her skin for some time. I really can’t find the answer. Any advise would be helpful.

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Thank you all so much for your responses to my post Sensitivity to Disposable Diapers. Your suggestions are priceless. I've ordered calmoseptine cream, I’m giving her a lot of diaper free time, and I've decided we simply have to use cloth diapers only. I've been using some three ply cloth diapers with training panties for her but things get pretty messy sometimes. I didn’t know how far cloth diapering had come until I read some of your responses. I visited www.jilliansdrawers.com and nurturedfamily.com but there are so many options I don’t know where to start. I have limited funds but it’s important that I make the change to cloth diapers exclusively for my daughter’s sake. What are the basic necessities: Are liners/stuffers necessary only for night or do I need enough for every change? Is there someting extra to keep the moisture away from skin...? Basically, I guess I need to know, how would a newbie begin the transition?

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I used clotrimazole cream 1%
My dr. recomended it and it worked great
Put it on like diaper cream
By the way its a antifungal cream in the foot care department

My daughter does this with Huggies diapers, but not the Kirkland brand from Costco. You may want to try that. There is also a lady on line who is selling her cloth diapers for $5 each right now, as long as you buy 5. PM me if you want her information. The new cloth diapers are as easy to use as disposable now except that you have to wash them. Good Luck, I know how frustrating this is.

When my daughter had a really bad bleeding rash I put vitamin E all over it then I lathered it with vasoline, so when she did pee it didn't get on the rash. When ever I could I also would just let her go without a diaper and put the vitamin E on. That really helped her rash. I hope that help

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I'm not sure if you are using wipes or not but try using a soft wet wash cloth with mild soap (we used the Johnsons) when you wipe her when changing her diaper. My daughter had really bad diaper rash for about 4 weeks and we realized it was because of the wipes. I know you said your problem is the diapers but this might help with the pain. Now when ever she's red anywhere down there we just use a wet wash cloth cause it doesn't hurt as much for her. Good Luck!

1 mom found this helpful

Hi L.,

Just a thought but maybe have your pediatrician do a ph test on a urine sample. This could be a case of very acidic urine irritating/"burning" her skin. The reason it would seem a little better with the cloth diapers is because it would get absorbed faster into the cotton. If it is a high acidity level, try getting her to drink a little water. Does she drink fruit juices? Some children have a sensitivity to the acid in the juices making their urine really strong. To soothe and take away the sting, try soaking her bum in a lukewarm bath of water with baking soda in it. Good luck! It's so hard to see our little ones in pain and not be able to just "fix" it.

There's cloth diapers now that are super easy to use - they put on and fit just like a disposable and all you need to do is carry around a "wet bag" with you. A lot of people who make these All In One Pocket diapers also make these wet bags.

Another suggestion is to try out Seventh Generation chlorine free disposable diapers or another natural chemical free diaper. Your local health food store may have them, Whole Foods definitely carries them, and I also just picked some up from Big Lots for $8 for a pack of 40. Big Lots also had herbal chemical free wipes too. If she's sensitive to the diapers, she's probably has sensitive skin in general. Try also using all natural wipes. Most commercial wipes contain alcohol which will be very painful if she's raw. I hope you find something that works for her!

THis is probably not a popular solution but cloth diapers may be your best bet. They are pure cotton (no unnatural fibers to get used to) they can be bleached (helping to eliminate yeast from the area), and it allows some air to get to her sensative little areas. You would have to change her a bit more often to keep her skin dry but that rash will disappear. Good luck to you!

L.,

This may sound weird but I had the same problem with my son and all of the ointments in the stores didn't work. My mom told me to brown some flour in the oven and put that on him as if it was powder. Kind of rub it on her vaginal area. It really worked. Don't let the flour burn but let it get brown. I kept the rest in a plastic baggie and used it everytime I changed him.

First you should know that hygiene products like diapers and sanitary stuff like tampons/pads are treated with chemicals like formeldehyde. Not exactly something you want IN you (tampons)or on your or your baby's skin.

I would recommend checking out Whole Foods for products that aren't chemically treated. These chemicals can lead to a lot worse problems with continual use. Ask as well for ointments that really will help her litte butt and vaginal area heal and water resistant. Calendula ointment might help start the healing process.

You should probably, until finding a organically produced diaper, just put a crib sheet down that absorbs wetness and let her go to bed without a diaper on so that the air can keep her dry and the crib can be protected.

sounds like you are going to have to use cloth diapers only..buy some of the good cloth diapers bumgenous fuzzibunz are brands that I have heard of..

I believe they come with a waterproof layer -- you can also use regular old clothe diapers and vinyl pants over them..

Dont put the baby in any disposble diapers - she has to be miserable...

We had a similiar issue with one of our daughters. The only disposable diaper she could wear was Costco brand. We also use only Desitin purple label. Nothing else worked. Anyway, just a suggestion if you haven't tried already!

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