Getting Rid of the Yeast Rash

Right now Nolan has what my doctor called a “fungal-y rash” which is caused by yeast.  I can’t remember if Elaine ever had a yeast rash, but I know I didn’t strip her diapers because of it.

Nolan’s rash is going on 3 weeks.  I am contemplating taking him back in because it’s not getting too much better.  We are talking blisters that keep breaking open, and it-hurts-so-bad-he-won’t-sit-down-in-the-bath kind of rash.  The heat and humidity that keeps him warm and moist isn’t helping much either.

So I began researching methods to strip the yeast from my diapers, to ensure that I don’t re-contaminate him and cause the rash to come back.  What I found was a myriad of conflicting information!

Some mamas said only bleach kills yeast.  Others said bleach doesn’t work.  Diaper manufacturer’s don’t recommend bleach…unless there is yeast.  I also found lots of “laundry cocktails” with complicated systems of wash, rinse, rinse, wash, rinse, and other methods “guaranteed” to eliminate the yeast.  How do they know?

So I contacted Rumparooz since they make up much of my diaper stash.  I also know they have spent a lot of money on detergent research, etc. and I trust what they have concluded.  Well…sort of.  In the end I decided to try a more natural method first, before I resort to bleach.

Here is what Rose at Kanga Care told me to do:

“A yeast infection in cloth diapers can certainly become a problem!  Here is what we recommend:

• Fill a container (about shoe box size) with 2 inches of cold water 1/2 cup bleach.  {I did clarify that this is regular bleach – NOT oxygenated bleach}
• Submerge diaper for 1 minute. 
• Repeat with all affected diapers and inserts (make sure it squish inserts to get them fully saturated)
• Wash diaper in machine using cold wash/cold rinse - no detergent. Repeat 3 times.
• Wash diapers in machine using hot wash/cold rinse - with detergent.
• Do 3 rinse cycles. If you still smell bleach, run cold wash/cold rinse 3 more times.
• We hate recommending bleach, but it really is the one and only way to kill the yeast bacteria. 

She also emailed some tips to remember…

• Use cold water with bleach!
• Only submerge diapers for one minute!
• Wash diapers immediately following bleach!

The customer service lady at Cotton Babies also said that they only recommend bleach, and that the outer PUL portion of the pockets should be color safe.  They do not recommend bleach on a regular basis, and usually you should only use it on inserts…except in the case of yeast.

I have to confess… I hate bleach.  Being a natural klutz, I have ruined many a shirt with that stuff.  I don’t like to even have it in the house…I don’t buy cleaning products with bleach, and I don’t want the kids to accidentally get into it.  I did find a couple of other suggestions which I am trying first, before I resort to bleach.  Come back next week and explore some more options with me!

Have you ever had a yeast rash?  What method did you choose to disinfect your diapers?

Chamomile Wipe Solution

We are battling rashes here.  Both of my kids seem to get rashes when they are teething, but Nolan gets the bumpy blistery type.  They’re pretty nasty and hard to heal.  I assumed this rash was just from cutting molars, but recently I have read several articles about rashes that “came to stay” when the little boys turned 1.  I don’t know what that has to do with anything, but the timing lines up in Nolan’s case too.

Last week we went to the beach.  Three hours of salt water cleared Nolan’s rash right up.  His skin was brand new…no diaper rash cream or flushable liners needed.  But then he got some diarrhea and the rash returned with gusto.

I have just started delving into the world of herbal medicine, and I was elated to read an article on the Cheeky Bums Blog describing a chamomile wipe solution.  I thought it was brilliant!  Chamomile has soothing and healing properties.  So rather than use a water base for homemade baby wipe solution, start with chamomile tea to help heal the broken skin.  I decided to give it a try.

I started with chamomile, some calendula, mint, and eucalyptus leaves along with some lavender.

Here are some of the properties of the herbs that I added:

• Chamomile – calming, relaxing, soothing
• Calendula Flowers – Heals wounds by cell repair, antiseptic, anti-inflammatory, keeps infections away
• Peppermint – calming, relaxing scent; cools & relieves pain
• Eucalyptus – kills bacteria and fungi
• Lavender – relaxing and calming, antibacterial, antifungal, and antiseptic, used to treat yeast infections

After the solution steeped, I strained the herbs and added enough water to fill my wipe solution pitched {it’s 1/2 gallon}.  I also added 2 Tablespoons of coconut oil.  We use this at every diaper change to sooth and protect skin, but it hasn’t been enough recently.  I forgot to add some baby soap, but I plan to do so next time, along with some honey.  I eliminated the tea tree oil because it is too strong and my kids have sensitive skin.

I thought the chamomile and calendula were pretty in the water

I love the way this makes my wipes smell!  Nolan hasn’t been quite as fussy at diaper changes either.  We are still clearing up the rash, but I think this was a good step to take.

You could do the same thing by brewing a simple chamomile tea with tea bags {use 2-3 for a stronger infusion} and add some lavender essential oil and tea tree if your kids are not sensitive to the oils.

Here is the Cheeky Bums recipe:

• 2 c. chamomile tea, still warm but not boiling
• 1 Tb. raw honey
• 2 Tb. coconut oil (coconut oil is naturally anti-microbial which also helps fight diaper rash and aids in fast healing of any rash sores)
• 2 Tb. castile soap or baby soap
• 4 drops of tea tree oil

Baby Wearing Elaine

I am not an always-baby-wearing mommy.  And Nolan is not really into it either…he is over one now.  He is all boy. And he likes to move around.  But there are times when I don the Kozy Carrier and head out into the City. 

It usually involves a train ride.  Without my husband, I can’t get both kids and the double stroller down the subway steps alone.  There are often kind people who offer to help me, but I like to be prepared just in case.  In times like these, I wear one kiddo on my back, and carry the other down the train steps in the umbrella stroller.  It’s a win-win solution.

The last few expeditions have brought begging from Elaine to be the kiddo on my back.  Last time she fell asleep there on the train ride home.  And she also begged me for a “little tie” {the Kozy is a Mei Tei carrier, so it ties on} for her Betsy.

I didn’t have the money to buy a Kiddie Kozy, or the time to wait for it.  {Elaine is a little demanding sometimes…and every once in a while I give in}.  What’s a mommy to do?  Pull out the sewing machine, and get creative, of course!

I just laid out my Kozy Carrier and eyeballed a smaller scale version, testing the strap lengths on Elaine to make sure they were neither too short nor too long.  I used the fabric scraps from our matching dress/skirt which I made for Mother’s Day this year.

Here’s the finished product.  I made this last Tuesday.  She basically has only taken it off to eat, sleep, and bathe.  All other times find her wearing Betsy and her “little tie.”  If I’m not careful, she’ll be asking me to create a twins carrier, so Sally can ride in it too!  It was pretty quick and easy to do, considering I didn’t have a pattern and my serger was acting up.  I may even attempt one for a little girl’s birthday coming up…

Give It Another Spin

If you’ve been reading here long, then you know that I don’t have a dryer.  Washing machines in a rented apartment are something of a luxury here in Brooklyn.  When we were planning to move here, I asked God for a washing machine so I could wash my diapers at home.  He saw fit to grant my request, and our apartment has a full size, top-loading wash machine.  We just pay a little extra for the water it uses. 

Sometimes I get frustrated with how wet my diapers are when they finish the final rinse & spin cycle.  Often, a lot of water gets trapped in the wet bag, and soaks the inserts nearby as the machine finishes.  If I am in a pinch and need diapers fast, I don’t have time to let all of the extra water line-dry out of my inserts.

A while back I started re-setting my machine to do a second spin after the cycle had completed.  This second spin seems to release the water trapped in the wet bags, because I don’t have that problem any more. 

I also know for sure that even more water is spinning out of my diapers & inserts, thereby cutting the dry time.  How do I know this?  Because my washing machine is in my kitchen, and it drains into my kitchen sink.  Sometimes I stand and watch the second spin cycle, amazed at how much water had been left in my inserts.

So even if you have a dryer, cut the drying time by running an extra spin on your machine before you start the drying cycle.

Tide

I’m sure I’ve shared before about the benefits of using Tide detergent for your cloth diapers.  It is recommended by Rumparooz/Kanga Care for their products.  Julie Ekstrom, the creator of Rumparooz, told me once that people run into trouble when they start experimenting with laundry “cocktails” instead of just keeping it simple. 

Tide works!  They have put the resources and research into developing a superior laundry detergent which cleans deep down and gets everything out.  Just what you need for cloth diapers.

I use Tide Ultra, and the powder is better than the liquid because it won’t coat your diapers with a film.  I use 2 Tablespoons per load, for about 20 diapers or so.

Last August I joined Costco and my first purchase was this huge box of Tide Ultra for $25 {or so}.  Just today I emptied the remaining contents of the box into a gallon size Ziploc bag, after I filled my laundry jar on the shelf.  It will definitely last us until August or even longer. 

I keep homemade laundry detergent in the jar on the left, and Tide for our diapers in the jar on the right.

So for $25 I washed cloth diapers for a year.  I had 2 kids in diapers for 4 months of the year, and we were potty training with lots of accidents for 2-3 months of the year.  So for about 6 months I washed 3-4 loads per week, and now I wash 2 loads per week.  That’s what I call great value… Rockin’ Green never delivered such great clean at such a great price.

I only use the Tide for my diapers, because I can’t afford it for our regular lundry.  A couple of times I have cheated and used it for laundry when I was desperately out of detergent. 

Baby Comfy Nose

My kids were sick back in May.  I could hear the congestion in Nolan as he tried to nurse, and he had to stop every couple of sucks to get a breath.  My hospital nasal aspirator wasn’t getting anything out.  I remembered that I had read about the Nose Frida a while back.  But the thought of using my own mouth to suck snot out of my kids’ nose was a little revolting.  Yet in desperation I looked up nasal aspirators online.

I found the Nose Frida, along with an aspirator called the Baby Comfy Nose.  After reading a lot of reviews, I settled on the Baby Comfy Nose.  There is one store in my area that had it in stock, so I loaded my sick kids into the stroller, onto the bus, and then the train to go and purchase it.  I am so glad I did!

There are many reasons why I chose the BCN over the Nose Frida.  First, there are no filters to purchase and replace.  The BCN uses an ordinary facial tissue as the filter. This is more porous than the rubber filter of the Nose Frida, therefore it is more absorbent.  It is also cheap and easily replaced.

The Baby Comfy Nose also comes in a pouch that allows it to dry completely after washing, as opposed to the Nose Frida case which does not.  The BCN is also more economically priced.

Once you get past the thought that you are sucking snot out of your kids’ nose, you will greatly appreciate the Baby Comfy Nose.  It is easy to use, and you can see & hear how much mucous is leaving the nasal passages.  Human lungs generate 10x as much suction power as a battery operated aspirator, so the BCN is much more effective.

When you’re done, just discard the tissue and rinse the BCN clean.  Allow it to air dry.  It is so easy!

I used this on my 10 month old and my 2 1/2 year old.  Neither one enjoyed it, but they didn’t like the hospital bulb aspirator either.  My little girl actually came to me several times and asked me to suck out her nose.  I know it’s because she could tell the difference – she could actually breathe again after I used the BCN to clear out the snot!

I would highly recommend this product and I don’t think any parents of infants or toddlers should be without one.  I’ll probably be giving it as baby shower gifts from now on!

Disclosure – I was not paid or compensated in any way to write this post.  I purchased the product and all opinions are completely mine.

What We’ve Been Doing…

I haven’t blogged here since I closed the online retail part of Doable Diapers back in April.  I’ve been enjoying life as a wifey, homemaker, and stay-at-home-mom.  And I am pretty convinced that that is the way God designed it to be…

So here are a few snippets to let you see what we’ve been doing for the last two months. I have had several things rolling around in my mind that I want to share here, and now that I feel like life and schedules are back on track, I will probably bombard you with several posts.  So don’t go away…lots of fun coming right up!

Sunset walk under the Verrazano Bridge (connects Brooklyn to Staten Island)

Brooklyn Botanic Gardens with friends

Elaine got a “big girl bed”

 
Feeding the goats at the Bronx Zoo with Grandma & Grampa

Our family  - Me, Nolan, Elaine, & Ben

Testing the new bumGenius Freetime diaper – more on that to follow later.  Suffice it to say this is my new favorite diaper!

 
A lot of sewing – including an Easter dress for Elaine {in the midst of closing the store}, matching skirt/dress for Elaine & me, some play skirts, and even some dolly clothes!

Nolan’s first haircut!  {10 months old.  He also started walking just before this}

Mother’s Day in our matching dresses

Flight to visit “Ma” & “Pa” in Denver, Colorado

Swimming in Pa’s pool

Visit with my grandparents.  My kids are great-grandchildren # 7 & 8 or something like that…out of 11 great-grands

Fun at the park

First motorcycle ride {just Elaine…not Nolan} with my Dad

Memorial Day in Brooklyn – we went to tour the ships in dock for Fleet Week and the 200th anniversary of the War of 1812.

Lots of fun in the sun

Some homemade strawberry jam, and lots of freezer cooking & baking.  It feels good to do that again!

That was a whirlwind trip, but it seems like a lot of pictures.  Come back this week for more cloth-diaper related posts!