Diaper Rashes — Causes, Symptoms, Treatments and Remedies

Is a diaper rash a sign of neglectful care?

No, not at all! Parents often blame themselves for being careless in care taking of their babies. However, there is one thing that parents need to understand and that is, it is still debatable whether neglectful parenting is a cause for diaper rashes.

It also does not depend solely on the type of diaper you use. Cases of diaper rash have been found in both disposable diapers as well as one size cloth diapers. Although, according to a survey one size fits all cloth diapers have minimal cases of rashes compared to disposables.

Diaper Rash is the most common dermatological problem amongst infants and toddlers. According to recent studies in the United States, more than 50% of the infants ranging from 3 months to 18 months of age develop a diaper rash at least one time every two months. Another statistics that can help parents to stop blaming themselves for diaper rashes is that more than 80% of kids develop rashes dues to diapers at least once before they go for potty-training. It is not your fault!

Causes of Diaper Rashes

• Prolonged exposure to urine or poop while wearing the diaper
• Irritants present in urine and poop
• Change in the pH level of skin
• Eating new foods may result in an increase in the frequency of stools, thus developing diaper rashes
• If mother of a breast-feeding infant eats some foods which does not suit the child, potentially can cause a diaper rash
• Disposable wipes can cause allergy and thus result in diaper rash
• New brands of disposable diapers
• Fragrances, detergents and softeners used to wash cloth diapers can cause allergic reactions and cause diaper rash
• Certain baby products such as lotions, powder and oils can cause allergic reactions and result in diaper rashes
• Continually wet skin
• Friction caused by rubbing diaper to the skin
• An ill-fitting diaper that rubs against the skin
• Baby has diarrhea
• Baby is on certain types of antibiotics
• Baby’s bum is extremely susceptible because it is warm and moist, which makes it a perfect breeding environment for bacteria and yeast. Consequently rashes can occur
• Hot water immersion while bathe
• Extreme cases of negligence in baby-care

In addition to the above stated dermatologist approved common causes of diaper rashes, there are a few uncommon causes such as infections, certain nutritional deficiencies and malignancies.

In the next parts of the blog we shall discuss about the symptoms, treatments and home-care remedies to cure diaper rashes. However, if you want an immediate solution for reducing the chances of your baby developing diaper rashes, shift immediately to one size cloth diapers. PLEASE REMEMBER THAT ALL DIAPER RASHES SHOULD BE CHECKED BY YOUR CHILD’s DOCTOR. PLEASE DO NOT RELY ON THE ADVICE OF ANYONE OTHER THAN YOUR PEDIATRICIAN.

Angelina's Stash: Show and Tell

Even before getting pregnant with my first child I knew I wanted to cloth diaper. My best friend was an avid cloth diaperer and I fell in love with the cuteness, savings, and environmental factor. 

 The moment I found out I was pregnant, I started asking her questions about cloth diapers. She was so helpful and invited me over to go through all her diapers and explain the differences to me. She was done with cloth and gave me a bag full! I bought diapers here and there from friends and companies which slowly built my stash during my pregnancy. 

Now that my son turns 2 this month I have gained quite a few cloth diapers. I've learned my likes and dislikes with them. I'm more of a solid gal. I have some cute prints but I never got into the crazy print haze. Snaps are my go to! I think they're more durable and long lasting. Also my son learned very quickly how easy it was to undo velco diapers! Yikes!

Some brands fit my son better than others. He's always had chunky thighs and is a heavy wetter. Smarti pants has been my favorite brand! I have the most diapers in this brand. They hug my baby's thighs just right, the liners are the perfect absorbance when doubled up at night, and I also love the that there isn't too many snaps to confuse grandma when she baby sits lol. 

I have some used diapers that have blown out elastic from repeated use, or others that just leak and can't do their job, so I'm thrilled that I can build up a stash for baby #2 due in February with my favorite brands I know will do the job right! 

How many Diapers per Child?

When people get in to cloth diapering, the most asked question seems to be "how many diapers do I need to cloth diaper full time?" Smarti Pants and most people recommend having 24 diaper on hand per child to last them from birth to potty training. While at first you'll be washing frequently due to a newborn's routine, toddlers can go longer and there's more space in-between changes. 

When I was researching cloth diapering information online, I found this chart and thought it was pretty realistic. Since newborns each on average every 2-3 hour, that also means a diaper change or two every 2-3 hours. You of course want some diapers on hand while all the soiled ones are in the wash, so this is where 24 diapers in total would be an accurate number in my opinion. 

I personally don't go more then three days in-between washes due to smell and other factors, but if you're cloth diapering your first child and hope to have more in the future, building up a big stash now while rotating them equally would be a great option. 

Because I'm expecting our second child in February, I am slowly adding in some new diapers with my favorite brand, Smarti Pants, and taking out the not so great used diapers I've gathered from friends. While our son is part time potty trained, I would like to get to around 40 diapers which could put me still washing every 1-2 days but yet having good quality diapers to prevent messes along the way being the key to success for cloth diapering two! 

Angelina, mom of two boys, 2 and due in February. 

SmartiPants: Now on Amazon!

We've had our website for years and since you all have showed us just how much you love Smartipants diapers, we're excited to announce we're now on Amazon!!! Now you can simply search "Smartipants" and we will pop up right for your shopping needs!  

Available for purchase through Amazon, we have smart liners, one pack diapers, and then three pack diapers along with our totes and pails. I love that the three packs have a handy option of "boy" or "girl" colors to make shopping quick and easy! There of course is all our thirteen colors listed in the one diaper section and of course, shopping through Amazon gives you FREE SHIPPING! 

We hope you all stop by and shop through Amazon and that the process is a breeze like we know it should be! We look forward to shipping out those Amazon orders!

What's a Wet Bag?

Wet bags I find are an essential piece to cloth diapering, however, when you're first starting out there can be a lot of information to take in. There's a variety of bags you can use with your diapers (or just a grocery sack if you're going super cheap) and today I'll help you decide which one is best for you and your family! 

These waterproof bags make toting dirty diapers easier than ever. Store dirty diapers between laundering at home in our waterproof stink-free "Smart Pail". These are best for in the home where you can hang them in one spot until it's time to do the diaper laundry. Best of all, after dumping all diapers in to the washer, the pail goes right in with it! These pails have features like being waterproof and leak free, zippered opening for stink-free storage in-between uses, and a snap handle to allow for hanging anywhere! They're 24 inches tall by 15 inches wide and come in three color shades.

Like the Smart Pail above, these "Smart Tote" bags offer the same ease as I mentioned above, but they're a little smaller and more ideal for on the go use! These are 14 inches tall by by 13 inches wide and fit nicely in a diaper bag or even your purse when you're out and about. Some people like to carry two bags, one for clean diapers and one for dirty diapers, because they're nice and organized and kept together. If you know you'll be out of the house for several hours or going to family's, these bags are nice to keep the smell hidden while being able to have comfort in using cloth diapers outside of the home. If you have a small diaper stash you can use these in the home as well because they also offer a snap handle to hang from door knobs or what have you. 

If you're new to cloth diapering or you're trying to build up a good stash of diapers, make sure you hop on over to our website for our 24 & 36 pack of  One Size diapers. Not only do these come with a very nice bulk savings, but you also get a Tote with it! 

Angelina: Why She Started Cloth Diapering

Before I started having children one of my dear friends started using cloth diapers. I was very intrigued because they were nothing like I was picturing; (a piece of cloth with two pins on each side). No, these "modern" cloth diapers had the cutest prints and seemed so easy to use with snaps and Velcro. I asked her a million and one questions and decided I'd cloth diaper my future children.

Fast forward 7 years later and I'm due with my first child! I talked to my husband about wanting to cloth diaper and he thankfully was immediately on board! Being budget conscious,  I will admit I was nervous to tell him the initial cost of cloth diapers, but we made a plan to buy a little at a time throughout the pregnancy. I also took this time to enter a bunch of giveaways through blogs and Facebook in hopes to win even a couple to help with the cost. 

18 months later and we love cloth diapering! My husband knows how to wash and care for the diapers just as much as I do and he finds it easy! Whenever we go out of town and don't have washer/dryer accessibility we'll buy a pack of disposables. I'll never forget the first time we used disposables, my husband said, "I hate these things!" LOL 

Now that my son is a toddler, he's a heavy wetter at night. We use plastic pants at night and doubled up on liners to help absorb him and not wake up wet. I have a large variety of brands and over time I've learned certain diapers hold better than others, or fit differently with certain clothes which helps at night. We have figured out which diaper for which occasion and love them all for different things! 

Written by Angelina, a budget mom! 

Shower Gifts for the Cloth Mama!

Let's talk shower gifts!

Perhaps one of the most common shower gifts that we all receive in abundance is diapers! It makes sense...it's something that all babies need and go through in abundance, so it's always a safe bet!

But what if you're cloth diapering? Or attending a shower for someone who is? What gifts are appropriate for the cloth diapering mama or mama to be? Today I'm sharing a few ideas:

Cloth Diapers. 
Of course, the most obvious gift is cloth diapers! I can assure you that any cloth diapering mama would love to receive cloth diapers as a shower gift- as more often than not we actually hear discouragement about the decision to use cloth. Not sure where to start? Ask the mom to be if she has any preferences, or buy a few different types if your budget allows. Not all diaper work the same for all babies, so it is nice to give mom a variety to try out.