Does your child often have a diaper rash? Using cloth diapers can help!
Our firstborn child often suffered from a persistent and painful diaper rash. We were using disposable diapers from a reputable brand, yet the redness wouldn't go away, lasting almost the entire diaper period.
Even before our first child arrived, we were already looking into cloth diapers. At that time, it wasn't due to diaper rashes or irritation – it wasn't something we had considered until we were in the midst of it. Instead, we were exploring cloth diapers as a response to our climate concerns or at least the thoughts and concerns about our child's future. But after our son had a tough start in life, our priorities shifted, and cloth diapers were put on hold.
I remember moments when he was just a few days old, getting severe diaper rash from disposable diapers. We changed his diaper frequently to keep him dry, used ointments recommended by the health center, and applied powder. However, the rash persisted on and off during those first months. During this time, we chose to let him be without a diaper as much as possible, which helped, but was only feasible when we were at home.
We experienced periods of diaper rash and eczema on and off until our son was out of diapers when using disposable diapers. Occasionally, we started using blankets as diapers, which effectively kept the rash away. So, in 2017, we acquired our first prefold cloth diapers. We used them alongside disposable diapers to address the skin irritation issue. At that point, cloth diapers on a part-time basis became the simple solution for us, even if it was just prefold diapers – we weren't ready to venture into other cloth diaper options.
With our second child, we began using cloth diapers the day we returned from the hospital. This time, we didn't encounter any skin problems. For us, it truly became about using diapers that were gentle on the skin. Transitioning to full-time cloth diapering wasn't something we initially thought we'd do right from the start. We planned to test it out, see how it worked, and if we could manage. But it turned out to be much easier than we anticipated, and it just flowed naturally.
My sister had her second child just days after ours. When they also started using cloth diapers, they noticed the same advantage – it was gentle on their baby's skin. They found that varying the materials in direct contact with the baby's skin was especially helpful. They alternated between using bamboo inserts (with antibacterial properties) against the skin and using pocket diapers with a stay-dry layer against the skin.
Cloth diapers don't have to be all or nothing. It can be a single cloth diaper to address diaper rash or for entirely different reasons. Cloth diapers can be part-time or full-time. There are numerous ways and reasons that vary from family to family.
For us, cloth diapers turned out to be the solution for getting rid of diaper rash on our child. It's one of the reasons why we decided to start our own cloth diaper brand.
/ Emelie Palm at Time Ahead Sweden - Cloth Diapers