| Nappy
rash may appear as red patches or general redness on your
baby’s bottom. The skin may be hot and look sore, a
more severe rash may have pimples, spots or blisters. Nappy
rash is most commonly caused by the skin being in prolonged
contact with ammonia from bacteria in poo or urine irritating
the skin.
Independent research has shown that it doesn’t
matter which type of nappy is being use, frequent or prompt
changing particularly after a poo is the key to minimising
the outbreak of nappy rash. Nappy rash can also be caused
by sensitivity to detergent, soap, bubble bath or baby wipes.
It's important to ensure you’ve adequately rinsed the
detergent from your nappies but it could be that changing
to a milder detergent prevents this.
Other causes of nappy rash include teething
- when your baby dribbles, the excess saliva he produces,
being alkaline, causes the immature stomach to overproduce
acid to counteract this, and the resultant caustic poo can
burn particularly if it reaches areas not usually pooed upon.
In this case a barrier cream is effective
in protecting the skin, similarly a change in diet or consumption
of acidic foods such as strawberry and tomatoes may cause
changes to the acidity of the poo.
Some parents like to use a nappy cream or
barrier cream for every change, other parents will only use
a cream specifically if there is any redness or irritation.
Typical products used as barrier creams—these
coat the skin with waterproofing layer to protect it from
urine and poo—include petroleum jelly, petroleum-free
jelly or zinc oxide based products.
There are a huge range of other nappy cream
products available to help sooth and calm nappy rash, or you
can use simple home-made remedies such as soaking a piece
of muslin in a cold cup of chamomile and honey tea, wring
out and place damp in the nappy. Talcum powder isn’t
recommended for use with babies these days although you can
buy
talc free powder or use cornflower instead.
Washing of Wool wraps:
Wash at 30º by hand (body temperature
is 37° so the water should feel cool) in pure unperfumed
soap or wool shampoo only, do not use detergent as this will
remove the lanolin. Rinse well and squeeze to dry, squeezing
into a towel will remove excess moisture. You will find after
several washes that the wrap may begin to loose its waterproof
properties and will need retreating with lanolin.
You will also find that initially you may
need to treat with lanolin more frequently, and that a well
used and treated wrap can often go several months without
further lanolin treatment.
Sensitivity
Please do be aware that some people including
babies may be sensitive to wool and/or lanolin. If using concentrated
lanolin add a small amount to hot water to dissolve it. Then
make up with warm water, then add the wet wool wrap and agitate
in the water. Leave for approx 10 minutes minimum, ideally
overnight to soak into the wool fibres. Then gently spin in
your machine or squeeze dry (if you place it in a towel this
will take out more water) and drip dry.
Other than special machine washable/dryable
wool, never tumble dry wool wraps or wash them too hot - it
will ruin them. Drip dry away from direct heat. Radiators
will also spoil the condition of your wool wrap.
All In Ones
With All in Ones the critical thing is the
fit, as you have only one barrier to protect against leaks.
When you’ve put the nappy on, check carefully it’s
a snug fit round the legs and waist. You can add a booster
to pad out a nappy to make it fit better if needed, even if
the extra absorbency isn’t required.
If your nappy has hook and loop fastenings,
be sure to fasten them back or fasten the nappy inside out
to wash to avoid them sticking together in the wash. One of
the problems with All In Ones is the difficulty in cleaning
the nappy, since one side is always covered in waterproofing,
this means it isn’t as easy for the water in the washing
machine to wash through the fabric.
Therefore it is best to rinse the nappy first
in the machine or by hand or in the toilet flush, and to make
sure there are not too many nappies being washed at once for
cleanest results.
Drying is also an issue with All In Ones,
the exception again being the Nappy Nation which unfolds,
many All In Ones will take quite a time to dry as the Place
the baby on the folded nappy and join the three corners. If
using a pin, pin horizontally across the babies tummy inside
the first fold to prevent the pin sticking into the baby if
it comes undone. Alternatively use Nappi Nippas.
Roll excess fabric inwards up the legs to
aid containment.
Real
Nappy Article | Nappy
Changing—What to Expect! | Washing
& Care Instructions |
Terminology—what
is what in the nappy world? | How
do I assemble a cloth nappy? |
Nappy
creams, barrier creams and nappy rash | Why
Choose Cloth Nappies 1 |
Why Choose
Cloth Nappies 2 | Why
Choose Cloth Nappies 3 | How
do I choose which nappies to use? |
How many
nappies will I need? | Washing
- Frequently Asked Questions | What
are Real Nappies |
Real
Nappy Project
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