Nappy & other rashes

Nappies & the environment

Nappy systems

Changing nappies

Storing nappies

Washing nappies

Sterilising nappies

Drying nappies

Rashes

Night & swim nappies

Flat nappy folds

Useful tips

Jargon buster

FAQ

Nappucinos

Causes of Nappy rash
Nappy rash is caused when stale urine comes into contact with faeces produing ammonia, which burns the skin.

The reason that disposables claim to prevent nappy rash is that the absorbent gel prevents most of the urine from coming into contact with the faeces. However, cloth nappies do not cause more nappy rash than using disposables for the simple reason that most responsible carers change their baby as soon as he or she does a poo, thereby preventing the reaction between the stale urine and faeces.

Please note that fresh urine is sterile. Sitting in a wet nappy does not, therefore, cause nappy rash. Nappy rash can only occur when stale urine has become exposed to the 100 or so viruses found in human faeces and is given enough time to react. For this reason, when a baby is changed, the entire area of skin that was in contact with the nappy must be cleaned; not just the bit between the legs!

Treatment of nappy rash
Do not use a barrier cream unless your child has a rash. Barrier creams prevent the skin from breathing and make it more sensitive in the long run, thereby increasing the chances of your child developing nappy rash in future. An excellent barrier cream is SwissGarde's 'Skin Protector Creme'. You could also use Vaseline.

Allow them some time every day without a nappy, so that the skin can air dry. If possble, expose the skin to sunshine for a few minutes. (Remember that baby skin is very sensitive and will burn easily. Since you should not be putting suncream on nappy rash, if you expose your baby to medium or strong sunlight for more than a few minutes they will burn!)

If you are using a fleece liner, switch to paper for a few days, as fleece is warm and may be preventing the rash from healing fully.

If you are using a PVC wrap, switch to a PUL wrap, which is breathable while being water-proof. You could also try using a fleece or wool wrap at night. Although these wraps aren't water-proof, they are water-resistant enough to manage while your child is lying relatively still and are much more breathable, allowing the skin to heal more quickly.

Wash the affected areas with a weak solution of tea tree oil (1 drop in a cup or more of water) or rub 1 drop of tea tree oil into the nappy cream you use on baby's skin. You could also use zinc oxide cream, although this is difficult to rub in, especially when your baby is already uncomfortable.

Other types of rash
Clothing sensitivity: Different nappies use different types of stitching and elastic around the legs. If your child develops a rash around the legs and tummy along the line of the wrap or nappy, it may be a reaction to the stitching or elastic.

Chemical sensitivities: Babies are sensitive to chemicals. If you have recently changed your washing powder your baby may react to a new agent in the new washing powder. Alternatively, if you use too much powder there may be a build up in the nappy. Wash all your nappies on a rinse cycle only to ensure that there is no washing powder trapped in the nappy fibres. You may want to do this two or three times to rinse them thoroughly.

Diet-related rash: Check your child's diet. Acidic diets (high in fruit and fruit juices) can cause faeces to become acidic, which also irritates the skin. Newborn breast-fed babies are particularly sensitive to strawberries and citrus fruit. If you eat these fruit, they will make your milk more acidic, causing your baby to produce more acidic poos as well.

Teething rash: Teething can also cause nappy rash, and that ths would happen irrespective of whether your baby was in disposables or cloth nappies. This rash is more common than you think.

Lifestyle change: If you have been using disposables for a while your baby may react to changing over to cloth nappies (and vice versa) and experience a bit of nappy rash for a few days.

Newborn sensitivity: Newborns are particularly sensitive. If your nappy has a long pile of cotton fibres this may scratch the skin and cause irritation.

Heat/ sweat rash: Babies may develop heat rash if the weather is very hot, particularly if you use a PVC rather than PUL wrap. Similarly, a sweat rash may develop if sweat builds up inside the nappy. This only tends to happen if you use an old-fashioned PVC wrap though. Change wraps and let your baby go without a nappy for a while.