Well, where do I begin?

First, if stripping cloth diapers, diaper rash, or baby poop are not topics that interest you, feel free to skip this post all together!

For more about our cloth diaper experience, read here.

Back to it.

A month or so ago, Pa and I decided that since Lula was eating solids, we no longer needed to line our cloth diapers with the “dryer sheets” we have been using since Lula was a month old.  We made this decision because her poop was rarely messy anymore.  Most of the time, it peels right off the diaper.

Around that same time, we noticed that Lula had diaper rash…for the first time in her life.

What????

I was so proud of the fact that she had never had it and all of the sudden…there it was.

So…we tried A & D ointment.

We tried Desitin.

We tried Boudreaux’s Butt Paste.

We tried nothing.

We tried coconut oil.

We stopped using homemade diaper wipes.

With each product we used, at certain times of the day, her skin looked fine.  Surprisingly, it always looked very clear in the morning, this after 12 hours in a double gDiaper.  At some point later in the day, there would always be some kind of flare-up.

Beyond the rash being itchy, it never bothered Lula at all.

After all of our attempts at curing it were unsuccessful, her 9 month check-up had arrived, so we asked our doctor what his recommendation was.

He was concerned that it might be some kind of yeast infection and recommended Lotrimin, or the generic version, Clortrimazole.  He then remarked that if it didn’t clear up in ten days, to give him a call and we would take the next step with the diapers (which we believe meant going to disposables).

We are more than happy to use disposable diapers if it means Lula no longer has diaper rash.  But first, we were determined to see if we could turn the tide and clear it up without going the disposable route.

Here’s what we did.

First, we bought the Clortrimazole and put it (liberally) on Lula in the mornings and in the evenings, followed by A & D ointment to seal it in.

Second, once a day, we brought her outside, sans diaper, to air her out in the sun.  We’re talking five minutes or less- just enough to dry everything out.

Third, the rest of the day, when we changed her diaper, we used Desitin and we used a lot of it.  I’m starting to get the hang of putting on a diaper one-handed- impressive indeed!

Fourth, we are once again using the diaper liners as an extra source of protection, especially since we are using diaper cream and that can destroy cloth diapers.

Fifth, and perhaps most importantly, we were worried that the yeast was in the hemp inserts, which were smelling very fishy lately, so we knew we needed to strip them.

This was the website we* found and it was very helpful.  We ended up modifying the process, as we were somewhat overwhelmed by all of the steps recommended.

Here’s what took place in our house on Saturday and Sunday:

We turned up our water heater so that the water in our washer would be scalding.

We boiled water on the stove to add to the wash cycles so we could get the water even hotter.

After washing the diapers two full cycles in the washer (no soap at all), on the third cycle, once the washer had filled up, we added about a teaspoon of tea tree oil.

Folks, this stuff is heavy duty.  I love tea tree products but the real deal is intense.  We ended up shutting the laundry room door at times to avoid the smell.

After letting the washer agitate the diapers and oil,

we stopped the washer and let it all soak together for about ten minutes, then completed the cycle.

A great reason for the bright sun and 90 degree temperatures this weekend?  It was perfect for air drying and baking our diapers.

We let them sit out in the hot sun all day long, flipping them over occasionally.

The results?

They no longer smell and they look pretty good!

It’s been 5 days since we began this process and so far, it seems like her rash is getting better.  I am going to wait the total ten days before I decide for certain, but so far, so good!

*I’ve got to put a qualifier down here and give a shout-out to my wonderful husband.  Each time I typed “we” above?  I really meant HIM.  Somehow, between everything else he has going on, he took the time to research this whole process and then spend most of Saturday and part of Sunday stripping diapers.  The guy loves his daughter!

If this sounds ridiculous and you are looking for something simpler, these two lovely ladies were kind enough to tell me a little about their experience with stripping cloth diapers.

Laura mentioned that her natural food store had packets available to add to a cloth diaper load.

Lindsay recommended switching detergents as a simple way to strip cloth diapers.

Have a fantastic Wednesday!