yeast diaper rash related to cloth diapers?

[indigosky]

DD is just over 2 years old and has been cloth diapered most of the time her whole life.

She's occasionally gotten diaper rashes that are caused by yeast (confirmed by pediatrician), which require anti-fungal cream to get rid of. Recently these have been coming on far more often. We usually switch over to disposable diapers when we're fighting diaper rash, as they seem to clear up more quickly that way. During the last month the rashes have been happening so often that we're pretty much alternating weeks: a week of cloth dipes, then a few days of disposables. Before this, diaper rashes were pretty rare for her -- I'd say 3 max in the first few years of her life.

I'm beginning to wonder if the cloth diapers are causing the rash. Could they be holding yeast in them or something? Why the sudden change?

If you tell me that we need to eliminate yeast/bread/sugars/etc from DD's diet I'm going to be depressed.

[Juliacat]

I have no personal experience with this, but are you using cloth diapers that can stand up to boiling or bleaching? Maybe there is something in them that needs to be killed off.

[indigosky]

We use a combination of BumGenius and prefolds with covers. (There may be one or two that are other brands of pocket diapers, but all pretty similar.)

I've heard that others bleach their diapers occasionally even though you're not technically supposed to. I've never done so, but I'm certainly open to trying bleaching, boiling, or both.

Anyone out there know more about whether this is likely to work?

[mntnmom]

I've had good luck with a good vinegar soak and a hot wash. But if it's a chronic issue, a little bleach occasionally is better than not using them. I say try it. Yeast can be tough to get rid of sometimes.