Help - ready to give up on cloth :(

[ComplexOphelia]

CD gurus, please, please help me!

Recently, my 2 yo DS's foreskin became very infected - it required oral antibiotics to clear it up.  Since then, I've been really worried about an infection recurring (can you blame me?).  When I take a cloth dipe off of him, his foreskin looks more red and swollen than it does after I take a 'sposie off (the hypoallergenic 7th generation ones).  It doesn't help that I don't know what healthy foreskins should look like - i.e., how red is too red, how much swelling is normal, etc.  We have lots of different kinds of dipes.  It seems to look best when we take off a BG Elemental (our others are regular BG and Drybees Gone Natural), but still redder than it looks after a disposable.

We wipe him with a warm, wet washcloth with every change and use Earth Mama Angel Baby diaper cream (although only occasionally, not every time we change him).  I use scented Rockin' Green detergent and strip regularly (about once every two weeks) with it.  We bleach them all once a month since the infection.  My wash routine is cold soak (with detergent, since our water is very, very hard), hot wash with detergent, full normal cycle with nothing.

I really, really don't want to give up on using cloth, but don't see another option if we can't do it in a way that DS's foreskin doesn't suffer for.  We've made some moves towards potty learning, but he's not ready yet and I don't want to push it.  I wouldn't be opposed to buying some different one-size dipes if there are any that might do better, since we've got another little boy on the way (who will be here in February, oh my goodness).  Thanks so much for any suggestions!!

[sosurreal09]

firstly i would NEVER bleach anything - that alone could be causing irritation. also why use scented wash? is it scented naturally?

other than that all i can suggest is changing his dipe more frequently and maybe starting EC. i know DD gets red down there when she hasnt been changed in only 2 hours. i havent used you're dipes - we grobaby so the wetness is right on her skin.

[ComplexOphelia]

The bleach was actually recommended by the people who own the store where we buy diapers.  I use a tablespoon in the entire load, then rinse them at least three or four times until there is NO bleach smell anywhere even to my sensitive pregnant nose!  Nothing seems any worse after bleaching (but, unfortunately, it doesn't seem better, either!).

Rockin' Green is scented naturally with essential oils and is CD safe - I received it as a gift, I typically don't use fragrances.  I actually just ordered some unscented Ruby Moon cloth laundry detergent that I thought I would try.  Although the fragrances are natural and don't stick to the dipes, it could be that his skin there is just really, really sensitive!

I do change him roughly every 2 hours, but could do that more often and see if it helps - our dipes also don't wick moisture away, except for the BG's which I use for naps.

Thank you for the suggestions!

[abmom5]

are you doing an extra rinse at the end of the wash?  you may just need to rinse them an extra time.

[ComplexOphelia]

Originally Posted by abmom5 

are you doing an extra rinse at the end of the wash?  you may just need to rinse them an extra time.

We hit the extra rinse on the hot wash, then do a full normal cycle with nothing in it after washing them, which I've been regarding as a rinse.  Do you think another rinse would be helpful on top of that?  

[isabchi]

What kind of fabric are your diapers??... I just trust cotton and hemp.

Is your DS in probiotics?. Also, I will offer the potty often and change him after each pee.

[abmom5]

oh a full wash without soap should be PLENTY.  the other thing i'd suggest is check the amount of soap you are using.  it still seems odd to me to put so little in the wash, but it really doesn't need much.

[Carma]

He could be sensitive to the wetness. You can try fleece liners to keep him more dry.

Foreskin should not look red. At least my 3yo DS does not.

Carma

[ComplexOphelia]

Originally Posted by isabchi 

What kind of fabric are your diapers??... I just trust cotton and hemp.

Is your DS in probiotics?. Also, I will offer the potty often and change him after each pee.

Mix of microfiber, some bamboo/cotton blend, and some cotton.  I just got a new organic cotton/bamboo diaper to try and see if it seems better after being in that one.  We don't do a probiotic supplement, but do lots of yogurt and kefir.  I offer the potty every time I use it (which is often since I'm 7 months pregnant!), and sometimes he's interested, sometimes he isn't.  I've been really hesitant to push it - I don't want to make him feel pressured - but I can offer more often for the next couple days and see how it goes!  It's be great to not have 2 in diapers, after all :).

[ComplexOphelia]

Originally Posted by abmom5 

oh a full wash without soap should be PLENTY.  the other thing i'd suggest is check the amount of soap you are using.  it still seems odd to me to put so little in the wash, but it really doesn't need much.

I'll email the maker of the soap and make sure the amount I'm using is appropriate.  We've definitely had our laundry troubles, so that could be really helpful - and I'm hoping the new scent-free soap will help, too!

Originally Posted by Carma 

He could be sensitive to the wetness. You can try fleece liners to keep him more dry.

Foreskin should not look red. At least my 3yo DS does not.

Carma

I'll get a couple to give them a try.  I think it's normal for it to be a bit pinker than the rest of his penis, but red is definitely out - I just want to it to look like it does after I take him out of a disposable!  Jeez, why is this so hard?  I want to do cloth because I am convinced it's healthier for DS and for the earth!  I seriously cried about this the other day.  Sigh.

[sosurreal09]

i bought some fleece and cut them out the size of the dipe and just threw it in the dipe when DD gets a rash that way its not wet right on her and it was not expensive.

[GoBecGo]

I use fleece liners on my clothies (no boys so no foreskin issues here, but every mama i know with boys who CD's is here in the UK, and they ALL have foreskins...some of them have a reddish foreskin if it's been hot and sweaty in the nappy, it's just increased bloodflow i assume, never get infections anyway).  I got a big bit from ikea (very very cheaply) and cut them myself.  I need to get another and do more actually, for the next size up :)

[coyotemist]

My guy is sometimes pink, but not red, and not swollen.  Could it not be the diapers, but goo under the foreskin?  Don't retract it, but sort of push on the side towards the tip.  Twice when my older son was small he has goo under there  as part of an infection, and just pushing the stuff out fixed the whole problem.

The other issue is that it just could be the detergent, and as someone else mentioned, even if you aren't smelling the bleach, it could be irritating him.  Try vinegar instead, and maybe try another detergent that you can get locally, or try making your own and see if he reacts.  We can't use Rockin' Green, Allans, Charlies, and a couple others.  My guy, sadly, does better with Tide.  Most of the time I make my own.

[ComplexOphelia]

OK, got the new, totally unscented detergent and did a very thorough soak/wash with it.  Added a vinegar rinse.  Today, everything's looking good!  Thank you so, so much for all of your help, everyone!  Hopefully this continues!