Bum Creams…
BUM
CREAMS ARE A DEFINATE NO NO !!
As mentioned, three primary reasons have been indentified as to why moms consider moving to cloth:
1) Environmental Impact, 2) Financial Implications and 3) Healthy Skin.
Bum creams fall squarely under the last heading. Liberal use of bum cream is usually associated with nappy changing - in fact from the very first nappy change in the hospital nurses usually lather the little one's bum in a thick cream. Unfortunately bum cream just so happens to be the number one enemy of cloth nappies !
Bum creams usually contain a number of ingredients (for eg. Zinc) that can cause irreversible damage to cloth nappies. The problem is that the nice thick gooey layer on the bum - also becomes a nice thick gooey layer on the cloth nappy. This build up on the cloth effectively 'clogs' the layer that is closest to the bum, forming a nice waterproof barrier. This barrier prevents liquids from passing through the top layer and being absorbed by the cloth layers beneath. The liquid flows over the top of this first layer, and a lot of it squeezes out at the sides around the legs. It can be next to impossible to remove this build up once it has clogged the cloth layer.
Essentially bum cream build up causes the nappy to leak !
Whilst skin irritation is significantly reduced when using cloth and avoiding the harsh chemicals associated with disposables, some irritation can still occur - especially when the little one is teething.
The good news is that there are several ways to deal with this:
If you do want to use your favourite bum cream when a rash occurs: Use a disposable nappy liner. The nappy liner then becomes clogged with the cream - not the rest of the cloth nappy - and being disposable, it is simply thrown away. Remember that washable nappy liners cant be used with bum cream since they too will become clogged and when they are re-use the liquid will run off them and not be absorbed into the nappy. If using bum cream: Use a disposable nappy liner !
Alternatively swop the bum cream for a cloth safe bum balm. Several options are available eg: Cheeky Monkey Bum Balm which can be purchased directly from BiddyKins, Oh Lief, Pure Beginnings, Enchantrix, Mother Nature, Bloublommetjies, Natraloe, Ladybird, Naturally Beauty-full, Earth Babies and even coconut oil !
When using a cloth friendly oil or balm (ie something that easily washes out and does not leave any type of residue or film after washing) washable fleece liners can then be used to simply help deal with poop clean up.
