I'm totally over cloth.

[schmamy]

We've been using CDs since DS was 5 weeks old, with the exception of a couple weeks here, a month there, when we were on vacation or his poop was transitioning and disgusting or whatever. Most of the time I have loved it and have been a huge advocate, so glad for doing cloth. But I'm just so done. He's got yeast AGAIN. Had a nasty rash a few weeks ago and I thought I got it cleared up, so he was back in cloth, but yesterday morning when he woke up his p*nis looked all red and ouchy...I ended up taking him to the pedi and she said it was yeast. :(

I'm just done with the elaborate laundry process. Bac-Out, vinegar, TTO, upping the water heater, sunning, etc, three dozen cycles trying to make sure you get yeast out of the dipes, never really knowing if you did or not. Not to mention I'm done with spraying disgusting poop off of diapers. Not to mention the disgusting ammonia smell and trying to troubleshoot that. I'm tired of the troubleshooting. I don't feel like the benefits are outweighing the frustrations anymore...I don't love it like I used to. I'll still do it again if we have another child, but I'm just about ready to say I'm finished with CDing for DS. :/

[illinoismommy]

Amy, if you want to be done for the forseeable future, be done. :heart

I cloth diapered for 3 years, but for the last 6+ (can't remember when) months I've been over it too. :)

[MarynMunchkins]

I usually give up on cloth around 2. It just gets nasty, and it's not worth being frustrated about it. :)

So I guess you can have my permission to quit. :haha

[klpmommy]

:hug Right now I am about half & half cd/disposables. I love the cloth for R & I try to use it for S if I am pretty sure she isn't going to poop. But the laundry time is hard to find right now more than once a week.

Really, it is okay to stop for a while.

(and you might bake your diapers to get the yeast out. It isn't a biggie, esp if you aren't going to use them for a while, but that way you can store them & try them again with your next baby. I got the yeast out of mine that way. :hug )

[Elora]

:hug

I can't keep up with laundering them properly (I could never get the stink out), so my CD experience was very short-lived.

They are super cute though and I had a lot of fun shopping for them and trying different kinds :blush

[jewelmcjem]

We're about half and half too now, dh uses them sometimes but tends to default to sposies when I'm at work. I am sticking with it b/c of the money we've put into it, but if we had bad yeast issues, I"d probably quit too!

[Eowyn]

I'll still do it again if we have another child, but I'm just about ready to say I'm finished with CDing for DS. :/


You have my permission to quit. :hug ;)

[~yogamom~]

I hear you. I am so ready to quit too. My 4 mo. old dd has a yeast rash and it is driving me bonkers.

[schmamy]

:giggle thanks for the permission, everyone.


(and you might bake your diapers to get the yeast out. It isn't a biggie, esp if you aren't going to use them for a while, but that way you can store them & try them again with your next baby. I got the yeast out of mine that way. :hug )


bake them, really? that sounds easy. it won't melt snaps or screw up PUL or aplix or anything? :nails we're mostly using pockets at this point--I gave up prefolds a long time ago when the poop got gross. what temp and for how long?

[MomtoJGJ]

If you have a dishwasher it will sanitize them and kill yeast... but you also have to kill off any in dc too or it'll come back quickly. but I go in spurts between cloth or sposies as well as what kind of cloth....

[klpmommy]

allison in tx told me how to do it.

200degrees, 2 hours

lay them flat & put 2 or 3 in a brown paper bag. that's it. don't put too many in at one time. i'd do inserts, too. covers i didn't b/c they don't touch skin. I use mostly prefolds & fitteds, but I baked my pockets as well with no problem. :)

It just took a long time b/c of the limited number I could do at once, so I was glad for my sposies at that time.

[zak]

Pockets and yeast seem to be a common issue. I have a friend who has six kiddos and swore off anything but prefolds because of yeast. Her littlest one had horrid yeast issues any time she'd use a pocket. She's had zero issues with prefolds and yeast. :hug I can see at this point a new investment is probably not worth it.

:hug It's time to quit if it's not fun or worth the hassle anymore. :yes

[klpmommy]

you might want to just bake one set & test one before going through the effort of baking them all. :hug

[illinoismommy]

Does he have yeast issues in general? Do you? Perhaps he has a candida imbalance in general and cloth diapers are just the display of it. :think

[chasingbutterflies]

I totally feel you. I recently gave up cloth too, at least for awhile. :hug2

[Quiteria]

Does he have yeast issues in general? Do you? Perhaps he has a candida imbalance in general and cloth diapers are just the display of it. :think

If you have a dishwasher it will sanitize them and kill yeast... but you also have to kill off any in dc too or it'll come back quickly. but I go in spurts between cloth or sposies as well as what kind of cloth....
ditto these posts...I am not currently using cloth either, so :hug on that front, but even going to sposies be sure to treat him for the yeast...if recurrent, it should probably be systematic treatment. Meaning that he should eat lots of probiotics for his digestive tract, and a yeast cream for his skin...consider diflucan if those measures fail. Until it's over, wash your towels on hot, and don't use towels for more than a day. I add oxyclean to the wash and vinegar to the rinse. I know, more laundry hassle...but I think that doing all the towels like that helped us beat the persistent, recurring thrush we dealt with...kept more of it off our hands and bodies to prevent reinfection.

[milkmommy]

We went through that unfortunally DD reacted just as bad to sposies after a bit.. We finially found our answer.... bleach :shifty :bag I know I know but once we started added about a table spoon worth in the wash cyle (double rinse) that was it issue solved it also solved our leaky cover problem :shifty We also switched to sposies for night time and long say car trips it seemed ours needed the dryness but the sposies would irritate her during the day we guessed friction from playing but she also reacted to like fleece suade cloth ect so :shrug3..
Using sposies isn't terrible do whats best. :shrug3

Deanna

[schmamy]

you might want to just bake one set & test one before going through the effort of baking them all. :hug


but how would I know if it worked--wait until the yeast is cleared, then just keep using one cloth diaper and see if the yeast came back? how would I know the diaper caused it? that seems very...unscientific :shifty ...and like a giant pain.


Does he have yeast issues in general? Do you? Perhaps he has a candida imbalance in general and cloth diapers are just the display of it. :think


:shrug3 how would I know? he's had one yeast rash before, that I know of, a few weeks ago. that's the only time I can think of that I knew for sure he had yeast. he's had very few rashes ever. I've only had a couple of yeast infections in my life...a couple of weeks ago, I somehow avoided one even though I was on antibiotics for a UTI, praise God :phew --I hit the probiotics and garlic and echinacea hard and gagged down GSE twice a day.

we're treating for the yeast, of course, even in sposies. the pedi prescribed something but I haven't had a chance to fill it yet, so I've been using an OTC antifungal cream that I got last time he had the yeast rash. that reminds me...off to post a question in another forum.

[illinoismommy]

Does he have yeast issues in general? Do you? Perhaps he has a candida imbalance in general and cloth diapers are just the display of it. :think


:shrug3 how would I know? he's had one yeast rash before, that I know of, a few weeks ago. that's the only time I can think of that I knew for sure he had yeast. he's had very few rashes ever.

I thought he keeps getting a yeast rash when you put the cloth diapers on him -- not the case?

[schmamy]

Well, it's not exactly a recurring problem, in the sense that it's happened dozens of times. He had the one rash, we stopped using cloth, it cleared up, I put him back in cloth, and now the rash is back. It didn't come back immediately, though.

I meant, how would I know if he had "a candida imbalance in general and the diapers are just the display of it" ?

ETA...in addition to the cream, I also bought a children's probiotic at the HFS yesterday and am trying to treat his ear infection naturally so we can avoid the abx the pedi prescribed :/

[illinoismommy]

Well, it's not exactly a recurring problem, in the sense that it's happened dozens of times. He had the one rash, we stopped using cloth, it cleared up, I put him back in cloth, and now the rash is back. It didn't come back immediately, though.

I meant, how would I know if he had "a candida imbalance in general and the diapers are just the display of it" ?


Ok I misunderstood, I thought this was happening over and over.

It would be hard to diagnose this in a toddler since he couldn't tell you if he is chronically fatigued. I guess I would expect to see many yeast rashes and/or white patches in the mouth or tongue, other signs of digestion issues like diarrhea. But if he isn't having many yeast rashes then :shrug3 You could add probiotics just to help boost him.

The occasional yeast rash isn't anything to be real concerned with, IMO. I've never had any trouble getting it to go away with a little TTO and heat.

But really if you don't want to cloth diaper, don't.... I'm not... :giggle

[schmamy]

heat, like you use a hair dryer or something on their bottom? and straight TTO on the skin--isn't that harsh, esp for babies? my poor DS inherited my sensitive skin, I think. plus that stuff smells SO NASTY...

[illinoismommy]

heat, like you use a hair dryer or something on their bottom? and straight TTO on the skin--isn't that harsh, esp for babies? my poor DS inherited my sensitive skin, I think. plus that stuff smells SO NASTY...


No I use TTO and heat on the diapers. For the kid I use lotrimin :shifty

[schmamy]

yeah, I think that's what we're using atm--generic lotrimin. not sure what the pedi rxed.

[illinoismommy]

yeah, I think that's what we're using atm--generic lotrimin. not sure what the pedi rxed.


Should be great then! A little nudity time helps too, especially if you're getting our great weather.... the back yard where no one can see, no diaper, maybe a pool to get in and out of.... perfect!

[Codi]

My CD days were pretty short lived as well. :shrug3 They always gave dd an INSTANT rash when she peed. Its a TON of work trying to guess what is wrong and testing everything. I kind of feel like I failed, but :shrug3 . What are ya gonna do...

[Niphredil]

:hug2

FWIW I couldn't kill the yeast in mine til I bleached them... and for her bacterial rashes I don't think twice before dumping in a bunch of (colour safe ;)) bleach. I tried everything else; bleach worked. :shrug3 And it was quick & cheap to boot.

And if you're just done? Be done! I'd so be done for N if it wasn't for the money issue.

[Ima LeShalosh]

I third the bleach :blush I despise having that toxin in my home, but it's the only thing keeping B in her cloth. We have had 18 cases of yeast rash since I started cloth when she was 3mo old (she is 19mo).

TONS of nakkie time, bleach in the wash and GDipes for the night are helping to eliminate the yeast rashes (I say this as case 18 broke out on her bottom out of NO where yesterday :sigh but at least we went over a month without a rash...that was a first)

[schmamy]

And if you're just done? Be done! I'd so be done for N if it wasn't for the money issue.


That's about the only thing stopping me from immediately putting them all away at this point. I kind of want to crunch numbers and see if I've at least broken even...

[Aisling]

:hugs ITTTTTU.

[Emerald Orchid]

:hugheart I'm only using cloth if I'm sure ds isn't going to poop. Toddler poop is just too much for me to handle right now.

[Katigre]

If you need to quit then do it and don't feel guilty :heart.

If you'd like to stay with cloth, I'd do the following:

1. Invest in disposable liners (makes poop sooooo much easier - i never did a sprayer)
2. Bleach your diapers to kill the yeast - i really think bleach is the only sure-fire way to get rid of it once and for all
3. Simplify your wash cycle and add-ins. Get Tide detergent if you haven't tried it already - it really works to clean the dipes and I never had stink issues when using it. I don't use any add-ins or anything, just a double cycle (we have a front loader so necessary to get them clean) and dry in the dryer.

[schmamy]

TIDE?!?! I thought TIde was a terrible no-no for buildup with pockets. :scratch

[Katigre]

TIDE?!?! I thought TIde was a terrible no-no for buildup with pockets. :scratch

:think I've never been a big pocket user but I used Tide HE powder (at the time there were a ton of people on Diaperswappers switching to it b/c it actually cleans so well compared to other detergents out there). I don't remember what the consensus was with pockets though - I did prefolds/covers and then Kushies AIO's (got them free which is why i used them) so build-up wasn't as much a concern.

[Katigre]

So i'd do a search on the DS forums and see what comes up.

[Eowyn]

3. Simplify your wash cycle and add-ins. Get Tide detergent if you haven't tried it already - it really works to clean the dipes and I never had stink issues when using it. I don't use any add-ins or anything, just a double cycle (we have a front loader so necessary to get them clean) and dry in the dryer.


We're allergic to Tide, and we've had excellent success with plain old-smells-like-skittles-Sun detergent. :tu

[BeckaBlue]

actually i think the issue w/ tide was enzyme's causing eating babies skin?
:hugheart
we've never really had problems to make me wanna quit I'm sorry you are :hugheart

[Eowyn]

actually i think the issue w/ tide was enzyme's causing eating babies skin?
:hugheart


That was the thinking for a long time. However, if the items are properly washed, the enzymes should wash out, too. kwim?

[Rabbit]

Poop liners are an essential when diapering a toddler, for me.

[BeckaBlue]

actually i think the issue w/ tide was enzyme's causing eating babies skin?
:hugheart


That was the thinking for a long time. However, if the items are properly washed, the enzymes should wash out, too. kwim?

:yes

[klpmommy]

I would think that if yeast were in your diapers it wouldn't take long for it to get back to your ds. so if you bake three & then use those three once it has completely cleared you would have enough to test. :shrug

I only say that b/c I use prefolds, so I baked my pockets, but I don't use them (yeah, strange I know) so I don't know how well they baked. But I know my prefolds no longer have yeast in them.

I think I bleached them as well to kill the yeast. :think I did a ton of stuff b/c we had a short term recurring yeast problem.

[~yogamom~]

how much bleach does it take to kill yeast for a load? a capful? or more?

[TuneMyHeart]

I'm sorry you're dealing with this. AK has had an awful yeast rash for months that just recently got better with northern essence better butter cream. I also give her a candida supplement from my naturopath. We tried switching to sposies, but it got worse. I'm sure if it got better with sposies, we would have used them. :hugheart

[AppleSauceCookies]

We read that yeast can form a heat resistant barrier to protect itself. I ate tons of garlic, too to make the environment not so fun for the little yeasties... and I nuked my dipes... :giggle

What are you going to do with your stash? (Not trying to be an oportunist, but if you can get some money back on clothdiapernation or diaperswappers, it would be nicer than the garbage.)

[ArmsOfLove]

I never had to deal with the yeast problem you've been having. How frustrating that must be :( :hugheart

I did disposables with the twins and as they are still in diapers at 4.5 and all my others self-weaned to the toilet over a year earlier I'm wondering if I should have put more effort into the cloth :doh

[NovelMama]

ITU how you feel. I've already decided not to CD for the week leading up to our move because there's just going to be too much going on for me to deal with all that laundry on top of it, and I am SO excited about that week. Most of the time it's not that big a deal to me. But there are days (and sometimes weeks) when I want to chuck the whole thing.

[schmamy]

What are you going to do with your stash? (Not trying to be an oportunist, but if you can get some money back on clothdiapernation or diaperswappers, it would be nicer than the garbage.)


oh, I'm definitely hanging on to everything. I am not in any hurry to have another baby, but more than likely I will someday, and I'll definitely do cloth again with another child. I'm just over it with my DS :smile

His rash appears to be completely gone, though we're supposed to keep using the Rx cream for 10 days. We'll see at that point if I feel like messing around to de-yeastify the dipes...if we ever had a few straight days of sun I'd hang them on the line for a while but it's just rain, rain, rain here!

[AppleSauceCookies]

.

[Quiteria]

His rash appears to be completely gone, though we're supposed to keep using the Rx cream for 10 days. We'll see at that point if I feel like messing around to de-yeastify the dipes...if we ever had a few straight days of sun I'd hang them on the line for a while but it's just rain, rain, rain here!

Sounds like you're already planning to finish the cream, but just in case, I thought I'd put in a word to make sure...it's like abx, you feel better a few days early, but you really need the full course of meds to kill off the last few beasties, otherwise they come back resistant...ask me how I know....:banghead

Glad to hear it's clearing up for him. :) :hug2

[schmamy]

His rash appears to be completely gone, though we're supposed to keep using the Rx cream for 10 days. We'll see at that point if I feel like messing around to de-yeastify the dipes...if we ever had a few straight days of sun I'd hang them on the line for a while but it's just rain, rain, rain here!

Sounds like you're already planning to finish the cream, but just in case, I thought I'd put in a word to make sure...it's like abx, you feel better a few days early, but you really need the full course of meds to kill off the last few beasties, otherwise they come back resistant...ask me how I know....:banghead

Glad to hear it's clearing up for him. :) :hug2


thanks for the reinforcement--I did plan to use the cream, but it would be easy to slack off now that the symptoms are gone--I'm glad for the reminder to stick with it :heart