Nappy Cream and Reusable Nappies
Is it Okay to use nappy cream with reusable nappies?
This is something we are regularly asked. People often believe that they can't use a nappy cream with reusable nappies. This is a misconception. Nappy creams can be used with reusable nappies, however, as well as looking after Baby's bottom, you need to look after your reusable nappy.
The reason many nappy creams are not recommended to be used with reusable nappies is due to their composition and how they form a waterproof barrier. While this is great for protecting babies' bottoms, you do not want your nappies to have that waterproof barrier.
Which creams are Okay to use?
A nappy cream that is made from more natural ingredients will wash out far easier and is much less likely to affect the absorbency of your nappies. The creams we stock are all ones tested by our staff that we know work well with reusable nappies but are also effective as a barrier cream or when used with rashes.
Some creams we sell and recommend are;
What if I use a cream that is not on your list?
A lot of nappy creams are really good at forming that protective waterproof barrier on your baby's bottom but if this cream gets onto your nappies, then it can also form this waterproof barrier on them. Very often these creams are incredibly difficult to wash out and their use can lead to smells and rashes.
There are things you can do to still use any nappy cream but minimise this risk. The simplest of all of these is to use a fleece or paper liner. The liner will be the part of the nappy that is most likely to get the cream on, rather than your nappy. Fleece can be washed much more harshly than most nappies and if necessary is much cheaper to replace, Paper liners are disposed of in the bin.
Other things would include only using creams when necessary and applying thinly.
If in any doubt whether your cream is natural or not, then air on the side of caution and just include a liner.
Some of our most popular liners are:
Do I have to use nappy cream at every change?
No you don't. Nappy rash with cloth nappies is often much less frequent than it is with disposables.
You might want to use something as a preventative measure when baby is teething and the urine tends to become more acidic. This is not always easy to predict so should there be a flare up, then you may want to use cream at nappy change until such time that the rash calms down.
Most of the time though, it is not necessary to use nappy cream. just simply wipe clean and change your nappy.
What if nappy rash doesn't go away?
If you have used cream, changed baby's nappy more frequently and even had some nappy free time but a rash persists, then it's worth looking into wash routines and detergents potentially. Some babies can be more sensitive to certain detergents, using too little or not enough powder, overloading or underloading the machine can all be things that can contribute to a rash.
We understand how overwhelming it can be when considering your washing routine and as always, we are here to help. For a persistent rash we would recommend filling in our troubleshooting questionnaire. This will give us all the information we need to review your routine and advise on any changes needed.
If you've eliminated detergent and wash routine issues but still have a persistent rash problem it's worth to get in contact with your GP or Health Visitor for further advice. While waiting for an appointment have a read of our article nappy rash advice from Dr Kiran Rahim.
How often to change reusable nappies
If you need help or a reminder on change frequency for different ages of baby then read our article how often to change cloth nappies.
