Creams & Bottom Protection - What Do You Use And Why?

[Hollybolly]

Hi Girls

Just getting my things together as little Mr is getting closer everyday to being here

I've been getting lots of little bits & pieces from people, and looking through the baby powder, nappy rash creams etc I don't really know whats good to use with the materials for MCN's/prefolds etc.

I'm presuming some would be not so good for the longterm life of them (to be able to use them for other bubs later etc) - so what do you use & what is user friendly for MCN materials?

I know I've heard others say Moogoo - we have lots of that around here for lots of different things, its fantastic - but is there any others?

Also, is baby powder any good these days?! Its been almost 12 years since I last had a newborn baby in cloth... and nothing ruined the terry flats I use to use on him

Thanks in advance

[*TripleJ*]

paw paw ointmant but only the ones that are petrochemical free so not the red one

[ss_storm]

I mostly don't use anything. If her bottom does start looking a bit red or nappy rash-like then I might put on a little bit of Curash, but I do use liners and terry flats not MCN's.
when she was a newborn I used a bit of cornflour. I don't think baby powder is recommended, particularly for girls as I think it can contribute to cancer in the reproductive system? I'm sure I've read that somewhere...

[Shanti]

I use Brauers Nappy Relief cream if her bum is looking sore (works fast!) and red otherwise I usually just put some Moo Goo soothing cream on it and it smells yummy!!!

I have bepanthen and Sudocreme (given to me) but only if she has a really really bad rash will I use those types of creams!

[~me~]

I use little innoscents nappy rash cream. I mostly use it overnight as that is the longest time she goes without a nappy change.
They have a whole product range and won a kidspot award in 2008. It is 100% certified organic. They have a website too called little innocents.
I don't use baby powder on her at all, not sure why.

Congrat's so much 'stuff' on the market for babies, it is just mind boggling!

[Lisa]

I use Moo Goo, but if it is a nasty rash I will use Sudocreme.

[Peg]

for nappy rash i found sudocreme to work really well. Nappy rash tends to come on badly when they start teething due to acidy poos.

other then that, i maintained their bottoms with olive oil and cornflower and the combination of these worked wonders. (much more economical too) I've also heard that talc is a carcinogene, but its hard to know whats true and what isnt... i just figure its better to find something that is completely safe....you cant get much safer then something we eat.

[~Kim~]

I never used powder with DD, but I do with DS. I like the curash one, and if he gets a bit red between the penis and the scrotum, I use that and that usually clears it straight away.
Poor little guy has had some shocking teething rashes though and for that I use a natrual paw paw ointment or Bepanthen with a liner which I can soak.

Bepanthen and sudocream are not to be used (or any vaseline/zinc based product for that matter) with MCN as they seriously hamper the moisture withdrawal/absorbancy factors....and they don't wash out ever.

[Shanti]

I

Bepanthen and sudocream are not to be used (or any vaseline/zinc based product for that matter) with MCN as they seriously hamper the moisture withdrawal/absorbancy factors....and they don't wash out ever.

:yeahthat: I put a sposie on when I have to use those creams.

[Gigi]

on a daily, every nappy change basis, PREVENTION is what i used.

cloth wipes
water, no lotions or potions
pat bottom dry with dry cloth wipe after
air the bottom if you're not in a rush (give them some naked time)
never put new nappy on, when child still has a slightly wet bottom, from just being wiped
give nappy free time once a day (on a waterproof mat)
change nappy regularly, even if they poop within ten mins of being changed, change again.
use very mild wash detergent, not the usual stuff you wash the clothes in. examples are ecostore and aware sensitive (both at the supermarket)

at the FIRST hint of nappy rash
hemp healing balm (doesn't affect mcn's)
many other great nappy salves available too, SImmon's paw paw salve is a good example, the moo goo stuff, etc

saved for the Only Really Bad Nappy Rash my DD had (in 27 months of nappy use)
barrier cream like Penaten

two types of nappy rash potions

PETROLEUM BASED Barrier Creams
they sit ON the skin (you cna't rub them in)
these DO affect mcn's. If you use them with mcn's, use a separate liner in the nappy. so the barrier cream goes on the liner, NOT on the nappy.

NON PETROLEUM based nappy salves e.g water based
they go into the skin ( you CAN rub them in )
these do not affect mcn's, so just use the mcn's as usual.

The new thing in baby powder products, seems to be the preference for CORNSTARCH instead of TALC. I had the Gaia baby powder (main ingred cornstarch) for the months when my bub's rolls of chubba (thighs) i coudl never get them dry, so i sprinkled the cornstarch stuff on her creases. but that was the only use i found for it.

heaps of products FOR babies, with wording like FOR NEWBORN SKIN, NO PERFUME, FOR SENSITIVE SKIN< that actually is not what it says. So really read the ingredient lists carefully. we tried to avoid
colour
perfume
propylene glycol (heaps of the baby wipes have that)
alcohol in it's many forms
parabens (a cheap preservative that gives many people skin irritations)
a few other things that i can't think of right now, but if i were standing in a supermarket baby aisle right now, and was reading a list of ingredients, i just know i would remember

one of the worst offenders is the hand sanitiser stuff, often 66% alcohol, VERY FLAMMABLE and if a baby licks your hands, they could get alcohol poisoning! i found one brand, called Hands First, that is alcohol free, i contacted their website and they let me know who my nearest stockists were (chemists in my area).

i avoid baby oil in the supermarket, i wish that were banned.

after reading lots of lists, the supermarket stuff i feel ok for my child with, turned out to be
ecostore (bath products and washing powder)
gaia
avado (only in coles)
nature babycare (esp their wipes, good for the going out nappy bag)

and when your baby gets onto solids, the Rafferty's Garden tubes of puree are fantastic (no artifical anything, just the fruit n veg).

[Kitt3n]

As gigi said, prevention is better - we rarely need to use anything at all.

We use cloth wipes and use the drops from sugar shots in the water - fill the thermos with warm ater every morning and drop one in. Wipe at almost every nappy change, poo or not, and allow to fully dry before putting on a new nappy (often spot drying her with the dry end of the wipe). If we go out I use a wet bag made just for wipes and grab 5-10 wipes, soak them in the thermos and pop them in the bag. I found that even the nature care and seventh gen wipes gave her a nasty rash!

If she does a stinky I put some miessence baby powder on her (made with cornstarch not talc, talc is bad bad bad). Still going on my first tube!!

Moogoo if need be, only half way through our first tub Actually should probably get a fresh one LOL!!!

[Acacia]

Hiya hun

I've always used Sudocrem, but only when needed (i.e. only when redness/rash was getting out of hand). And that's only with a liner. I found using a liner on it's own was often enough to deal with nappy rash - it helped keep moisture away, which gave DD's bum a chance to stay dry for a bit to deal with the redness/rash before the next poo came along...

What also helped us, as Gigi says, was that I only ever used cotton wool and water to clean her and then a soft cloth to dry her, and we also use a non-biological washing detergent in our house (i.e. much gentler on both baby and the nappies without the enzymes - not sure what they are referred to Australia as I never had to worry about it before we moved over here!) Doing all that meant that we rarely needed any nappy/barrier cream at all!

HTH

[entreat]

I'm a Geologist & even I am not going to use talc. It's a hydrophobic (water-repelling) mineral that commonly occurs in the same rocks that can form fibrous minerals (asbestiform minerals). It does nothing to absorb moisture (unless it has been chemically enhanced) & just makes things slippery.

I would strongly suggest people use cornstarch based powders. Even clay based powders give me the willies. (of course, there is always the extremely unlikely risk of gene-transfer from GM corn to humans... but plants & animals don't transfer well in the slightest)

[turtleschell]

I use disposables, but my routine is :
Wipe with Johnson's baby Wipes
Wipe with Cotton Ball dipped in water (to wipe off chemicals from the Wipes)
Dry bottom with a flannel
Leave Bottom bare for about 10 minutes
Apply BodyScents Beautiful Baby Balm (Completely organic and is fantastic)
Put new nappy on

My baby is 3 months and has never had nappy rash. Touch wood!!!

[lilmisshavachat]

There's some fantastic advice which is also a heap of stuff that I wanted to know too but can i ask a quick question??? Which Moogoo do you use?? Is it the skin soothing cream with MSN or the Full cream and skin milk moisturiser??? Thanks..

[Kitt3n]

There's some fantastic advice which is also a heap of stuff that I wanted to know too but can i ask a quick question??? Which Moogoo do you use?? Is it the skin soothing cream with MSN or the Full cream and skin milk moisturiser??? Thanks..

The soothing MSM cream hun

It's great stuff. If you are runing short on time is also great on your skin (even your face!)

[lilmisshavachat]

Thanks Kitt3n...

I can't wait to get some and give it a go..

[Hollybolly]

Just wanted to pop in and say thanks girls so much for replying.... I thought I'd done that already but it seems not! sorry!!!

I have the Moogoo already - and Kitt3n, was thinking about the drops in the water - I saw them on one of the sites for the nappy hunt & some of the smells sound divine

Great idea with the thermos too - that was my next question as to what you girls do when you're out & about... as I'm sure to be a lot