Nappy rash? Ammonia burns? stripping with soap nuts?

This is following on from my silk liners post but I'll start from the beginning.

Charlotte has a really bad rash - or is it an ammonia burn? She gets it everytime she gets ill or teething. This time it started about a week back, has got worse and now she has a 2p size sore that is weeping and bleeding. The main thing that has caused it this time is her pooping pattern means she's now pooping in her sleep and it's not waking her, but making her bleed by the time we change at 6am. (Today she's had the runs and been off her food, so thinking that's what we've been building to).

I use a 2 parter system, usually with a PUL wrap, but have literally this week got my first fleece stacinator and although I was unsure as she's a v heavy wetter, I was surprised as only a tad damp in the morning so will be getting woll as a trial next.

I use a fleece & paper liner (as her poop is still too sticky to just use fleece) and have done for 6 months so don't think this is an issue. I'm ordering some silk liners too so will be trying them

I wash with soap nuts. I strip regularly by doing my normal cold rinse, then 60 soap nut wash, then take the soap nuts out and rinse rinse rinse. This has been my process since birth. Should I add detergent for the strip process (as in before all the rinses?).

Could it be ammonia burns rather than a normal nappy rash - I'd never heard of the burns before a couple of weeks ago when someone on another cloth board mentioned them and using a fish/pond treatment to remove it. She does have stinky (pee) nappies in the morning, but I figured as stripping regular (but maybe wrongly) that it was just 12 hrs of heavy wetting. It does look like a friction burn.

I normally clear it up with some hydrocortozone cream from the GP twice a day, loads of nappy off time and mixing up metanium, sudocream, and any of the other creams that we have (can usually work out which is best at each occurance). She is now at nursery 10 hrs a day 3 days a week (Mon-Wed) though so going to be difficult to do the nappy off time like normal. I will be getting some lansinoh as that may help judging by the tips post and will be giving cornflower a go too. Oh and I use washable wipes and warm water and that's all I've ever used.

Bath/skin routine - bathed every night in just warm water, other than Sat when we use a little product as early on we noticed product every day was giving her dry skin all over and the warm wter has worked for us since 6 wks. Nothing else goes on her skin.

So - is it ammonia rather than rash? Am I stripping wrong? What else am I missing - I will literally try anything at this point



Well done and thanks to any one who got this far and any replies

I used silver liners with DD when she was teething at it was causing similar problems to what you describe. A while ago you could buy polyester liners with silver threads running through them. I got mine from twinkle but she is out of stock, and a quick google doesn't seem to have turned up any others . Silver is antibacterial and is even used by NHS for healing. If you fancy trying them and can't track one down then pm me and I can let you try one of mine if I can find them!

I have to admit to being sceptical about soap nuts for cloth nappies. I think they are great for clothes etc but they just never seemed to get my cloth as clean so I stopped using them and now use Aquados Simply Eco. I'm lucky that I live in a soft water area, but after swapping early on, in 3 years of cloth wearing I stripped DD's nappies once and have so far never had to do DS's. It may be worth trying washing the nappies in something different for a little while to see if that fixes things.

Hope you find a solution that works for you. Problem is every bub is different, but I know how awful it is to have one with a sore bot.

All of our kids got bad rash from teething that looked like they had been burned, not spotty or anything just like a scorch mark.
I was a bit at putting pond cleaner in to wash nappies, wouldn't let that near my lo's skin but maybe I am missing something there.
I find soda crystals best for stripping x

I say this every time someone has this issue but it really works my DD get's this really badly whenever she is teething, looks like open blisters that weep and bleed when they get really bad and it is always from her toxic teething poo's.

we use a fleece liner and Lansinoh nipple cream on the sore bits and it usually clears within 3 days to a week if it is really bad. Hope that helps

maybe stop using the paper liners when she's sore? I don't think they cause rash/burns but I do think they irritate them by rubbing on raw skin. We always get a really good result on those type of sores with the Green Baby nappy balm.

Not sure about the soap nuts as I haven't used them, but hope you find something to clear it up soon x x

Thanks for the replies - never heard of the silver, but will def be pm'ing you if the silk doesn't work. I bought some lansinoh today so will give that a go in the morning.

I wasn't planning on using the pond treatment BTW - just that I came across the ammonia burns term on a post about using pond treatment for it. Someone PM'd me about using a combo of a couple of things which I can't remember, for removing ammonia - so I'm going to give that a go.

Cumbrianlass (BTW - so am I, I live just outside Cockermouth!) - I've never heard of Aquados Simply Eco but I'll google it now and get some in.

Thanks for all your help as I'm at my wits end with her being so sore so am going with every soloution I've heard of!

We found Ashtons and Parsons teething powders fantastic for rashes caused by teething.

Am interested in this thread as Chloe has bad nappy rash at the minute. It only happens when she's had particularly stinky nappies (probably due to teething or something she ate) and as she also poos during the early hours of the morning, it just makes the sore worse and weepy.

I've ordered some raw silk liners to try as well, nappy free time helps but then by morning its just the same so am hoping the liners will help.

We also use soap nuts and every few weeks I'll do a detergent wash (we use that simply eco range, you can get it at Sainsburys) just to make sure everything is sparkly white as soapnuts aren't amazing on morning poop nappy stains!

Once ours arrived I'll let you know how we get on too! xx

Ruairidh had a burn like bit on his leg from where his nappy had been sitting overnight and it had needed stripping so I think it was an ammonia burn or a mix of detergent residue and wee reacting causing a burn like bit.

I used camomile tea for cleaning and allowed it to air dry. I then used aloe vaseline (the lip tin LOL) over it and it was healed and gone in 3 days. Matanuim made it worse and I didnt even try sudocrem as its never worked before.