Yeast Infection & cloth diapers

*I'm wanting to share a new problem & solution that we have been having with our darling daughter. She developed a rash on her bottom & lower girl parts that was very concerning to me.
At first it looked a little like a burn but began to blister with very tiny bumps, was red & shiny in places & turned white on some of the edges of parts of the rash. K was very cranky & waking up in the night crying badly. She seemed miserable!
Being a nurse, I was very alarmed & thought I had done something to cause this. After all cloth diapering is different than disposable but it's certainly better. Right?

Of course cloth diapering is best!!! After much research, looking online & thru my nursing books, I discovered it was a yeast infection. It was a result of yeast in her stool & nothing I did wrong. I began by trying to use diaper rash creams before I knew what it was. BAD IDEA! It only fed the problem. The "rash" grew in size, spread & developed "lesion like" areas.
Whether she used cloth or disposable diapers, she would have likely had the problem. In fact, if she was using disposable it would have been much worse.

Once I knew for sure that it was a yeast infection, I switched to gentian violet. (A God send!) I used it faithfully for about 2 weeks along with a homemade wipe solution & cloth wipes. Granted some of my prefolds & cloth wipes are dyed with purple in places, but a small price to pay for a home remedy that REALLY works.

Trying to get rid of a yeast infection? Remember: when trying to treat yeast to be consistent, clean the area fully & don't give up. Stick to changing diapers every two hours, faithfully. Apply the gentian violet at least 2-3 times daily for as long as symptoms remain present. Try not to use disposable wipes as they can "help" the yeast grow. The wipe solution I made help make the yeast environment less favorable to growth.


The same treatment can be used if you have yeast on your skin, vagina, rectum, breasts, under breasts or on nipples. Many people have skin folds & along with heat, will develop a red rash in the folds. This is very often yeast as well. Keep the area dry. Do not use synthetic fibers on skin, only cotton. Keep area clean. If using gentian violet, note that it is VERY staining to bathtubs, counters, clothes & towels. It will however, work wonders in getting rid of the problem.

Homemade Wipes Solution for Yeast Infection
(can be used for any yeast on skin)

3.5 cups of distilled water (boil water & let it cool, if no distilled)
2 Tablespoons of gentle baby wash
2 Tablespoons of Vinegar (apple cider or white)
2 or 3 drops of tea tree oil

Shake & store in container. Fill bottle with solution, i.e. a peri bottle. Squirt onto individual wipes as needed.

I do not moisten all of the wipes at once. It causes excess waste of solution. Sometimes, I need more solution to clean poo off & this allows me to dispense exactly what I need, when I need it. I continue to use this solution & am very pleased with the results as well as the frugality of it.


K is doing much better now & only has minor irritation at times. No more waking up screaming or crying when I change her diaper! ;)

*Always consult your physician, naturopath, chiropractor or practicing professional, if in doubt. This blog is only based on my personal experience as a human, mother & nurse.

Is Borax safe for cloth diapers?

Is Borax Safe for Cloth Diapers?

I have a free recipe cloth diaper detergent in my Etsy shop. I sometimes get the question whether or not Borax is safe for cloth diapers. I wanted to shine some light on the subject:

Borax is hydrated sodium borate, a naturally occurring mineral composed of sodium, boron, oxygen and water. It does not contain phosphates or chlorine.

My extensive research of reading numerous forums, blogs, articles & cloth diapering information has left me with the conclusion, that it is NOT proven that Borax breaks down fibers. I have spoken with cloth diapering veterans & they say they have not known this to be a problem either. I too have read that it causes breakdown but when looking for the cited articles or source of information, only leads to other people saying the same thing & citing back to the same people. I have not come across any specific scientific studies that prove it.

Borax is SAFE for cloth diapers!

My conclusion is, that excessive heat of the dryer plays a large factor in the elastic breakdown. I have not experienced any breakdown of elastic fibers in my cloth diapers by using this recipe nor have any of my customers.

If you are concerned about elastic breakdown, I would suggest that you hang dry any elastic you may be concerned about. Never try to stretch any elastic after it comes directly out of the dryer, as this can cause breakage. Only dry your cloth diapers, just until they are dry, on low-med heat per most cloth diaper instructions.

You can find other uses for borax at http://www.dialcorp.com/documents/borax.pdf

Cloth Diaper Laundry Soap Recipe

I finally got around to actually making it! I made some new laundry soap for both my cloth diapering needs as well as our family laundry. It was easy, fast & inexpensive. All traits I was looking for.

After a ridiculous amount of hours searching for the perfect recipe for soap/detergent, I discovered the best bet was to make one & try it for myself. There is a wealth of information that I gratefully came across. However vast, it became more conflicting the more I read.
I have read that; borax is bad for cloth diapers, good for cloth diapers, doesn't make a difference, makes all the difference. I read that soap such as Fels-Naptha, Ivory, Zote, Castie,& Sunlight is both bad due to buildup and great for cleaning action. Although after much thought, I voted to leave it out of my CD recipe.

I was using All Free & Clear for my cd needs. I noticed & read that I must have been using too much detergent, as the diapers started smelling like a wet dog. Yes, it was yucky smelling! I was using such a small amount that I thought was appropriate. Upon my stinky discovery, I knew I had to do something quick. I have never had this problem with our clothes before so this was new to me.
It only took ONE soap free, detergent free soak, hot wash & double cold rinse to get the odor out. Some people use 6+ hot washes....but I escaped the "never ending soak, wash, rinse till it smells better" cycle.

I have a top loading washing machine by Maytag that is only 4 years old. The appliance repair guy just visited to do a checkup & says my washer is in tip-top condition with years of life left.
I explained that I cd & he says my washer is great for those heavy duty needs.

This recipe, as well as the Family recipe, has been approved for HE washers.
Both are low sudsing as required for the HE brands.
Be sure to use the appropriate amount of laundry detergent or soap if you decide to venture to the homemade side of laundering.


Homemade Laundry Detergent Recipe for Cloth Diapers:
(Powdered, 3 minutes to make)
If you desire a fragrance, add two drops of your choice of essential oil to the water before adding diapers

2 cups of Borax
2 cups of Arm & Hammer Washing Soda (not baking soda!)
2 cups of Oxygen cleaning powder, such as Oxyclean (I used Sun brand from walmart)

Mix well. Use 1 Tablespoon (15ml) for small loads & 2 Tablespoons (30ml) for large loads.
Store in recycled, air tight containers.

The Borax, 4lb 12 oz, cost around $3, Arm & Hammer Washing Soda, 55 oz $2.50 & Sun brand oxycleaner 30 oz $1.96. I had more than enough to make multiple batches of this recipe & decided to make my family laundry detergent with some of the extra.

Everyday Family Laundry Soap Detergent Powder Recipe (10 minutes to make)
Add 2 drops of essential oil for fragrance to water before adding clothes
1 bar finely grated Fels-Naptha Soap (you may use other bar soaps such as Ivory, Castile, Zote)
1 cup of Borax
1 cup Arm & Hammer Washing Soda
1/2 cup of Oxygen cleaner powder, such as Oxyclean

Mix all ingredients well. It will look like yellow & white granules. Use 1 tablespoon for light, small loads & 2 tablespoons for large loads.
Store in recycled, air tight containers.

The cost addition for this recipe was for the Fels bar, $1.29. I searched all over town, Waco Texas, & finally found the Fels Bar. It was located at the Keith's Ace Hardware (254-666-2520) across town, in Hewitt. I called before I loaded up the baby & they knew what I was talking about & how much it cost. I was so glad! None of the stores, HEB, Wal-Mart, Brookshires, Sam's knew what I was talking about or where to get it. I had been looking for it for a while.
The man who helped me said he keeps it stocked & can get it any time. He also said there are 7 Keith's Ace Hardware & they can have some transferred to any of the other stores for those of you who live elsewhere. I bought 5 bars, to save on gas. I figure they should last me a couple of years. :)

For grating my Fels-Naptha, I used my Pampered Chef grater that looks like the kind they use at an Italian restaurant to grate parmeasen cheese. I do not use the fine grating blade much & figured if I did, it is ok because I'm grating SOAP. Lots of rinsing of the blade was involved.

I used Mason Jars with lids to store my completed detergent. I wrote on a piece of paper the instructions & taped it to both the inner lid & outer ring with one piece of tape.
I had some measuring spoons that I no longer use & put a tablespoon next to my jar in my laundry room.

So far, so good. I am pleased with the washing & will keep you updated on the results. Feel free to ask questions. I will do all I can to answer them. If you live outside of the states & need a conversion recipe for the metric system, let me know.

The Adventure of Cloth Diapering Begins

Cloth Diapering. Yes, I finally started it on January 16th. I am so excited as my friend, Rachel, has been offering so much information to help me along. I find myself shopping online for all sorts of items. Cloth diapering is not as bad as people perceive it to be. I get comments like, "ooohh, are you sure? Doesn't that involve dunking in the toliet?" I quickly & excitedly tell them, "no." Then I go on to tell them how wonderful it is, how easy it is & affordable.

I have found that I am disappointed with the lack of cloth diapering resources in our town of Waco, TX. There is no diaper service, no cloth diaper store, no one in the retail stores to ask & no cds in resale shops. I have simply found the gerber cloth diapers, however, no gerber covers.
Ironically, how does one expect to cloth diaper if they do not have a cover? I'm sure people would be turned off by cloth diapering if they thought the baby stays wet & gets everything wet & poopy without a cover.
I hope to see some better resources in the near future. Maybe with all the "green" talk, Waco will come up with something. The nearest cloth diapering locations are either in Austin or the Dallas/Fort Worth area. So for now, the wonderful world wide web shall meet my cd needs.

I have found since starting my cd adventure, that my darling Kinsley is better at alerting me when she is wet. After doing some research, this is common & often leads to earlier potty training. (I am so thankful to Rachel for making it easy for me to always ask questions & she offers info on everything she knows. She's so great!)

So here are some pictures of our first day to begin cloth diapering. The Mandarin wrap you see is a Wonder Wrap purchased from the terrific online store of http://www.hip-green-baby.com/
You will get all the help you need as I did when I place my order. I was impressed with the quality of products, the special attention Krisiti gave me & the speed of shipment.


Also, the cute legging you see are the ones I learned to make with a free online tutorial. Kinsley is much to long for the pant of her size. She tends to look like she has capris on when she should be wearing long pants. Since I don't sew much, so it took me a little longer to learn how to do it. However, now I am able to sew them with confidence & offer suggestions, advice & where to buy materials.

I'm off to bed. Breastfeeding fulltime, my husband is out of town & helping my mother with twin nephews, today is exhausting.
To all a good night!