This is a series focused on personal journey with eczema while managing a certain aspect of life. Today, we have MieVee, whose 4.5 year-old child has eczema since 5 months old and shares how she manages her son’s sensitive skin around the diaper area. MieVee runs a successful site MummyReviews.com in Singapore and Malaysia.
Marcie Mom: Hi MieVee, thanks for taking part in this blog series ‘Someone has Eczema’! Let’s start with you sharing a little of your son’s eczema, when did he first have it and what was the most difficult part of managing his eczema?
MieVee: My eldest son, Vee, started developing a rash at his face during 5 months old. Despite him trying on various creams, the patch expanded to a large part of his face. It was very itchy and disrupted his sleep. Often, he’d rub his face against his pillow till it bled. The most difficult part was getting the rash and itch under control.
When he was about 14 months old, we discovered by chance that he had soy allergy. By eliminating soy from my diet (since I was breastfeeding him), the rash on his face subsided within 2 weeks and eventually disappeared.
However, the folds behind his knees are still prone to itchy rash, if he perspires.
Marcie Mom: I understand that you’d like to share on using cloth diapers for your son. When did you first start to use cloth diaper, and why?
MieVee: I started cloth diapering Vee from his newborn days. My main reasons are to use comfortable fabric against his skin, reduce trash and save money on diapering.
Marcie Mom: How difficult is it to cloth diaper for him, and do you apply any lotion?
MieVee: We use a variety of modern cloth diapers, so it has been very convenient. The easiest to use are pocket diapers with inserts and Velcro tabs. Even hubby could use these easily.
Vee was a high-needs fussy baby, especially during sleep. He didn’t like night-time diaper changes, would scream loudly and couldn’t get back to sleep easily. However, his diaper area would be prone to rashes if his regular diaper was left on for more than 5 hours.
Eventually, I found breathable night-time fleece cloth diapers that absorbed a lot through the night, while letting his skin breathe and remain rash-free. Since then, he slept much better at night.
In the day, he didn’t need diaper cream because we change his diaper every 2-3 hours. At night, because of the long hours, I apply a thin layer of non-zinc oxide diaper cream at his front diaper area. (To prevent the cloth diaper from repelling liquid, I place a disposable biodegradable liner on it.)
Marcie Mom: One final question – what is the best way to fold the cloth diaper?! I couldn’t get it right and gave up within a day!
MieVee: Most modern cloth diapers do not require any folding. Depending on the design, you may insert a rectangular absorbent fabric into a pocket or lay it on the diaper cover, put it on baby, then close it with Velcro tabs or snap buttons. Very easy!
There’re many cloth diaper reviews and tips on my blog to help new parents get started, so feel free to browse through them.
Marcie Mom: Thanks MieVee for sharing your journey on cloth diapering, and your tips!
4 replies on “SOMEONE has Eczema and manages Cloth-Diapering”
Thank you very much for the interview! 🙂
Thanks for helping me with this sharing despite your busyness!
Daipers, or nappies, can affect the appearance of atopic eczema in the very young. The effect is an aid to both diagnosis and understanding the condition and its treatment. See http://www.atopicskindisease.com/articles/sites
Thanks DrB for the additional info!