Cloth Diaper Basics: Cloth Diaper Safe Diaper Creams

• Petroleum or Petroleum Jelly, also commonly known as Vaseline, is used as an ingredient in lotions and diaper creams. It protects the skin by minimizing friction or reducing moisture loss. It's a great barrier for healing skin but it can also create a barrier of build up on your diaper and make them repel moisture instead of absorbing it. If you must use a product that contains petroleum, protect your diapers and inserts by using a temporary liner. One pro-tip is to cut up a fleece blanket into diaper sized pieces and lay this inside the diaper against baby's bum to act as a barrier to protect the diaper lining and inserts. 
• Other good protective insert options are bamboo disposables, microfleece, flannel, cotton, old t-shirt or soft paper towel. Wash any affected inserts in a separate load of laundry from your diapers to prevent transferring the oils during washing. 

• Zinc Oxide is a synthetic white powder known for its protective properties. It's commonly used in sunscreens and diaper creams. Zinc has anti-inflammatory, astringent and drying properties which are great for sore bottoms. Zinc is OKAY for use in cloth diapers, but may cause staining. This staining will not impact the performance of your diapers. We recommend using a protective liner to ensure no staining on your diaper shells when using products that contain zinc. 

There are several sources that say it's okay to use any diaper cream with when using natural fiber cloth diapers. Because our diaper lining—Athletic Wicking Jersey and Microseude—are both synthetic, we recommend using a liner when using a product that contains Petroleum and/or Zinc. 

Petroleum free options: (*denotes brands that contain zinc)

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