3 Worst Diaper Rash Creams for Cloth Nappies in 2023

Showing your hemp diapers a little extra love, will go a long way. Here's how.

In this post I'll cover questions like...

• What cream works the best for diaper rash?
• What creams to avoid with cloth diapers?
• Can you use diaper rash cream with cloth diapers?
• Is diaper rash worse with cloth diapers?
• Is Desitin OK to use with cloth diapers?

• My promise to you

I am a mom of four that had the "privilege" of diapering 4 babies (2 boys and 2 girls) - and that came with a lot of mistakes and lessons learned. So in this blog I share the diapering tips and strategies that worked really well for me. My hope is that these tips make your diaper journey super easy - so that you can spend less time online reading articles like this and more time on the things that matter most -  like your sweet little one. So let’s dive in!

• Quick answers

I would love for you to read this full blog, but if you just want to cut to the chase, here’s the quick answers to the questions that are top of mind for you.

1. What cream works the best for diaper rash? Pooters Skin Therapy and Cortizone 10
2. What creams to avoid with cloth diapers? Earth Mama Angel Baby Bottom Balm, A&D Ointment, and Aquifer
3. Can you use diaper rash cream with cloth diapers? Yes, but see my answer above.
4. Is Desitin OK to use with cloth diapers? Yes, with two cautions - it can stain your diapers and it's tough to wash out of stay-dry materials.
5. Is diaper rash worse with cloth diapers? No. In fact, it's the opposite. The soft fabric of a cloth diaper and the lack of chemicals make them less likely to cause a diaper rash for babies - especially ones with sensitive skin.

• How I Tested? 

I took the top 10 most often used rash creams and rubbed them into a minky stay-dry insert (this represented a stay-dry diaper) and an all-natural hemp insert (to represent an all-natural diaper). I then washed and dried the inserts using my usual wash routine. I then tested them for repelling by placing drops of water on the insert. 

• The Bottom Line (pun-intended :-) 

The 3 worst diaper rash creams to use on a cloth nappy in 2023 are:

1. Angel Baby Bottom Balm
2. A+D Ointment
3. Aquaphor

These creams set into the stay-dry insert, did not wash out, and caused repelling.

And you should use caution with the following rash creams because they can reduce absorbency of stay-dry inserts:

• Desitin (can also cause staining)
• Honest
• Vaseline (petroleum jelly)
• Boudreaux's Butt Paste
• Neosporin because they can reduce absorbency.

Related Links:

• A list of good and bad diaper rash creams for cloth diapers
• 3 steps to cure yeast diaper rash
• How to remove rash cream from your cloth diapers
• The shocking truth about diaper rash cream and your cloth diapers