When you start cloth diapering, you come to a little bit of a problem...diaper ointment. It is recommended that you not use the 'normal' ointments you hear about in the department stores as they will build up and cause your diapers to repel, and leak (and in our case, happened right away!). So when you get a diaper rash, what do you do?
Well first of all, I learned, you will get less diaper rash (or none at all!) if you PREVENT diaper rash! I know it seems simple, but yes, that is one of the greatest answers.
Patting baby's bum with a dry wipe before putting on diaper or ointment is one way to prevent rash, as when you don't do this you trap moisture on baby's bum, which irritates and creates a rash.
Now, after drying off your baby's bum, put on a layer of protecting ointment! Doing this at every diaper change can help prevent diaper rash! With disposable diapers it is common for parents to use some for of a vitamin A&D ointment to do this job, but with cloth diapers, even this ointment is not recommended.So where does that leave us? That was my question when at about 6 months old and starting solids, SAP started getting irritation and rashes. Until this point her stools were just breastmilk poo, so we were lucky to not have to deal with this! We go to the store...could not find anything at the normal department store that was recommended for cloth diapers. oy, now what!
After some research online, I found Grandma El's Diaper Rash Remedy and Prevention ointment! Now this seemed to be the easy part, because Grandma El's was so popular that I could not find it stocked in the online diaper stores that I frequented! I was also a bit put off with what I thought at the time was an expensive price ( $10 for a 2oz tube, and $15 for a 3.75oz jar), which was by far a lot more expensive than the A&D ointment at the store that SAPsNaNa wanted me to buy!
I now know, compared to other organic, natural and cloth diaper safe ointments, Grandma El's is not that expensive at all, and actually pretty cheap! Especially when you find them on a Bargain site!!
The Bargain Buy!
November 7th, 2009 Baby Half Off (www.babyhalfoff.com) had their daily deal, and on this day it was Grandma El's Diaper Remedy and Prevention Ointment!
The deal was one 3.75oz jar, and two 2oz tubes of Grandma El's for just$17.48...50% off!! This deal also came with a $5 coupon for future savings when purchasing Grandma El's!
(The 2 2oz tubes and 1 3.75oz jar in the Bargain Buy! The left tube is the first tube I purchased. The right tube is a newer version. The older version had sticker label and was a thinner plastic. The newer version is much nicer tube, the label is part of the tube, not a sticker, the squeeze hole is a bit wider for ease of use, and the ingrediants etc. are easily legible on the back of the tube! All info is on the tube and jar!)
After getting a 2oz tube off of a online cloth diaper site before they featured this deal, this purchase ended up being my second Grandma El's purchase I made, and a much better deal! I have seen Grandma El's on this bargain site since then, and on other bargain sites as well (check out my "Bargain Buys and Daily Deals, Oh My!" blog post to find more daily deal sites!) Not necessarily this exact deal, but usually some combination of the above items.
About Grandma El's Diaper Rash Remedy and Prevention Ointment:
(This information in this section in italics is taken from the Grandma El's Website. Check out the Grandma El's website, where you can learn more and purchase Grandma El's, HERE!)
How It Works
Grandma El’s Diaper Rash Remedy & Prevention is a Patented Skin Soothing, and Healing Ointment. This unique Pediatrician Tested product has been used by Grandma El since 1974 to successfully treat and heal diaper rash.
Grandma El’s creates a skin softening, protective barrier which prevents wetness and stool enzymes from coming into contact with your baby’s bottom, while allowing the skin to breathe; something no other product offers. Grandma El’s promotes the growth of new skin collagen, which helps the healing process.
Grandma El has put an end to the white, messy paste, lotions, and creams. Grandma El’s knows that for the skin to heal, it needs to breathe. Other products coat the skin, and stop the skin from breathing, thereby slowing the healing process. Grandma El’s patented formula lets your baby’s skin breathe as it protects.
Recent studies have shown Grandma El’s Diaper Rash Remedy & Prevention to help in the following:
· Preventing skin breakdown
· Healing irritation and chapping· Promoting the growth of new skin collagen
· Soothing and softens baby’s skin making for a comforting experience
· Allowing skin to ‘breathe’ while protecting the skin from wetness and bacterial contamination Stopping redness, itching, pain, and soreness
IngredientsGrandma El’s is manufactured by an FDA and cGMP compliant skin care product manufacturer. The formulation of Grandma El’s is comprised of ingredients which are derived from natural and organic origin, and contains no preservatives. Grandma El's only contains ingredients on the FDA GRAS (Generally Regarded as Safe) List and is Hypo-Allergenic so you can be assured your baby is getting the safest therapy.
Our ingredients:
- Anti-oxidant Natural Vitamin E , derived from Wheat Germ Oil (D alpha tocopherol acetate)
- Natural active derivatives of the plant Balsam of Peru, a known healing agent
- Salicylic Acid, derived from Willow bark and Wintergreen; this ingredient acting with Vitamin E can promote the growth of new skin
- Yellow Petrolatum, derived from naturally occurring mineral oil
- Insecticide-free Anhydrous Lanolin, a naturally occurring, allergy-free protecting and healing agent
Yellow Petrolatum and Insecticide-free Anhydrous Lanolin are FDA approved healing agents and protectants, while Vitamin E, Derivatives of Balsam of Peru, and Salicylic Acid heal and stimulate production of new cells.
Many other well known diaper rash products contain ingredients which are not on the FDA GRAS List. Some of these unproven and possibly unsafe ingredients are sodium borate, benzalkonium chloride, boric acid, calcium undecylenate, hexachlorophene, p-chloromercuriphenol, phenol, resorcinol, and triclosan. Please refer to the product you currently use to see if these ingredients are used.
DOES NOT CONTAIN BORIC ACID (Boric Acid has been removed from the FDA Safe List, yet many products today still contain it). Please visit the FDA website at www.fda.gov for further information.
What did I think?!
I absolutely love Grandma El's! It is still a staple in our cloth diapering routine after over a year of use! The two tubes and one jar are definitely the perfect amount for us, we use one 2oz tube at daycare, one 2oz tube in the diaper bag, and the 3.75oz jar at the changing table at home where she has her most changes!
I was worried a bit at first with the jar, thinking I'd use too much or it would get messy, but not at all! I also love that it smells wonderful! When SAP had her regular well check-up at the pediatrician's office we mentioned we were using this ointment, and the pediatrician's answer was that any ointment that smells good like that probably has perfumes in it that won't be good for the diaper area...well she was wrong! Grandma El's smells good (unlike all other ointments I know of on the market like butt paste, triple paste, A&D ointment and many others that smell nasty and are really messy!), and it is easy to use, with no perfumes or toxic ingrediants!
Grandma El's also lasts a long time! Even using this ointment with every diaper change we did not run low for a really long time! When I did run low, I was able to get another bargain buy for half price! Whoot!
I also love that you don't have to put a thick layer of ointment on her bum for it to work. You put just a thin layer on! It is a breathable barrier, the only
ointment that I know of that allows this!
Want more to love about Grandma El's? The ingredients in Grandma El's are not only cloth diaper safe, but they are organic and natural!
Grandma El's spreads easy, it is a good cover. Unfortunately it does not help with the more severe cases, but it is a good prevention ointment fro m what I have experienced. If you start having trouble with a diaper rash while still using this ointment and the rash does not start going away, switch right away to a different ointment to treat it. I like to start with California Baby Calendula Cream (also cloth diaper safe!) and work my way up, with triple paste as my last resort (with a diaper liner of course with cloth diapers due to the damage/build up it can cause in the cloth diapers).
I myself have not noticed much of a smell that SAPsMaMa notices, so it should not be overpowering to other dads or individuals who are sensitive to fragrence. Either form, the jar or the tube, has worked well and I have no preference, although with the amount you get in the jar for the price it is a bit cheaper. If you are going on a trip you will want a tube. Being a smaller container, it is much easier to transport.
Daycares do not seem to understand how to apply this ointment well. Daycares tend to use this ointment the same way they use Vaseline and "glob" it on thick, instead of using a thin layer. If using this ointment for a daycare definitely explain thoroughly how to use it, and expect to be purchasing more ointment than normal as you will mo st likely go though a tube quicker. We have always given the daycare the tubes of ointment for convenience and less mess, a jar might serve better or fare worse, depending on your daycare situation.
Pros
- Smells good
- Works great at prevention as well as healing diaper rash
- Not messy
- Organic and natural ingrediants, none of the ingrediants recommended to stay away from
- Safe to use with cloth diapers
- Comes in big jar and travel tube
- Breathable barrier, unlike other ointments
- Lasts quite a long time
- Preservative free
- I have found that this ointment does not work for ex treme diaper rashes. Rashes due to fungal or bacteria infection, or that occur when baby is sick and has the 'runs' may need a different kind of ointment or cream to prevent or treat the rash.
- Would be nice to have a larger sized tube, I do end up going through the 2oz alot quicker than the jar and end up using my jar in my diaper bag until I restock!
- Ointment smells so good that SAP tries to eat it all the time! Keep out of reach of children! :)
LINKS/INFO
This Bargain Buy was from Baby Half Off at www.babyhalfoff.com
You can learn more about Grandma El's Diaper Rash Remedy and Prevention Ointment on their website at http://grandmaels.com/index.php
Get some FREE samples of Grandma El's! HERE
Find a store that carries Grandma El's near you! HERE
or check out your favorite online cloth diaper store, it's likely that they might have it, or suggest it to them!
2 comments:
We love Grandma Els! I still havent' completely used up the first 2 ounce tube I bought when I first started cd'ing (around 8 months ago!)
I know, if used right it lasts a super long time and still works just as well if not better than if you were coating it in a thicker paste! For the price it's a no-brainer!
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