What Is The Best Diaper Rash Cream?

Disclosure: Some products in this post I have received for free, but all thoughts and opinions are my own! Affiliate links are also used in this post. Read my full disclosure here.

There are so many diaper rash creams out there today, that it made it surprisingly hard to even just pick one when we needed to get some for our daughter.

It gets a little more complicated when you cloth diaper as many aren't safe to use on cloth. You can get around this by using fleece liners, which is what we chose to do as it was too much work to figure out what was or wasn't safe. You could also switch to using disposables till the rash heals, which we did when she ended up getting an open sore because you want to keep the butt as dry as possible and disposable diapers are better at that.

To make it a little easier for you, I have ranked all the diaper rash creams we have tried below, starting with our favorite. 

#1 Pinxav

I actually won this from a giveaway on another blog and so glad I did! I would not have heard of it otherwise as I have yet to see this brand in stores near us, but it is available on Amazon.

This stuff is amazing, it works overnight! It also has a really good smell, in our opinion. Apparently, the menthol smell can be a put off for some people, but I think it actually helped our daughter sleep better as I think of it as a soothing or calming scent.

The only downside for us is that it is pink! If you are using cloth diapers, this will stain, so highly recommend using fleece liners (the liners will stain too, but who cares about the liner right?).

#2 Desitin

This is the one our pediatrician recommended and is probably the most common or well-known brand. It was the one we started out with and it works! From our experience, it's not as fast acting as Pinxav. but still better than a lot of the other brands we tried. It's also got a thicker consistency which makes it stay in place better. Plus you can find it in any store!

#3 CeraVe Baby

This came in one of Target's Baby sample boxes, so we gave it a shot and I would say it's on par with Desitin. The only reason I ranked it lower is that it feels like a more liquidy version of Vaseline.

However, it's the only clear diaper rash cream I have seen (most are white), and that may be a bonus for those using cloth as it won't stain! I would still recommend using fleece liners as it may affect your diaper's absorbancy later on.

#4 Aquaphor

Everyone seems to love this cream, but we just didn't. It's white and runny, super messy to put on, especially if you aren't at home! With it being so liquidy, it doesn't cover the rash as well and it didn't appear to work as well as any of the above brands.

#5 Baby Butz

This is a new brand that just appeared at Target and I was able to get some free samples to try. I wanted to love this cream, I really did, but it just didn't compare to the others. 

The thing I really liked about this cream was how thick it is. It's a really thick white cream, which makes it a little difficult to get out of the container, but it covers the diaper rash so well!

However, despite covering the rash well, it didn't seem to do much healing. We ended up switching back to Pinxav as we didn't want our daughter to be uncomfortable at bedtime and it was gone by the next morning.

Final Thoughts

These are the 5 brands we tried and the top 2 are the ones we plan on sticking too. Now keep in mind what worked best for our daughter may not work best for your baby, so this post is just to give you a starting point as well as introduce you to some of the diaper rash creams out there. 

Have you tried any of these? What worked for you? 

Making The Switch To Reusable Cloth Pads

Disclosure: Affiliate links are used in this post. Read my full disclosure here.

What are cloth pads?

Cloth pads are reusable menstrual pads made of cloth so you can wash an reuse them each cycle. They are also known as "mama cloth." However, I do not like that term as you do not have to be a mom to use cloth menstrual pads.

I think the term "mama cloth" became popular because a lot of moms will switch over to cloth pads if they are cloth diapering, as they can all be washed together. Plus teens usually aren't as concerned about the environment or would think something like cloth pads would be gross. I know teen me would have wanted nothing to do with cloth pads.

And I think calling it "mama cloth" can detour younger girls more from trying it as they see it as an "old" thing or a "mom" thing and won't even consider it as an option, so I will always refer to them as cloth pads or reusable menstrual pads.

Making the switch to reusable menstrual pads

My main reason for the switch was because it is more environmentally friendly. You can wash and reuse cloth. My only other reason for the switch is like with cloth diapers, there are so many cute and fun prints!

Some women are concerned about the "chemicals" in disposables and switch for that reason. I never really cared enough to look into it, to me, it sounded similar to anti-vax arguments, where there really is no truth to it.

Like a lot of women who decide to use cloth pads, I did so after I became a mom. We already used cloth diapers and that was going well, so I decided now would be the perfect time to try cloth pads as I can wash them with the diapers.

I am also a stay at home mom, which means I hardly go out, so I don't have to worry about dealing with cloth while out and about. I actually still use disposables if I am leaving the house as it is just more convenient and I don't have to worry about carrying around a dirty cloth pad.

The thing I didn't know when I started looking into cloth menstrual pads was just how many different sizes, designs, and absorbancies there were! I decided to start by going with ones that were the similar size of my disposables and I only started with seven as you can see in the image below:

A post shared by Forever My Little Moon (@forevermylittlemoon) on Apr 9, 2018 at 11:38am PDT

I knew this wouldn't make it through more than a day, but I didn't want to invest in something I wasn't sure I would stick to just yet. I, of course, ended up loving them, and am now working on building my stash!

The cloth is surprisingly more comfortable despite the pads feeling thicker. This could be because they are designed to fit my body better, whereas all disposables are one size fits all, which they really don't in my opinion. Plus the material is softer, whereas disposable pads are so scratchy and itchy.

Where can you buy cloth pads?

If you are just starting, I suggest going the cheap route and buy off of Happy Beehinds as the pads there are all under $3 a piece! Otherwise, Amazon is another great option for finding cloth pads at a cheaper price.

My favorite place to shop, however, is Etsy! There are so many crafters out there that make cloth pads and the best part is most of them will make custom pads for you! As I mentioned before, there are tons of options out there and that is what makes cloth better than disposables as you can have them designed to fit your body shape a lot better.

Here are some of my favorite Etsy shops for cloth pads:

• LushesEcoCloths
• Madebyhippiesisters
• LuniLove

How many do I need?

I have irregular cycles, so finding the right number of pads has been tricky. I currently have 26 total and don't feel it's enough. Some cycles I bleed more than others and find myself running out. Other cycles I have just the right amount. It also depends on how often you wash, I usually do one wash in the middle of my cycle, so if I didn't, I would probably need double the amount I have.

I think the key when making the switch is to start with a few, and just add until you feel you have the perfect number. If you are like me, you would still have some disposables hanging around so you will have a backup if you run out.

I haven't been brave enough to go cloth at night, so I do still use disposables at night, and as stated before, I prefer to use disposables when I'm out of the house. If you, however, want to make a complete switch, a wet bag will also be something you want to have so you have a way to store the pads when you are out of the house.

How do you wash them?

If you already cloth diaper, then you just wash them with your cloth diapers. If you do not cloth diaper, you would first wash them in a normal cold wash or prewash, and then you would want to do a heavy duty cold or hot wash. I prefer to use hot water for the main wash as I personally feel it gets things cleaner, but cold water is fine too. 

A lot of sites will recommend hand rinsing them in cold water first. Even some of the shops I buy from give you care instructions, and they often say to rinse and ring out before washing. I find this isn't necessary as the cold prewash does the rinsing for you.  My pads have come out clean without a problem, even the prints with white on them come out unstained! However,  If you want to rinse before washing, that's totally up to you! Like with cloth diapers, it's all about finding a wash routine that works for you.

For drying, I just throw them in the dryer on medium heat. If you want, you can hang dry them or use low heat.

Have you made the switch? 

Have you used cloth pads? How did it go for you? Let me know in the comments!

Gululu Back to School Giveaway

Disclosure: This is a sponsored post. Affiliate links are used in this post. Read my full disclosure here.

Gululu is back again and giving away a $45 Amazon Gift Card to help you prepare for the upcoming school year! 

What is Gululu? 

Gululu was developed by Bowhead Technology as an interactive water bottle that keeps children hydrated while allowing parents to monitor daily water-drinking progress through an easy to use smartphone app. Gululu provides a technology-enabled solution with a learning-through-play mechanism to address issues pertaining to children’s wellbeing.

The water bottle tracks hydration and encourages the child to drink with the help of an educational pet-growing game DIRECTLY ON THE BOTTLE! As kids consume more water from their Gululu bottle, their virtual pet grows and unlocks new worlds and adventures at the “Gululu Universe." Gululu also has an automatic software and content update system that continuously rolls out new features to keep children engaged.

Gululu's Greater Purpose:

Gululu's mission and contribution are to help children all over the world stay healthy and hydrated! To advance their goal, for every Gululu bottle purchased, a child in a developing country will be provided with clean drinking water! This initiative was created through a partnership with Generosity.org, a humanitarian organization that provides sustainable solutions to the global water crisis, one community at a time. Joining forces with Generosity.org has allowed Gululu to offer programs focused on educating kids on social responsibility and initiate water-well projects for developing countries.

Want to know more? Gululu has been featured in leading global media publications in over 20 countries. Among them are TechCrunch, Yahoo, Vogue, and Forbes that declared Gululu as a “Top 5 best kids’ gadgets.”

Enter to Win a $45 Gift Card from Gululu!

Gululu is giving away a $45 Gift Card to one lucky winner to

help you prepare for the upcoming school year!

Quick Features!

Gululu is an amazing interactive water bottle that provides children with an entertaining reminder to stay hydrated. Parents love it because it doesn't require anything extra from them. All you have to do is wash Gululu after each use, allow it to air dry (baby bottle racks are a great drying solution to keep the lid and bottle together). Kids can easily charge Gululu overnight or between sips as the bottle just rests on the charging cradle when not in use. Take a look at the quick features that highlights why you'll love Gululu too:

• Monitor children's daily water-drinking progress through your smartphone
• Grow and evolve with a virtual ‘tamagotchi-like’ virtual pet
• Experience continuous content updates through an automatic software update system to keep children engaged
• Parents can utilize “Do Not Disturb” and “Bedtime” modes to be sure the Gululu Pet isn't distracting during learning or rest times.
• Learn-Through-Play, embark on a journey of health, rewards, and adventures within the “Gululu universe”
• Connect with friends by syncing to nearby bottles and stay connected with the cloud-based app. Durable, safe, and waterproof with a modular design and easy-to-clean spout that makes maintenance simple BPA-free

Other important features:

• Monthly themes: Every couple of weeks, Gululu introduces additional features, such as new online campaigns, drinking animations, pet accessories, sound effects, and more. These exciting additions are all automatically updated into the bottle through the cloud.
• Gululu Universe Journey: Children can redeem accessories for their pets with the virtual coins collected along their journey of discovering the Gululu Universe.
• Virtual pets: A fourth virtual pet, (Donny), was released at the end of March. More characters are expected to be added soon to expand the population of the “Gululu universe.”

Enter below for a chance to win!

One lucky reader will win a $45 Amazon Gift Card from Gululu!

The giveaway is open US Only, 18+

The giveaway ends 9/1 at 1159p est

Be sure to come back daily for more chances to win.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Mommy’s Playbook Giveaway Rules: This giveaway is Sponsored by Gululu and hosted by Mommy’s Playbook. Winner will receive a $45 Amazon Gift Card! Use the gift card for whatever you like OR towards your Gululu purchase! Victoria and/or Mommy’s Playbook are not responsible for prize fulfillment. By entering this giveaway you are giving the giveaway host and/or event sponsor permission to retain your email address for future communication, you may choose to opt-out of such communications at any time. Please contact Victoria (at) MommysPlaybook.com regarding any questions you have pertaining to this giveaway.