An overdue announcement and a diaper cream recipe

Nothing like coming back from a several month-long blogging silence to post a diaper cream recipe, eh?!  Can you tell what is a big part of my life?  In a way, it’s rather fitting since the main reason for the blog silence is very closely related to diapers (hint, hint)…

A couple months ago we found out some exciting news — we’re expecting another little one!  Due around mid-May, this pregnancy is putting me almost exactly two weeks behind where I was two years ago when I was pregnant with Genoa.  We’re obviously very excited about the coming addition to our little family, and the baby has already been making his or her presence clearly known by making Mommy feel rather not-so-good.  Thankfully, the “morning sickness” this time around has been somewhat lighter than with my other pregnancies, but there still has definitely been a good bit of constant nausea, exhaustion, etc.  That, combined with the added dimension of taking care of two very rambunctious and strong-willed toddlers has used up pretty much all my energy in the last couple months, leaving no brainpower for blogging.  However, I’m out of the first trimester now and things are getting much better in the nausea and exhaustion department, thus finally posting about this!

And now for the second segment of this post: the diaper cream recipe (so exciting, I know!)!   About a week ago, out of the blue, Genoa came down with the worst diaper rash she’s ever had.  I couldn’t pinpoint any food-related causes and unfortunately, all of my normal diaper rash remedies weren’t working, including our beloved Tailfeathers Zinc Cream!  I knew I had to figure out something else and wanted to try making a bentonite clay-based diaper cream, but I wasn’t really sure where to start with it.  So I paged through a couple of my herbal remedy books and came across almost exactly what I was looking for in Rosemary Gladstar’s Herbal Remedies for Children’s Health.  I modified the recipe some, adding certain things I wanted in it, and taking away those that I didn’t have on hand and/or didn’t want in it…and then mixed up a batch.  And I have been majorly impressed!  While I can tell this rash is going to take awhile to heal, I can tell it is actually healing now, as opposed looking worse every single time I changed Genoa’s diaper.  I don’t foresee using this diaper cream exclusively now, as I haven’t yet figured out a way to store it ready-to-use for a long period of time and the Tailfeathers Zinc Cream still works very well for normal diaper rashes.  However, I already have a jar of the dry mix prepared and ready for when I need to pull out the big guns to help my babies’ bottoms heal.  But…enough rambling…time for the recipe!

Clay and Herbs Diaper Cream

2 parts bentonite clay
2 parts arrowroot powder
1/4 part slippery elm powder
1/8 part goldenseal leaf powder
1/8 part myrrh powder
For every 1/4 cup of the first two ingredients combined, add four drops each Roman chamomile essential oil and lavender essential oil.

Measure all ingredients into a glass jar, cap tightly and shake until thoroughly combined (making sure there are no unmixed clumps from the moisture of the essential oils).  Store dry and when needed, measure out enough of the mixture for a couple days (I found 1/4 cup or so of the dry mix will make a good amount for a couple days of generous application at every diaper change) into a shallow, wide-mouthed glass container with lid and add enough pure water to make a creamy paste.  You can use it immediately at this point, though it will be rather lumpy, but after several hours it will even out into a very nice cream.

Note regarding cloth diapers: due to the fact that this doesn’t contain any moisture barriers like zinc-based creams, I’m not sure if using this directly against a cloth diaper would cause the diaper to need stripping…but I’m not planning on experimenting with my diapers to find out!  As such, I still use a cloth liner between the diaper cream and the prefold just in case.

And please remember: I am not a licensed health professional and anything I say is not intended to diagnose or treat any disease.  I am just a mama sharing what has worked for her.  As with anything, please do your own research regarding what herbs, etc. you feel would be beneficial to your family’s health.  Thank you!