At the grocery store a few days ago I was walking up the freezer/ baby products aisle.  In most stores I never even have to see disposable diapers but the layout of my local store means the ice cream and baby products face one another.  Given my love for ice cream this trip is inevitable.

I noticed something ugly jutting out from the shelving.  Upon closer inspection I realized that two diposable diapers were mounted to a display!

I snapped a photo thinking I would probably tweet it later so we could all have a good laugh at that hideous display.  I was a in a rush so I didn’t even read those signs.

When I got home I realized I didn’t even know what they said!  It drove me nuts.  I had a sinking feeling they wanted the diapers to be touched for softness.  That would probably lead to some wording about “soft” and maybe even “cloth.”

The next day I went back just to look at those signs.  This is what I saw:

...blanket-like softness"

In case you can’t see the photo the text reads “Protect your little miracle with blanket-like softness”

I would have loved to be a fly on the wall during these marketing meetings.

Notice the avoidance of the word “cloth” or even “cotton.”  Saying those words would make the consumer jump to the thought “Well, if these are as soft as cloth, wouldn’t cloth diapers be soft too?”  

I guarantee you the marketers knew to avoid those terms.  Their solution?  Soft as a blanket.  Blankets are cuddly, warm, protective, and………. made from cloth!

Pampers= soft as a blanket.  Blankets= soft as cloth.  Can we just skip the middle man and assume Pampers are soft as cloth?

Except, they are far from it.  I touched them and have to admit they are softer than I expected.  But they don’t compare to my cloth diapers.

This is just another example of Pampers taking what is rightfully ours to use, our cloth like softness, and spinning it to market for their disposable diapers.  Their previous effort was to add prints that were more modern and fun and not character driven (also like cloth diapers) to their disposables (read my response).  Then depict them hanging from a clothesline.  (You know, because disposable diapers can be washed and reused?  Oh right… they can’t.  But cloth diapers can.)

This only proves that Pampers is trying to gain back the sales they have been losing over the years.  

A recent study shows that disposable diaper sales are down 3%.  The article points out that this could be because parents are leaving their children in diapers longer to save money (judging by the 2.8% increase in rash cream sales). Source: Time MoneyLand. This was the sole reason that I created and partook in the Flats and Handwashing Challenge when an article was published about that very dangerous practice.  Participants proved that using cloth diapers can be done for less than 60.00 and without a washer and dryer.  When push comes to shove a baby’s health comes before convenience.

But it could also be related to the fact that cloth diaper use is on a steady rise!  In “Changing Diapers.  The Hip Mom’s Guide to Modern Cloth Diapers” Kelly Wels cites that the popular brand of cloth diapers, Rumparooz, saw a 400% increase in gross revenue in their third year of sales.  I guarantee you that other manufacturers and retail stores can report similar, impressive stat rises.

All I’m saying is… Pampers is scared.  They are invading third world countries to increase profits (countries who have up to now mainly been using cloth diapers just fine) and now marketing their disposable diapers as if they were as cute as, as reusable as, and as soft as cloth diapers.

Fact: the marketing team is doing what they are paid to do, and every company is out for profit.  I can’t change their mind about selling disposables; that is never going to happen.
Wouldn’t this make a great sticker on that display? *wink wink*

What I can do is continue to inform the public about the alternative.  Cloth diapers are cuter.  They save hundreds, even thousands of dollars per child.  They keep thousands of diapers out of landfills.  They are better for baby’s skin and contain no chemicals.  And they are soft, just like blankets, and have been for over 100 years!

{Kelly Wels really did write a great book about cloth diapers.  Use coupon code DDLBOOK for 50% off Changing Diapers until Sept 30. *Aff. link.  If you are hoping to convince a buddy to use cloth who is pregnant these make a great baby shower gift- subtle too!}

If you are from the South then you’ve probably grown up hearing the phrase:

“You can’t polish a turd.”

With the re-release of their designer print disposable diapers Pampers is attempting to do just that.  See also: “Like putting lipstick on a pig.”

Do printed disposables make for prettier packages of plastic wrapped around human fecal matter?  They will definitely spruce up that drab ol’ landfill.  It needed a facelift and those non biodegradable argyle diapers are going to make it look really nice for the next 500 years or so.  </sarcasm>

It boggles the mind why anyone would pay a premium price for an item that is meant to be thrown away. This doesn’t just apply to disposable diapers mind you.  Fancy paper plates, decorative  paper towels, paper bibs…. the list goes on and on.  I wouldn’t be surprised if Tampax started making polka dot tampons next!  That area definitely deserves a little decorating!

I enjoy attractively designed items for myself, my home, and my children.  I also enjoy saving money.  It just so happens that my cloth diapers cover the color sprectrum and come in prints!  So do my cloth wipes, my reusable paper towels, and my washable dinnerware.  And by using things that can be reused I save money.  See where I’m heading?

Before Huggies Jean Diapers and Pampers Designer Prints there was one thing Modern Cloth Diapers have had over disposables for years: The Cute Factor. Both sides can argue environmental impact and cost savings and both can find “evidence” to prove or disprove their points.  But modern cloth diapers are cuter.

They saw the writing on the wall.  Cloth diapers had the aesthetic edge.  Stylish, sophisticated, design minded parents might switch to cloth diapers for that very reason!

Pampers aren’t cute. In fact, they are ugly.  They even SOUND ugly.  The swish of a disposable makes the hair on my arms stand up.  And call me crazy, but when I am out in public and catch a whiff of a child wearing one that has been soiled (pee or poo) it makes me a little sick.

I’ve been onto Pampers for some time.  Their marketing to India and now Nigeria is appalling. {India Article, Nigeria Article}  Selling modern conveniences to families who would love them and need them but who would spend a HUGE chunk of their income on them is just plain WRONG.  When the dollar trumps your concern for other human beings that is a company I will never support.

To grow here, P&G must persuade people who live on $5 or less a day to buy items they’ve forever lived without….In Nigeria, many people can barely afford a bar of Ivory soap, let alone a luxury such as disposable diapers….

Do I dare pull a Kanye?!

Pampers doesn’t care about Black People.

Or Brown People. Or White People.

They care about Green People.

I’m going on record and saying that I have used disposables before.  I hope to never do it again, especially now that I know how to hand wash flats when traveling.  But if I do, so help me, I will never give dollars to Pampers (or P&G).

Pampers will do Whatever It Takes to get your money.  In America they will hire designers to come up with appealing designs to print in ink on their paper diapers with less pulp in them (which saves them money) but still charges you more for that improvement.  These same diapers were thought to have caused thousands of rashes in babies all over the country.  Even if the CPSC gave up that investigation you’ll never convince me Pampers Dry Max diapers weren’t to blame.  {disclaimer: that is totally my opinion.} They will slander cloth diapers and post Myths vs Facts with flimsy defenses of the environmental impact of their disposable diapers and claims against cloth diapers lacking facts to back them up.  They will market their diapers to Third World Countries because the pennies they charge for their products multiplied by Billions of impoverished people still equals big money.

Money, Money, Money.

Their print diapers, just like pretty wrapping paper (which you hopefully recycle if it can be) get used once and thrown away.  What A Shame.

These remind me of another brand *cough bumGenius cough*

And stringing the disposable diapers on a clothesline?! Who do you think you are fooling?  ”Awww….. diapers on a line, how quaint and cute!  Let’s go with that one.”  In real life there should never, ever be disposable diapers drying out anywhere!  Why would you even put that idea out into the universe?  Reusing disposable diapers is a dangerous practice that impoverished families have resorted to. In reality, if a disposable diaper were strung on a line to dry it would be bloated and puffed and bursting with SAP gels soaked in urine.  It would look, smell, and feel disgusting.

Pampers, you can’t polish a turd. Cloth diapers just can’t compete with a Billion Dollar business when it comes to advertising.  But they can compete where it counts.  Word of Mouth, Quality, Money Savings, Benefits for the Baby, and all around awesomeness.

What do you think?  Is Pampers utilizing the cute factor of cloth diapers for marketing purposes?  Or am I just a crazy cloth diaper lady with an axe to grind?

{I realize that Mythbusters did in fact manage to polish a Turd in a previous episode.  But in the end what good did it do?  It just resulted in a shiny Turd.  Pretty garbage is still just that, Garbage.}

One such way they are countering the bad press caused by the Facebook group “Bring back the Old Pampers Cruisers” which is up to 8,300 members and counting, is to publish how cloth diapers are no good!

Obviously my website publishes how disposables, and at times Pampers, are not good for our babies or planet.  I may be biased, but I do that because it is truth to me.  Pampers is trying to save their business, so lets hear them out.  All information was taken from Pamper’s website.

Because it is what I do, I am going to examine their newest attack on cloth diapers to see what is true, false, or in between.

Myth: Cloth diapers are better for my baby.

Fact: Disposable diapers like Pampers were developed to offer babies benefits that cloth diapers could not meet. That goes beyond convenience to helping keep babies’ skin dryer and more comfortable by reducing leaks and locking wetness inside the diaper in a way that cloth doesn’t. As a result, doctors and parents simply don’t see the same level of diaper rash that used to exist before disposable diapers.

Their main argument that disposables are better for babies is that cloth diapers leak and don’t keep babies dry. They are preying on the fact that most parents still don’t know there are modern cloth diapers. Nothing is wrong with using the old style, but for those who want a stay dry liner and the convenience of an easy on/ easy off diaper, cloth diapers offer that as well. And their claim that more rashes existed before disposables is very false. I am working on finding the study (if you have seen it please tell me!) that claims the exact opposite.  As a matter of fact, my son had more leaks with disposables at night than with cloth diapers (during a period when we were working on getting the ammonia out of our diapers he used them for a little while.)  No leaks with cloth, at least 3 nights of waking up soaked with a disposable.  Funny….

Also, these super dry diapers are one of the reasons children are learning to use the potty, later and later.  When at one time babies were learning by 1.5 to 2 years, the average child learns between 3-4 years!  The ultra dry diapers are only one of many reasons for this (a culture shift) but using cloth diapers does contribute to babies potty learning earlier!  I sure hope so at least!

Myth: Cloth diapers are better for the environment than disposables.

Fact: In October 2008, the United Kingdom’s Environment Agency published an update to its 2005 Life Cycle Assessment study on cloth versus disposable diapers. The update confirmed the earlier study’s findings that there is no clear winner in terms of environmental impacts between disposable and cloth diapers in the U.K., once all factors such as water, energy, detergent, and disposal are considered.

I don’t care what way you slice it, there is no way any study (and I find fault with many studies quoted by disposable companies and would love for a true unbiased study comparing cloth and disposables to be performed) will convince me that the sheer amount of waste generated by disposables isn’t worse for the environment than a resuable option.  Pampers, do you wash your clothes and your sheets?  So do I.  So does everyone else.  Adding 3 more loads of laundry a week does add up, but does it override the tons of trash generated by each family in disposable diapers and human waste?  You also neglect to mention that unlike disposables, cloth diapers aren’t just used for one child.  Whether those diapers are used on one or more younger siblings, or given a new life in a new family, they live on for years.

Myth: Developing countries prove that cloth diapers are better than disposable diapers.
Fact: Our product provides key benefits in terms of skin health, dryness, and even sleep. In China, for example, we’ve learned that babies and parents are frequently awakened during the night each time the baby soaks the bed, because the baby has no diaper or a very thin piece of cloth. As a result, studies have shown that a disposable diaper can help a baby there get a better night’s sleep. In another test, we have also seen less fecal contamination spread around the home using disposables versus cloth or nothing.
Clearly, we have a lot to learn about how to help with basic hygiene needs in countries that have very different access to clean water to wash with, and how to best dispose of products after use. We’ve also learned about hygiene for older children through our Always feminine care business – where in many parts of the world girls are forced to miss school one week each month during their period because they don’t have enough pads or fresh water.
We are working in those regions to better understand what they do with products after use, and how to work with local agencies and other businesses to ensure the best long-term system to manage it.

This is probably a nod to defend them marketing cheaper disposables to third world nations that have mostly used cloth.  Are they are also hoping to end the practice Elimination Communication in countries like China?  Just because most Americans can’t fathom their babies never wearing a diaper, other countries only use EC.  And if Pampers thinks the babies are going to the bathroom wherever they please, I am here to tell you that is not the case.  The parents are there to help the babies and catch their eliminations.  Their home isn’t full of baby droppings like a non trained puppy.  It is insulting to insinuate such a thing.  As for sleep, I honestly don’t know how EC families who don’t use diapers handle this until they learn to hold it.  I imagine it would disrupt their sleep but the families are well prepared for this.  Not every baby begins sleeping through the night at 6 weeks like the American ideal.  Many Americans stuff their baby full of thickened formula to get them to sleep longer too, but it doesn’t mean that is right.  Just means people do it.

And I want to quickly address their Always claim.  Pampers cites that girls in third world countries have to miss school because they don’t have access to feminine hygeine products.  Oh, you mean pads that you throw away after each use?  This is simply not true.  Periods are not new, and neither is school.  There are such things as cloth pads.  Or, menstrual cups, which have been distributed to girls in many countries.  And more recent studies do show a decline in attendance during their time of the month, but it wasn’t due to the lack of access to throw away feminine products.  It was due to cramps.

Myth: Disposable diapers are harmful to the environment.
Fact: All of the component materials in Pampers diapers are gentle to consumers and safe for the environment. Pampers diapers are made of materials that are also frequently used in a wide range of other consumer products. We are committed to continuing to reduce our environmental impact. For example, Pampers has decreased its diaper weight by one-third and packaging weight by two-thirds. And innovative technologies, raw materials, and product design improvements have led to significant reductions in energy, water use, emissions, and waste at our plants. We are working so that our diapers in the future will have less impact on the environment than even today’s diapers.

Don’t pee on my head and tell me it’s raining, Pampers.   First, just because other products use materials found in your diapers it doesn’t make it right or safe.  But, if you want to play that card, that statement is lacking the fact that one ingredient (sodium polyacrylate) found in your diapers has been banned from tampons for being linked to Toxic Shock Syndrome.*  On top of that, Dioxin, another chemical in your diapers, is banned in most other countries because it is linked to cancer and is one of the most dangerous chemicals according to the EPA.*  Their new “environmentally friendly” diaper is the one most likely causing the rashes being suffered by thousands of parents.  Is it because there is less paper filler, and less material between the baby and the chemicals?  And only when they create a new product do they acknowledge the impact on the environment of their old diapers.

Myth: The materials that make up Pampers diapers are depleting our forests.

Fact: The pulp used in our diapers comes from well-managed forests in North America. In some cases, we source our pulp from scrap wood chips from lumber and saw mills. Our pulp suppliers are required to be certified by an independent third party as practicing sustainable forestry. Certification includes standards and criteria for replanting trees, protecting biodiversity, water, air and soil, and for obtaining broad stakeholder input into the forest management plan.

We live in a disposable world.  We use forests to make toilet paper, paper plates, disposable diapers, etc.  I can’t claim to have never used these products.  I will say that though cloth diapers do use resources on our planet as well, many use more renewable materials such as bamboo and hemp.  Not to mention most of the diapers that use cotton choose to use organic cotton.  If your claims are true, that is great.  But it doesn’t make up for the amount of waste put into landfills by your diapers.

*Facts taken from the Real Diaper Association.

The RDA is taking a stand.  If you want to write your own post about Real Diaper myths and facts read this cool info.

This post is part of the Real Diaper Facts carnival hosted by Real Diaper Events, the official blog of the Real Diaper Association, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit dedicated to cloth diaper education. Participants were asked to write about diaper lies and real diaper facts. See the list at the bottom of this post to read the rest of the carnival entries.

Meanwhile, plenty of local and national news networks have already covered the story.  Here is a selection of links if you would like to see what is being said and done about Pampers Dry Max.  Even if you think my posts have an agenda or are biased (which they do since I am pro-cloth, however the truth remains there is a faulty product here) perhaps reading these stories will change your mind.

NBC Connecticut

CBS 2 Chicago

KSFY ABC South Dakota

WBZ

The Daily Herald

MSNBC (Reuters)

There has also been some blog coverage.

ZRecs (They are performing their own evaluation of the product)

StollerDerby wrote about Pampers back in January.  Possibly the earliest mention.

Consumerist (one of my favorite blogs to read)

And finally, if you really want to know what parents are thinking, hit the messageboards!  Moms across the globe are sharing their personal experiences with Dry Max, good and bad.

BabyCenter Debate Forum

If you have a great story you have read about Pampers and want to share it, link it in the comments.  Additionally, if you can, please contact your local news networks about Pampers.  be sure to add that cloth diapers have no chemicals!

What is the official stance of Pampers now that the shit has hit the fan?

ABC spoke with Bryan McCleary who had the most idiotic statement made by a spokesperson, ever.

“Diaper rash is one of the most common symptoms and things that babies experience.  The things that are being described, things like blisters, breaks in the skin, deep red rashes, this is part of what is experienced by babies all throughout the year. As hundreds of thousands of moms and babies are switching to the new Dry Max, it’s clear that they’re coincidentally developing diaper rashes and severe diaper rashes at the same time.”

Let us break that down.

His first statement: “Diaper rash is one of the most common symptoms and things that babies experience” True, but it shouldn’t be.  Diaper rash has seen a huge increase since disposable diapers were introduced in the 1960′s.  I understand cloth diapered babies do get diaper rash, mine has, but not due to reactions based on the chemicals in his diapers.

“…blisters, breaks in the skin, deep red rashes, this is part of what is experienced by babies all throughout the year.” This blanket statement says nothing good for their products, before or after the launch of Dry Max.  If he believed blisters, breaks in the skin, and deep red rashes are normal, what is wrong with that picture?  I don’t expect that this is true, however.  Again, plenty of babies experience severe diaper rashes, but this is not the norm!

“As hundreds of thousands of moms and babies are switching to the new Dry Max, it’s clear that they’re coincidentally developing diaper rashes and severe diaper rashes at the same time.”

Wow.  Wow. WOW. The denial is shocking.  Pampers believes it is clear that the outbreak of rashes coinciding with the use of Dry Max diapers is coincidental. Get your head out of the sand and listen to the customers who have suffering babies with severe rashes.  Rashes that were clearly caused by your product.  Moms aren’t stupid.  They ruled out allergies, teething, illness, diaper size, etc.  The common thread amongst thousands of mothers was the Dry Max diaper.

Despite the denial, the complaints set forth by consumers has sparked an investigation of Dry Max by the CPSC (US. Consumer Product Safety Commission. The grassroots efforts of parents using Facebook has paid off indeed.

Even though McCleary insists the diaper was put through rigourous tests and is “…Pampers’ most thoroughly researched and tested new product since we invented the disposable diaper back in the 1960s…” there is something wrong.  I expect that the investigation will result in a mass recall of all Dry Max diapers.

If you are one of the parents who believe they have a rash caused by Dry Max diapers, do yourself and others a favor by filing a complaint with the CPSC by either calling (800) 638- 2772 or filling out an online form and submitting it to info@cpsc.gov.

To remedy your rash problems, most parents have seen near immediate relief by switching diaper brands. I personally would love to invite you to also consider using modern and convenient cloth diapers! If you would like help making the switch you are welcome to email me dirtydiaperlaundry at gmail dot com or read this handy guide. Not only would you be saving your family thousands of dollars, you will help ease the environmental impact disposables have on our planet and keep nasty chemicals away from your baby.

Update: Pampers has released an official statement (Reuters).  I suggest giving the whole thing a read, since it is fabulous, but here are a few excerpts.  And let me tell you, my head is swelling since I have an inkling they were referring to me!

These rumors are being perpetuated by a small number of parents, some of whom are unhappy that we replaced our older Cruisers and Swaddlers products while others support competitive products and the use of cloth diapers

Cloth diapers you say?  Who me?  Nah….

Because the number of families who use disposable diapers is staggering (something like 93%) obviously they sell billions of diapers (all of which are still in a landfill, every diaper, ever made.  Consider that.) Since they claim 2 customers per every one millions diapers sold, they are feeling confident in their stance.  They did say they are going to have to increase advertising (gag, get ready for a slew of new commercials and product placements in your favorite TV show) to make up for the damage done.

Pampers, even if it is a very small percentage of parents using your diapers, every baby counts. And those moms are seeking other brands or cloth diapers.  Good for them!

Update:  The CPSC is investigating new Pampers with Dry Max.  Details here.

This is yet another Pampers post.  If you use disposables full time or part time, I urge you to read this.  Pampers are causing serious problems for babies.  Don’t let your baby be next.  If you can, use cloth. If you can’t please choose a brand better for your baby such as Tushies.

Today I saw something very disturbing.  A friend of mine posted a photo (edited to not show her baby’s privates) of a very serious diaper rash.  In fact, it is the worst I have ever seen.  The skin looks like it has been burnt off.  She was hoping to find some advice for treatment and causes until she could get to a doctor.  Obviously her daughter is in pain and very uncomfortable.

A few people suggested it could be a chemical burn.  My friend did a little digging and some dot connecting.  The rash started after she began using the “new and improved” Pampers Cruisers with Dry Max. She found a facebook group dedicated to bringing back the old Dry Max diapers. In that group, consisting of 728 members, she discovered many, many moms complaining of the same burn like rash.  All of the rashes began after using the new  Cruisers with Dry Max.

She has since started using another brand of diapers and is in the process of beginning cloth again after a hiatus.

While I nor she can confirm 100% that the rash is from Pampers Dry Max, the overwhelming number of mothers claiming severe rashes from this diaper is convincing.

Not that causing chemical burns isn’t serious enough, in typical big corporation fashion, it seems they are giving customers with rash complaints the run around.

Here is an excerpt from a customer service rep’s response to a mother complaining of a rash caused by Dry Max:

You know your baby best, but some factors that can contribute to the onset of diaper rash are diet/change in diet, diarrhea, teething, the use of antibiotics, upset stomach, etc. Taking all of these things into consideration, it’s hard to pinpoint the cause of your child’s skin irritation. If your baby’s condition doesn’t improve, you may want to speak with your pediatrician

My friend in particular was told her baby just needs to be moved up to the next size. How could a diaper rash possibly be caused by a smaller size?  Leaking, yes.  Rash, no.

And, in case you would like to see, this is what her baby’s rash looks like. Please be advised this is a graphic image and is hard to look at.  After a doctor appointment she was told it was definitely from the Dry Max diapers which caused “contact dermatitis.”

Listen to a few of the rash concerns:

After 1 day on the new Cruisers, red, hot rash ALL over the bottom. I switched diapers immediately, and am already seeing an improvement with Triple Paste. He’s 15mo and on table food. No allergies, no antibiotics, no diarrhea, not teething.

Our 12 month old son has horrible burn-type rashes and we know it has to be the new Cruisers – the diapers really smell of a strong chemical. The odor becomes stronger when wet. He is on a diet of Enfamil formula and solid foods. We were about to switch him to milk, but are waiting until the rash clears. We have officially switched diapers (testing out Huggies).

These quotes come from a discussion with 25 replies, most of which are instances of severe burn like rashes.  This thread attempted to compare diets and age to rule out other possibilities, and no matter if the baby was breastfed, formula fed, whole milk, or other, the rashes began with Dry Max diapers.

The loyal customers are enraged.  Moms took their complaints to the Pampers Facebook Fanpage, only to have their complaints erased.  Many were also banned from the page.  Others left official reviews of the new Cruisers on Pampers’ website but it denied them saying their reviews had “vulgar language.”  That is because the words “horrible” and “bad” speak the truth: how vulgar.

Another reason parents are enraged is the deception.  Pampers began putting the new Cruisers with Dry Max into the old Cruisers boxes.  Now, parents experiencing rashes are either diving into boxes in the store to compare, or switching brands completely.

But have these parents considered cloth diapers?!?! I think some cloth diaper manufacturers should utilize this Pampers fiasco to convert more moms to cloth diapers.  Hey!  Offer a special discount to members of the Facebook group.

If you came across this blog post because of your troubles with Pampers Dry Max, please consider joining a Twitter chat this Earth Day that is all about how to start cloth diapering.  This would be the perfect opportunity to learn more about modern cloth diapers.  In addition, if you do not currently use cloth diapers, you are eligible to win large prizes of cloth diapers that could very well help you on your way to begin!  To learn more about this party and register visit my recent blog post: Get Real- The Inside Poop on Cloth Diapers.

I think Pampers users would be pleasantly surprised at how absorbent, easy, and comfortable cloth diapers are.  Not to mention, NO HARSH CHEMICALS to cause rashes or burns.

If any disposable diaper user has questions for me personally about how to get started and what diapers might best fit your needs I would be more than willing to answer them.  You can email me at dirtydiaperlaundry at gmail dot com.

I would just like to add that as much as I love cloth diapers, not everyone does.  But if you use disposables please consider another brand.  To further support Pampers when they clearly care nothing for their loyal customers and, more importantly, the health of the babies in their diapers, is foolish.  To read more about the dirty things Pampers has done check out my older Pampers posts.

***Update

In case you are wondering, the baby’s rash in the photo has gotten better for the most part.

Reuters has also just written about the new Pampers and rash issues.

Want another reason to dislike Pampers? Proctor and Gamble, the makers of Pampers disposable diapers, is targeting India in a new effort to raise profits, according to the Business Courier of Cincinnati.  Among other brands they will be introducing to the Indian market, they will be pushing an inexpensive disposable diaper.  If successful these new efforts will result in 40 billion dollars in added profit.

Even more disturbing, a powerpoint on various technologies had a slide specifically on the development of this new diaper.

• CEO challenged innovation team to create a disposable diaper that costs no more than an egg
• Technological innovation drove access to a game-changing price point
• Pampers Magic Knickers making inroads to 130 million cloth-diapered children

Pampers Magic Knickers, costing 12 cents a diaper, is going to make its way to India soon.  While this doesn’t seem like big news, you have to consider that most Indian consumers use cloth diapers.

If you read between the line, Proctor and Gamble is actively seeking to market to traditional cloth diaper users, offering them a “cheap and easy” alternative.

Do you know what I think?  P&G is seeing how the modern cloth diaper is gaining popularity in the US and other countries with convenient laundry access.  Now, they are targeting India with their most inexpensive diaper.  Indian consumers may not be able to afford an 18.00 cloth diaper, but if it came to a choice between traditional cloth diapering and home laundering and a .12 disposable, they may choose the disposable.

If all 130 million cloth diapered babies in India switched to disposables this would equal 780 billion disposable diapers used.*

I came across a blog with an entry titled “The Nappy Confusion” that had the breakdown of cloth diapers versus disposables in India.  (I highly suggest reading the entire post for perspective, as well as the comments) Disposables at the time of the post (2007) cost 1,500 Rs per month.  In US dollars that is 33.50.  I don’t know about you but 33 dollars a month isn’t too far off what Americans spend, yet the cost of living is vastly different in the India.  I imagine for many Indians 33.00 a month is far too much, which is why cloth diapers are the norm.  Many Indians use old clothing or cotton and make their own diapers, which means the diapers are virtually free.

I do not profess to be an expert on diapering needs in India, but I do see the underhanded motives of P&G and the effect that disposable diapers  could potentially have on the health and environment of a country.  I only hope that tradition and frugality will win over “convenience”

*numbers based on Real Diaper Association’s estimate that the average baby will use 6,000 diapers over the course of 2 years.

Today I was checking my facebook and on the right side I saw a sponsored ad for Pampers:

I was already having a bad day, and this sent me over the edge.  If it is to be taken literally, they are donating (1) singular disposable diaper per fan.  According to their fan page (of which I am definitely not a fan of!) they will donate up to 200,000 diapers.  So, lets say they reach their goal.  And, let me first tell you I am not a math whiz…..  so if you find fault with my numbers remember I was have a degree in History!

200,000 disposable diapers.

I am using the number 10- 10 diaper changes a day.

How many babies do you suspect they can diaper?

55 babies for 1 year.

That’s right, they can diaper a whopping 55 babies for a year with 200,000 disposables.

Let’s dive further into this word problem:

The cost of a pack of Pampers Cruisers size 3 costs 21.99 on multiple websites I have found.  Each pack has 52 diapers.

The grand total of their contribution- retail value- is………… drumroll please…………

$84,676!

Now, I am going to use Econobum as my model for this exercise.  The full kit costs 49.95 for 3 one size covers and 12 prefolds.  Granted, 12 prefolds for a newborn won’t go far, but you can wash daily for a while.

Guess how many babies you could cloth diaper with $84, 676 if you purchased each one an Econobum kit?

Ready………

1, 691!!!!

And, assuming the diapers and covers last, this number could be multiplied times two, or three… or more.  Cloth diapers get passed on to siblings, family, get sold online or locally, or given away/ donated.

This is all quick math, and obviously there are other circumstances.  Econobum, in my opinion, won’t fit a newborn.  So other cloth diapers or newborn disposables would be needed until they fit.  My main point is this:

“Give a family a pack of disposables, diaper a baby for a week.  Give a family a cloth diaper kit, diaper a baby(s) for a lifetime.”

For the record, this ad is not geared towards Haiti relief.  Many people who saw my Facebook status remarked about the lack of water to wash diapers, sanitary issues etc.  I am not getting into that, though as the lovely Upstatemomof3 from Our Life Upstate pointed out, “If the orphanage in Ethiopia can cloth diaper fifteen babies without a washing machine there really is no excuse that seems reasonable to me as to why cloth diapering does not work for some.”  And she should know!  She traveled with cloth diapers and used them in Ethiopia.

This post has been submitted to the ParentingbyNature blog contest.  I wrote this post and decided after the fact that it would be a perfect fit.  I am really proud of this particular post, and when I wrote it I was almost crying!  I hope if my post is selected as a finalist that you will vote for me.  Thank you!

Many of you know that I attended ABC Kids Expo this year. Attending also gave me the unique opportunity to attend the RDIA‘s (Real Diaper Industry Association) keynote meeting as press. I live tweeted the event as much as possible, but missed quite a bit since my son was a tad cranky. We were out of our time zone and things were just difficult. The fact that Pampers has been slyly dropping “facts” about cloth diapers being bad for our babies (see this post) made me think back to Jen’s, creator of Bum Genius and Cotton Babies, outgoing keynote speech at that meeting. Jen was the Chairperson of the RDIA and gave the reigns over to Leah Carter who is the woman behind Better for Babies (Little Beetle cloth diapers).

Jen gets loads of credit for helping usher in the modern cloth diaper revolution. Without her Bum Genius 3.0, and now the supremely affordable Econobum line and versatile Flip line, some parents may have never even heard of cloth diapers or attempted them. I began with Bum Genius 3.0′s because of their rave reviews on Diaper Pin. I was able to convince my husband to cloth diaper after showing him the 3.0′s that I purchased in North Carolina. My first brand new cloth diaper purchase; it felt so good and I fondled them forever. I put them on a teddy bear while I anxiously awaited the birth of my son. My point is the Bum Genius is a household name for cloth diapers. Ask any cd’ing mama if they have heard of them and they say yes. You can find them at some Targets even!

In the speech Jen made she notes a few things that could be coming for the industry. First, that disposable diaper companies will be (and obviously already are) taking notice of the cloth diaper industry. This means a few things. One, that they will step up their efforts to slander cloth diapers by releasing either bogus and unverified scientific evidence about the healthiness of their diapers and the harmfulness of cloth. This is evident in the Pampers quotes. Two, that they may even try to fund (and influence) studies to back up these claims. This isn’t unheard of; already there are studies claiming that disposables are no worse or even better than cloth diapers on the environment. This study says the water used to wash diapers and the manufacturing of the diapers is just as bad as throwing THOUSANDS of diapers in the landfill. Third, that if they can’t beat them, they may join them. Meaning, big companies like P&G could begin making their own cloth diapers or buy out an existing smaller cloth diaper company. This one actually scares me the most. I shudder at the thought of a behemoth company making cloth diapers. I love supporting cloth diaper companies because the majority of them are small, family run, companies started by Stay at Home Moms. Even the larger companies like Bum Genius are still run by the orginal creator. Jen’s story is pretty amazing. She started her company from nothing and is now the most recognized cloth diaper brand. No matter what you think about her, her company, or her diaper you have to respect her commitment, business savvy, and ability to start so many families on cloth diapers. We were a Bum Genius family, and still use them as the workhorse of out stash. There are plenty of diapers I like more, and plenty I like less.

What I am trying to convey is that cloth diapers are making a come back.  If P&G, a multi-million dollar company, is shaking in their boots about what this means for their profits then we know we are on to something.  Getting the message out about our “real” diapers is crucial.  The more they slander cloth diapers, the more we have to praise them.  Think back to when you began researching cloth diapers.  What if you heard that they weren’t really that great for the environment.  Would you have believed that?  Maybe.  Or what if you were told cloth diapers would give your child a cold or impair their ability to learn.  A little crazy but you didn’t know any better.  Maybe you would have thought twice about cloth diapers.  Just maybe, you would have picked up a box of Pampers.  We have to spread the message more to combat these falsities and outright lies.  If our community bands together and continues converting moms, aiding them in their research, showing off our diapers at play groups, changing our babies in public, putting our babies in baby legs and cute fluff, and evangelizing on Twitter, Facebook, Mommy Forums, and blogs, we can grow our grassroots cloth campaign.  We are all onto something great that is bigger than ourselves.  I know this sounds overdramatic, but I am extremely proud of our cloth diapering community.  We help one another, we care about the earth, our babies, and the futire.  We have begun a new era, but we have also come full circle.  Our grandmothers didn’t have a choice but we do.

I want to quote Erin Kimmet, creator and President of Thirsties, who said this in a Q&A I had with her (not published yet but I have to share this now. I love it) “I hope that when my kids have kids of their own, and when my grandkids have kids, they will refer to the past 30 years in history as the diaper-dark-ages! And they can brag about how their mom was a part of the diaper revolution!”

Viva la Cloth!  Viva la Revolution!

Did you know that one of the causes of colds in babies is the wetness that cloth diapers cannot absorb?  With Pampers disposable diapers, your baby can stay dry all night and is less likely to get a cold than he would with cloth diapers.

That’s because Pampers diapers absorb and lock away 100 times more wetness than cloth diapers do.

Keeping skin in its perfect, natural state.

This was allegedly excerpted verbatim from an online survery about Pampers on an unnamed survey site.

There are so many things wrong with this statement. I will dissect it.
“…one of the causes of colds in babies is the wetness that cloth diapers cannot absorb…”
Colds are caused by GERMS. Babies catch germs from their environment.
“cannot abosorb”
This is implying that the cloth diapers are not even taking wetness in. What I’m sure they meant to say is that disposable diapers have a stay dry layer. What, what was that? This just in: SO DO MANY VARIETIES OF CLOTH DIAPERS! Suedecloth and microfleece wick moisture away from baby’s skin. While cloth diapers are only as good as the materials used to make them, those materials are predominately found in nature and not a chemistry lab; they are plenty aborbent enough that the baby will not be laying in a pool of urine come morning time.
“…your baby can stay dry all night and is less likely to get a cold than he would with cloth diapers.”
Your baby can also stay dry all night long in cloth diapers. I will admit that night time cloth diapering can be a challenge for many families, but this doesn’t mean that there is no way to acheive success. I don’t even use cloth diapers with stay dry liners at night. I have used prefolds and fitteds, both of which usually leave wetness against the baby. And yes, that diaper stays on him for 10-12 hours. My baby has not gotten a cold yet this season, and I am sure the cold he got last year was not a cloth diaper related one. I am almost positive, since that time last year we were using disposable diapers for some of our night time diapering needs while I battled repelling issues with my pocket diapers.

I also want to note that our babies sleep indoors where it is warm.  Do your babies sleep in tents outside?  My baby sleeps in a comfortably heated bedroom with fleece pajamas.  The temperature outside may get well below freezing but he is dry, he is comfortable, he is leak free, and most importantly, he has never caught a “cloth diaper cold.” Edited to add:It was brought to my attention that it is just not possible to get a cold from being wet and in freezing temperatures. This is surely uncomfortable, but even if that were true that is a far cry from a wet cloth diaper overnight in a warm room.

Methinks Pampers is threatened by the rise of the “real” diaper.  What do you think?  If you are upset by this new marketing ploy there are many ways to reach Pampers.

***I did not personally see this quote on the webpage and cannot verify it as true.  However the tipster has no reason to falsify this information and believe it to be true.

By Phone:

(1-800-PAMPERS (726-7377)

By Written mail:

Attn: Pampers
The Procter & Gamble Company
PO Box 599
Cincinnati OH 45202

Twitter:

http://twitter.com/Pampersvillage

And email:

Pampers Customer Service Form

Edited to Add Thanks to the commenter Cloth Diapers for Us made I decided to track down the Nigerian article about cloth diapers. This made the rounds of twitter a while back. Basically, Pampers had a promotional tour to debut a new 3- Way Fit disposable. The claim made was that “Studies by child psychology experts he said shows that, ‘As babies embrace new movement and play ideas, their creativity increases through body movements and expression’”

How does this relate to cloth diapers? “Pampers is endorsed by the Pediatrics Association of Nigeria and recent studies with global academic experts show that Pampers delivers superior sleep quality over cloth diapers, resulting in babies’ improved learning and social interaction.”

Another absurd cloth diaper claim. Pampers has claimed that cloth diapers contribute to babies catching colds, and that children in cloth diapers develop at a slower rate (or fail to thrive) than children in disposable diapers. My son can get around quite well in his diapers, and he is a social butterfly. I guess all of our cloth diapered babies should just be sent to the “special school” because they have been severely impaired by cloth diapers. PSHAW.
You can read the entire article here: Vanguard: P&G Introduces Pampers 3 Way Fit Diapers.