Not long ago I shared with you the story of my friend and her experience with the new Dry Max diapers and the terrible rash her baby endured.  I also pointed you to the facebook page demanding the old Pampers back.  After that story posted their numbers doubled, and soon after major networks and websites picked the story up!  I would like to think I had a little something to do with that!

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.