Feds Probe Pampers Diaper Rash Complaints

(AP)  Government safety officials are looking into a handful of reports of severe rashes caused by new types of Pampers diapers.

The Consumer Product Safety Commission started an investigation this week following complaints of babies and toddlers suffering severe and persistent diaper rashes and blisters that resemble chemical burns.

In March, Procter & Gamble launched new versions of its Swaddlers and Cruisers diapers in the U.S. The thinner diapers use the company's Dry Max technology to replace the paper pulp previously used. Parents' groups blame the change for skin problems.

The company denies that Dry Max causes chemical burns.

"There is no evidence from the people that have called us - or from the research that we have done - that a single baby has experienced a skin safety issue as a result of our Pampers with Dry Max," the Cincinnati-based company said in a statement.

A Facebook page asking the company to bring back the older versions of its diapers has more than 4,000 members.

CPSC spokesman Scott Wolfson encouraged parents to report any problems to the agency, which he said has received only a handful of reports so far. Wolfson said the investigation is in its early stages and the agency is seeking as much information as possible.

"We would like parents and caregivers to report to CPSC if they feel that their baby has been affected by this issue," he said. "It's so important for it to come directly to us."

Procter & Gamble has shared all of its existing safety data with CPSC, said company spokesman Bryan McCleary.

"We're happy to work with them to clear up any misconceptions or misleading information that might exist," he added.

[vavoomy]

My 6 month old has NEVER had a diaper rash before I started using Pampers this week. I had always used Luvs or Huggies. I bought Pampers recently when I had a great coupon. I always assummed they were better because they were more expensive. This rash is horrible and obviously very painful. No type of ointment seems to help. Luckily someone told me about this story. I am returning the Papmers and their wipes today. It's amazing that corporations put profits before the health and safety of thier customes, especially babies.

[blueyediva1206]

Luvs and Pampers are the same diaper. They are manufactured by the same company. Not changing diaper's frequently, your baby's skin not being kept dry and clean is what causes a diaper rash. Diapers themselves do not cause a rash.

[winkertehpenguin]

This ticks me off. My daughter uses Pampers and she has had really bad diaper rash that looks like it goes away and then doesn't. My boyfriend just told me that it looks like a chemical burn. Needless to say, we will not be using Pampers anymore.

[tchelle87]

Hi my name is Trisha I have a 14 month old we were using luvs for a while and switched back to pampers and now my 14 month old has terrible diaper rash. He has never had diaper rash before.

[blueyediva1206]

Luvs & Pampers are the same diaper. They are manufactured by the same exact company.

[violabrooke]

hi, i know i seem really out of the loop but, after talking to a friend about and issue i had back in may with my daughter she told me about this whole pampers issue. believe it or not i had no IDEA!

my daughter is 17 months and i have been using huggies for well over a year. my mother watches her during the week and had purchased a pack of pampers because she had a coupon. my daughter had NEVER had any sort of diaper rash!the first day she used the new diapers i noticed dark marks on her inner thighs the which looked to be bruising along with a raging diaper rash. my mother and myself thought the dark marks on the inner thighs could be from her clothing/diaper being wet and immediately tried to clean the area, gave her a bath etc. we gave it another day and it still with several baths etc. hadn't gone awa along with the HORRIBLE rash!! i contacted my pediatrician who was alarmed with the bruising issue more than the rash. he told me to go immediately to the hospital for stat bloodwork due to some conditions that could cause this bruising. i rushed my daughter to the hosp. crying the whole way! it was very traumatic for the both of us!!! a 17 month child having to get bloodwork is HORRIBLE!!! we then went from the hosp. straight to the pediatrician who then told me all bloodwork was normal! thank god!!!! he gave me a prescription for the rash and told me to watch the marks on her inner thighs. my mother and myself could not figure out what could cause this. the next day i told my mother just to see what happens switch back to the huggies, by the end of the day the rash was looking better and by the next day the rash was almost gone and the dark marks were fading. it took a few days but, after the switch back to huggies everything has resolved. she is doing great! THANK GOD!!!

just thought i'd share....i am also very upset by this! people/the press etc. shouldn't act like this is "no big deal" b/c look what i had to put my daughter/myself/my mother through due to this issue!!! it is ABSOLUTELY what caused these issues with her!!!!!

it is disgusting the way these certain individuals are down playing this considering the innocent children are the ones having to go the painful rash, doc. visits, meds., hosp. visits etc.

i intend to go ahead with this issue after reading the way pampers is handling this. i am def. filing a complaint!!!!!!

[Lorannah]

I find it a shame that pampers has changed their formula which has lead to so many complaints. My daughter also suffered from a severe rash after the new diapers came out. I googled the problem and that's when I heard other moms having the same worries as me. There is a debate on anotherdayanotherdiaper-mom.blogspot.com. I have changed to Huggies and really like them.

[kyleighsmom09]

i was unaware of this story until this past weekend. my 1 year old baby has had a severe diaper rash for over 2 weeks now. we have tried every ointment you can find over the counter, with no luck. also took her to the doctor and got prescription ointment and haven't had much luck with it either. i have thought this whole time that i had done something wrong. then a friend brought this to my attention and i was in shock. the thought of it being her diapers had never crossed my mind because she has been wearing pampers since she was born. i have since changed her diaper brand and her rash has gotten somewhat better but this has only been a little over a day. going to take her back to the doctor tomorrow to see if maybe there is something they can do to help heal her faster. its bad when you feel like an awful parent to change your baby's diaper because you know it hurts them. her poor bottom has gotten to where she bleeds when i wipe her.

now i'm even more shocked to see that pampers/proctor and gamble aren't going to take the blame for it. this is ridiculous. you would think they would be concerned for their consumers, especially with it being babies and small children. of course they are only looking out for their cash flow. sad. i hope they pay for what they have done to my baby and all the other children out there. i have filed my report with the CPSC and proctor and gamble will hear from me first thing tomorrow! i'm doing everything i can to make others around me aware of this issue to keep other children from having to go through what my child is going through right now! not only have i raised this child but i have 2 older children and i know what a diaper rash looks like. this is far worse from any diaper rash i have e!er seen. and you can't tell me that this is 'normal!'

i'm with pkbab5...i am a REAL mother with a REAL daughter that developed a very REAL and very SEVERE diaper rash from YOUR "dry max" diapers!!! fix the problem!

[srhodes0330]

My son is 7 months old and i have been using pampers with him since he has been born.. But i tried the Dry Max diapers not knowing about what was happening and 2 days after i put him in them blisters started popping up on him like a diaper rash but it looked more like a burn.. I tried to contact pampers but was told that since there was no recall then i should still keep using them.. Obviously i didn't but what i did do was just try huggies. My concern now is if there really is a chemical that caused my sons skin reaction what do i do now and i have a package of 100 unopened unused diapers that i would like reimbursed!! Diapers are not cheap and i want answers!!

[nthair30030]

i have been knowing for years that HUGGIES and PAMPERS have been causing diaper rash. if you don't believe me, just switch to a cloth diaper or one with natural fibers, you can buy them on amazon, and see the diaper rash either reduce or completely disappear.
I used a store brand diaper when my daughter was an infant because i did not buy pampers, she had zero diaper rash, but as soon as she started pottie training and i bought HUGGIES, she got an awful diaper rash. i threw the pack away after only using 3 or 4 and realize that it was the brand of pull ups, then the rash disappeared.
HUGGIES AND PAMPERS CAUSES DIAPER RASH, SWITCH TO CLOTH DIAPERS, SPEND MORE TIME POTTIE TRAINING AND YOU'LL BECOME LESS DEPENDENT ON THEM, AND THINK ABOUT SWITCHING TO BRANDS LIKE NATRACARE OR OTHERS with natural fibers. my daughter is 14 so i have been knowing about this for over 10 yrs.

[Missyzeeee]

Back in the 80's I had the same problem with their sanitary products! Same symptoms! I incurred medical costs associated with it and I was a kid without insurance! After several letters to P&G, they pretty much told me I wasn't changing them often enough, even though I was changing several times a day, because of the irritation! They even had my Dr. report! All I wanted was for them to pay the Dr.s bill....I KNEW it was their fault!

Babies are another story! Good thing they pissed me off before I had kids! I no longer use Procter and Gamble products because of that!

[ahancock216]

My daughter was using Pampers when she was first born up until she was about 2 months old. She started developing an AWFUL rash on her bottom that was almost like a burn and when I asked her doctor about it, he said it must just be high levels of protein in her BM's that are causing it. Well I was doing everything from blow drying her butt to keep it dry and cool and using medications to clear this up and nothing worked. I was almost in tears a few times just becaues it was so bad. Finally, it started to show signs of getting better so I laid off the remedies and immediately it got worse again. I'm so glad I switched to Huggies. She has been diaper rash free since then (minus the occasional red butt which I think resulted from her skin being super sensitive after the Pampers mishap) and I could not be happier. Im glad I read this article because it makes me that much happier that I switched.

[myisland2]

My granddaughter has worn Pampers since the day she was born and recently started to develop a terrible diaper rash that we could not clear up. We tried everything including prescribed medications. I had wondered if the new diapers were causing the problem, but decided we needed to be more diligent about changing her more frequently. This past weekend, my son-in-law said he had read something about this so I went to the store and bought another brand of diapers. In less than 36 hours after changing brands of diapers, a diaper rash that she has had for more than a month is completely gone. Pampers needs to revisit their research.

[ethansmom71]

Our situation exactly! I feel better knowing we are not the only ones! I agree about Pampers needing to do more research.

[evans2419]

i have grand babies,frist time was my 2 year old grandduother,got this harebal rash it dident even look like a rash i know or seen,but i told my family its something in them dipers,went to the dr it was so bad,dr said change the dipers,now my 6 mos old grand is suffering from it,she is on the way to the dr,and papers dont care how these babies are suffering,and dont want to fix the problem, we all need to sew them ,and maybe they will fix it,stop using pampers save the childern,i want to see who is takeing law suites for this iss,god bless us all from all this evil =