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SALT LAKE CITY -- Angry mothers say a new line of diapers is causing severe, painful burns on their babies' bottoms, and they want the diapers dumped.
The diapers in question are the new Pampers Dry Max Swaddlers and Dry Max Cruisers. The manufacturer says the product has been thoroughly tested and is safe, but the federal government is getting involved.
When it comes to diapers, many moms are choosing disposable over cloth. They say you just can't beat the convenience.
Alissa Worthing agrees. The busy, working mom has used Pampers in the past. Last month, she bought her first box of Pampers Dry Max.
"The minute we opened the box, I would tell there was something was different," Alissa says. "There was this overwhelming chemically, perfumey smell."
Within hours of putting a new diaper on her son, Alissa says he began to scream.
"One diaper and his skin was broken, red and clearly itchy and distressing to him," she says.
Alissa immediately stopped using the product. She went online and found other parents posting complaints, even pictures of their babies' raw, irritated bottoms on Facebook.
"I was not a Facebook user. I resisted it for years, but I saw that the moms seemed to be congregating on Facebook to share their stories, so I joined Facebook," Alissa says.
The makers of Pampers say they're getting a bum rap, that this new diaper is completely safe. In a statement, the company calls these complaints "completely false rumors fueled by social media."
The company says these rumors are being "perpetrated by a small number of parents" who have an ulterior motive. A pediatrician speaking on Pampers' behalf calls them online Facebook activists who are making unsubstantiated claims and creating an urban myth.
That response really annoys Alissa.
"The general sense of real disrespect that they are showing to mommas who have paid a premium and been very loyal to their product, to not admit that there's even a possibility that there would be a problem!" Alissa says.
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission is investigating a handful of Pampers complaints. However, diaper rash is common. If it is deep red, hot to the touch, blistering or oozing, you should get it checked immediately.
