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Pampers Cruisers Dry Max and Diaper Rash

Have you or someone you know experienced a diaper rash  or chemical burn from the new Pampers Dry Max which hit stores in March 2010?

Moms are buzzing on the Internet, at the playground, and at the grocery store with speculation that perhaps their toddler’s horrific diaper rash is caused from their recent switch to the recently introduced Dry Max formula for Pampers.

I’m anxious to learn more information from Parents, the media, doctors, dermatologists, and Proctor & Gamble.   The most alarming and unusual buzz seems to be surrounding the severity of the diaper rash that is impacting some children. Blistering, bleeding, and painful rash that is nothing like an ordinary diaper rash the child has ever experienced before.

A class action law suit is being filed against Pampers (Proctor & Gamble). For Moms seeking information and hoping to share any rash stories or seek advice — 2 very active Facebook pages have been created where Moms are collaborating and gallvanizing for a Recall and to bring back the old formula.

I first heard about Pampers Cruisers Dry Max causing a rash in my girlfriend Carly’s 17 month old daughter 2 weeks ago before I read about all these stories online. I thought it was likely just a random story from a sudden sensitivity to a specific brand – which I’ve heard happens to a lot of kids and Pediatricians will advise trying to switch diaper brands to see if it helps.

Ironically, I told my friend Carly that Kyle is doing great on the new Pampers,but how Pampers caused a rash in Kyle when he was about 4 months old and graduated from Swaddlers to Cruisers. Right away, I noticed the Pampers vs. Huggies caused a rash for whateverreason. (Rash quickly resolved when I switched to Huggies) I’m not sure if diapers really were the ultimate cause of his rash or not -since around the same time he was developing eczema and an egg allergy so he had a bunch of issues.

But, to play it safe, instead of switching brands like I normally did, I became brand loyal to Huggies for the next 18+ months up until the launch of Pampers Dry Max when I was given a free sample box to test out. Since Kyle was just over 2 at the time, I figured we’d give my sample package a go. He was fine on the diapers and I loved them as they were indeed a little thinner and yet very absorbent.

Now I’ve been buying both Huggies Little Movers and Pampers Cruisers Dry Max depending on my coupons since March 2010 and Kyle sleeps in a Huggies Overnight Diaper. Kyle is doing fine and has had no significant diaper rashes that are unusual for him – just an occasional red flare (after an especially poopy day!) that resolves with usually one application of triple paste.

What’s going on with your kids?  Please share any info in the comments.

29 thoughts on “Pampers Cruisers Dry Max and Diaper Rash”

  1. My daughter 14 months….had experienced a horrible diaper rash since Pampers switched formulas. I was perplexed but then started hearing stories of other moms. She had huge welts that looked horrible and would bleed. This went on for weeks! I then switched to the regular pampers that do not have the same formula as the cruisers and the blisters and welts had a noticable difference in 24 hours. within 48 hours they were just red marks and 72 hours they were pretty much gone. We have been a pampers user for 7 years with all three children. I was sad that my little girl had to experience this!

  2. Before all of the information came out, Meghan was wearing the new Pampers and she was having crazy diaper rashes. I wasn’t sure what was going on. She is on a completely liquid diet (through a gastrostomy feeding tube) so right away I knew it wasn’t a food allergy. I just switched to Luvs and the doctor said to put some cream on it.

    She’d never had a rash before. She was cloth diapered for a long time, I kind of wish I could go back… but we’re REALLY hoping she’ll be potty trained soon. The rash totally did not help with potty training though. 🙁

  3. We use the Dri Max (since you can’t fine anything else) at night – just one a day . . .and so far we haven’t noticed anything. . .but Owen is prone to a yeast-infection type diaper rash when his teeth push through. . .

    i have a few thoughts on this issue – could it be parents are leaving their kids in dirty diapers longer because the absorbancy is so good? Or could it be a reaction with urine/feces?

    i am interested to see how this all plays out – and how Pampers handles the less than favorable press they are receiving. . .just what we moms need after the Tylenol debacle. . .

    Hillary

  4. I have almost exclusively used Pampers with all 3 of my daughters. In May, I noticed that the packaging was different for the Pampers Cruisers, but didn’t give it much thought. My daughter began having a diaper rash that would not get any better (a couple of weeks). It wasn’t blistering or bleeding like I’ve heard from others, but it was very red and obviously painful. I was very diligent about changing her quickly and not leaving her in a wet diaper. Nothing had changed in her diet. When I purchased diapers again the store was restocking and out of the size I needed so I purchased a different brand. A couple of days later a friend of mine posted something about Pampers Dry Max causing chemical burns. My daughters rash had cleared up with the new diapers, but I didn’t instantly put the two together. I went back to check and see if the last bag of diapers were “Dry Max” and they were. I have not had any issues with a diaper rash with the other brand and I’ve been using them for a week. I’m not just jumping on the bandwagon regarding this issue. I’ve always loved Pampers, but I will not be purchasing anymore of the Dry Max diapers. I’m not willing to risk my 10 month old, who does have sensitve skin, breaking out in the same type rash again.

  5. I have been using pampers since my 16 month old daughter was born and fell in love with them. They are thin and do the trick. Now that pampers changed their diapers “cruisers” and “swaddlers” to the dry max, my daughter almost instantly developed not only a severe diaper rash but pimples all over her waist and bottom area. In only took a day and the rash started bleeding in certain places. We stopped the pampers dry max and the diaper rash and break out went away. I am going to have to try another brand. I wish pampers would go back to the way they were, if its not broke, don’t fix it.

  6. My past experience with diaper rash was a little red, a little ointment, a day later (or less) it’s gone. My daughter is now 9 1/2 months old and has had two breakouts of extreme diaper rash, both since we began using the dry max pampers. The first I blamed on an extra poopy day. When the second occurred within a months time, I knew something else was going on. She was in so much pain, she couldn’t take being cleaned. I couldn’t stand watching her scream and tremble on the changing table. I immediately stopped using the dry max diapers and bought all the old formula pampers I could find.

    We had a well-check at the height of the second rash and were told to apply vaseline before the rash ointment. It seamed to sooth my daughter better, but the rash took 9+ days to clear up. Near day 5 we would see the redness diminish and blister patches appear. Maybe the acidity level is increased by the dry max pampers. My daughter can’t eat pineapple yet because she gets a red splotchy spot on her face. ??

    My last comment is about leaks. My first daughter rarely had leaks with pampers until she turned 3 and had so much volume during the night. We used a night time diaper and had no more leaks. This child began having leaks a few times a week after starting on the new dry max pampers.

    I have never considered using another brand, but for the health of my little girls bottom I’ll use whatever I have to when my ‘old’ pampers supply runs out.

  7. Huggies changed their formula this year and my daughter has a diaper rash in the shape of her diaper and it is bad!! Huggies and Pampers must have changed formulas at the same time to compete! We used the pampers now that arent dry max. They dont have the funky smell the other diapers have! You can definetly smeel the change in them!

  8. One more thing.. My daughter had a yeast infection that was hard to get rid of but when we put this new formula diapers on her it ate up the yeast infection but made her miserable with a terrible raised rash! So something is really wrong when a diaper rash would eat a yeast infection and make my daughter red as a beet! The rash looks like a red diaper all the way around her like a diaper!

  9. Yes, oh yes, I’ve noticed this also, it’s true. My daughter 15mths old, has developed a terrible rash just now. I’ve always used Pampers on her, since they’re the best in my opinion, but unfortunately I will have to stop using the dry max. She has no other ailments, I change her, I put on a protectorant and still?? what can you do but change brands/diapers?

  10. So, i only read a few of these comments, however i noticed one said could it be parents leaving their children in the diapers longer because they hold more, i didnt even notice pampers changed their cruisers to a new formula, my daughter started getting a rash, so we started changing her every time it was even a little wet, we have been changing her every hour( 2 if there isnt anything in it at all) and ive been applying cream every change, her rash has been getting worse, my child has NEVER had a rash like this the odd redenned bum, but not bumpy blister like rashe covering her bottom and on her inner thigh too, i just got told about the cruisers change but im pretty convinced this must be it, ive changed diapers now so we will have to see if her rash will get better now, its already been a week and there has been no improvment. I will keep everyone posted on the new diapers and how well the plan works.

  11. I’ve always used Pampers and have loved them. However, once the switch to dry max, my son within a day had a nasty blistery rash. He never gets diaper rashes. I tried everything over the counter and finally went to the doctor and they had been seeing lots of similar cases. They gave me an antibiotic creme and it cleared. I have now gone to Huggies, don’t like them as much but what other choice is there. I change my son frequently and didn’t treat the dry max diaper any different. I wish they’d go back to the old. They sent me free coupons, but I can’t stand the product.

  12. I have been using Pampers from day 1 on my daughter who will be 1 in a few days. Every now and then I would use Huggies and my daughter has never ever experienced any type of diaper rash from either brand. I saw on the news that an angry mom accused Pampers Dry Max of causing a severe diaper rash on her baby. Honestly speaking, I thought that maybe the mom didn’t change the diapers often enough. So when I went shopping for more diapers, I was ready to grab Pampers, but noticed that they only carried the new Pampers Dry Max. I figured they wouldn’t do any harm, nothing had ever happened before. Unfortunately, as a result of using Pampers Dry Max my poor daughter is now experiencing an angry diaper rash. Nothing else has changed except those darn Pampers. I am now using Huggies from now on. After reading all these posts and several others, Pampers should definitely pull their new formula Pampers Dry Max.

  13. My 13 month old developed a severe rash after a couple of days with the dry max. The skin actually became raw and started bleeding… never had a diaper rash like this before. The doctor is treating it with Silvadene because he says it looks like a burn. I am outraged to hear that other parents are experiencing the same problems and the diapers have not been recalled. Also that pampers are blaming parents for this. Meanwhile, my son screams and shakes from pain when I have to change him. How many more kids have to go through this?

  14. It is NOT just Pampers! It is Huggies Snug & Dry too! My almost 11-month-old son has never had a diaper rash like what he has now! There are little blisters and it looks raw and irritated and it is also peeling!

    He used to be on Pampers. Pampers Baby Dry, Dry Max, Cruisers, Swaddlers…etc. We never had a problem.

    His grandmother bought a small package of Huggies with Winnie The Pooh on them. I really began to like them better! So she goes out and buys the bigger box of them, but these have Disney characters (Mickey Mouse, etc.) on them and he just started having this AWFUL and PAINFUL rash since then!

    I was thinking about going back to the Pampers we used before, but I do not want his rash to get worse due to all the problems that they are having. Maybe I will try Luvs or Pampers Cruisers?

    This is terrible and it is NOT the parents, it is the responsibility of PAMPERS and HUGGIES!!! :/

  15. All of these comments have really helped me! Thank you! I am a first time mom of a beautiful 10 week old and recently switched to Pamper’s dry max (from swaddlers) due to her sleeping through the night. She has never had any rash until now, she’s got an awful dry red rash in the crease between her vagina and thighs and is now getting red around her vagina. I’ve been making sure she is dry before putting any cream or another diaper on and then layering A+D ointment on her and nothing is helping! I loved pampers swaddlers! My two neices and my nephew wore them and my daughter for the first couple of months and had never had any problem until she started wearing dry max! We will definitely be switching to something else until papmers gets rid of these horrible diapers!

  16. My baby developed her first diaper rash and I as well have been using pampers since day one and once the switch to dry max the problems begin!!! Omg so she gets over a bad diaper rash and now almost looks like a verrrrry very bad burn! I am so upset because my baby is in so much pain

  17. I have been using Costco diapers since son’s birth. Someone gave me the Dry Max diapers for my shower gift. Never had a rash in his life until using Dry Max. Sadly, I wouldn’t use these diapers…even if they are FREE! I’ll never buy Pampers again. How arrogant that they haven’t recalled their defective product. WTHeck? Are we all lying???

  18. My son has the worst diaper rash ever and we recently started using pampers cruisers with dry max. It is so bad that a couple spots are bleeding. Tonight I noticed a rash on his upper right leg in spot that the diapers was rubbing against. I will never buy these diapers again!

  19. Oh my gosh! Every comment I read seemed like our situation. As first time parents, we turned to Pampers, a trusted brand, and then moved from Pamper Swaddlers to Cruisers with Dry Max. My little boy at 13 months had what we believed to be a reaction to tomato soup. Within 30 minutes he had a poopy diaper and an inflamed bottom. We couldn’t wipe him or he’d cry and scream. We put him in a bath with baking soda for a week and it finally tapered off. Shortly after he developed eczema. We constantly have breakouts of diaper rashes and each time they get worse. From what I’ve read and from what we’ve experienced, I think we’re switching to Huggies. It seems obvious to me that the dry max is causing the problems. I can’t keep torturing my child with these diapers. Too bad, pampers was part of our family tradition.

  20. My son and daughter-in-law left my grandson in my care while they were on business for a week and he developed terrible red diaper rash for the first time. Before my son left, he bought a huge box of Pampers Dry Max. He has two severe red strips on each side of his buttocks and he developed a fine rash at his waist. I have used vaseline and crisco (recommended by his pediatrician’s nurse) in addition to a hydrocortisone cream with an antifungal cream which were prescribed for him. I am taking him off the Dry Max and see what happens. Would a class action be appropriate?

  21. I have had diaper rash issues also! My son is almost 6 months old. The first time was months ago with some Luv’s that someone gave me. They had a blue strip on the inside that I suppose was to be more absorbent. Switched away from those, diaper rash got better.
    Then, I was using Huggies, and DS started getting a rash around his thigh, I think from the rubbing. He is too small for cruisers, but I thought, let’s try Pampers since they are a good brand and maybe they are cut differently. Didn’t know anything about Dry Max. Diaper rash immediately developed when I used those. So I bought Pampers Swaddlers for sensitive skin. Rash has not diminished. Overnight, the rash gets worse and is all over diaper area. I am convinced that there is something in the Pampers diaper that just reacts with his skin. He is prone to eczema, but doesn’t have major issues with skin sensitivity. I think I am going to look for a store brand. Any recommendations?

  22. My 3 week old daughter is experiencing the same rash that others have described as a result of Pampers Swaddlers with Dry Max. Her rash is bright red and inflamed, along with pimple-like spots throughout her diaper area. She is my third child, and I have NEVER seen a diaper rash like this. It occurred 2 days after we began using this brand. I am disgusted and outraged that they are still on the market with all these complaints.

  23. I decided to try Pampers Cruisers when my daughter turned one year old. We’d been using the Pampers Dry ever since she was too big for the Swaddlers. Two days after changing to the Cruisers I started seeing red bumps around her private area. Then more bumps and the skin got raw. After a few days it looked like a 3rd degree burn. I called my doctor’s office and they thought it sounded like a rash with yeast and gave me a formula to mix an ointment I was to put on for several days. It didn’t help but the rash got worse. After a little more than a week we went to the doctor. She said she had never see anything as awful as that and they took a bunch of tests. Meanwhile she prescribed an ointment that we were supposed to apply 4 times / day. The recovery was slow. It wasn’t until I stopped using the Cruisers I could actually say I saw a different. Needless to say, I’m NEVER buying the Cruisers again and this weekend I’m going out shopping for small boxes of different brands to try out. Pampers has lost yet another cusotmer. Sad though, I loved the Swaddlers…

    • Snopes may declare it false and a rumor; but those of us that have had to watch our little ones suffer in agony over what these diapers cause is not false. I am a mother of three and grandmother of four and I have been using pampers for over 35 years. The first day I put a pampers cruiser with dry max on my grandchild she broke out. By the second diaper change, and she was just damp; the rash was so sore she cried when I cleaned her and she was most definately in pain. I didn’t have any cloth diapers so I improvised and used a tea towel. Within the first 6 hours there was a drastic improvement on how red the rash was. After the rash healed I thought I would try them again in case their were other factors and again within her first wet diaper she had another rash. So believe what you want but if one baby suffers because of dry max that is one too many.

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