Procter & Gamble's Pampers and Mommy & Daddy Bloggers Are At Odds

by Janis Brett Elspas

MommyBlogExpert.blogspot.com

After reading the story on Businessweek.com by Burt Helm published Friday Procter & Gamble in Bind Over Moms’ Web Attack on Pampers Brand it's my personal guess that this controversy is just starting to heat up and has yet to reach its peak.

But let me not get ahead of myself.  If you have not already heard, this should bring you up to date: a U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission's investigation began on May 3 in follow up to consumer complaints that Pampers Swaddler and Cruisers with Dry Max,  new to the P&G die-tee line up, causes rashes and chemical burns.  Procter & Gamble continues to deny these claims and is at odds with the potential image-damage that blogging parents -- both moms and dads -- might be able to cause through their demands for a Pampers recall.

Pictured here:

My own triplets some years ago wearing Pampers Diapers, which we never had a problem with personally, when they were just a few months old.  At the time my DH and I were changing 8 diapers per day.  With 4 kids in diapers at once (our oldest was only 1 when his younger sibs arrived) we were changing 32+ diapers per day, so I consider myself somewhat of an expert since we were buying multiple cases of diapers that we stored in our "diaper warehouse" in the garage.

Apparently many other babies since ours have worn Pampers without any side effects, too.  The chatter on both Twitter and Facebook, though, seems to be lively right now, and the winds may be changing direction.  Now there are various fan and like pages on Facebook advocating accountability on P&G's part including a group called Pampers Bring Back the Old Cruisers/Swaddlers which currently has 9,169 followers.  Also, the like page on Facebook that was set up just 8 days ago called Recall Pampers Dry Max Diapers has 861 followers as of the time this post went live, having picked up hundreds of more parents speaking out just since Friday alone.   There appears to be a building awareness about the issues now at hand on Twitter, especially among moms who blog, too.

I just don't get it. While my kids are now tweens, and we are well-past the diaper stage, I have to say I would definitely not be buying this brand until all the facts are in and would not wait for a product recall which may or may not be on the horizon.  If there is even a small amount of potential danger, I wouldn't want to take a chance if my kids were still in diapers since there are so many other brands of disposable diapers to choose from, not to mention cloth diapers which are actually much more eco-friendly and increasing in popularity.

What do you think?  If you are still using diapers, does the Pampers with Dry Max controversy scare you? Or do you think this is a bunch of nonsense and you aregoing on with "business as usual" and continuing to use the product any way?

Leave a comment below this post, NOW, and let your parental voice be heard!

FTC Disclosure:  MommyBlogExpert did not receive any payment or other compensation associated with this post.  See complete FTC Disclosure information that appears at the bottom of MommyBlogExpert's main page and at the bottom of every individual post on this blog, including this one.     

Eco Friendly Household Cleaning Products That Are Safe for Kids & Pets Too - PawSafe PRODUCT REVIEW

MommyBlogExpert GIVEAWAY to WIN a Prize Package featuring the entire PawSafe line. Three prizes will be awarded, each including 6 FULL-SIZE Bottles of all their products: PawSafe Floor Cleaner, Toy Cleaner, Multi-Surface Cleaner, Toilet Cleaner, Window Cleaner, and Tub & Tile Cleaner.  ENTER NOW till May 20, 2010 

Eco-friendly cleaning products for the home are all the rage these days. While many of these earth-conscious brands are a good thing because they do either minimize or prevent damage to our environment, the public is often not always aware that many of these same products are not necessarily safe for use around pets and/or children.

Since early this year, I have been reading and educating myself as much as I can about small things our family can do to change the way we live so that we are being kinder to the Earth.  One of the first eco books I read and reviewed for this blog several months ago, Living Like Ed by actor turned environmentalist Ed Begley, taught me -- among other things -- much about the dangers of using toxic substances in the home.

Which brings me to the discussion of doing housework.  If you are one of my many regular readers you might recall the post proclaiming that I hate spring cleaning.  Nevertheless, I do clean my house and I've tested various brands of eco-friendly products such as one I used to successfully remove heavy stains from a light colored carpet.  The problem with that particular product is that even though it is eco-friendly, it is also strong smelling and the label warns against breathing in fumes and other dangers if it is not used properly.  Always, without exception, check with the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services Household Products Database before buying products you are unfamiliar with to access the latest detailed health and safety information.

Over the course of the last month or so, I tried the full line of PawSafe cleaners in my own home: PawSafe Floor Cleaner, Toy Cleaner, Multi-Surface Cleaner, Toilet Cleaner, Window Cleaner, and Tub & Tile Cleaner.  I found that in virtually all cases the brand's products that I experimented with cleaned at least as well as -- sometimes even better than -- the other cleaners on the market that are not always safe to use in areas frequented by pets and/or children.  In this vintage pic of me, my DH, MIL and our Boxer when the triplets were newborns & big brother was one year old, you can easily guess that I might love children and animals.  So, why would I ever knowingly use a product around them that might be harmful?

When talking about household cleaning products, safety can sometimes be a bit of a vague term, so what exactly does safe for pets and children really mean?  PawSafe Cleaners, as I learned from reading the products' labels, are different than some of the other green products on the market in that they are not formulated with anything that is hazardous for a person breathe in.  A note appearing on all the manufacturer's products in this line states, "In case of eye contact, flush with water. Be safe and keep cleaning products out of reach of pets and children."  So, just like with other household solutions, you should ere on the side of caution when using and storing these.

During the testing phase of this review, I compared the back label of one of the leading brands of window cleaning solutions against that on the PawSafe Window Cleaner.  What I found was the former had really nasty stuff in it such as ammonia, chlorine, and various types of acids which accounted for the warning on the label warning users to avoid inhaling the vapors.  

PawSafe Window Cleaner, on the other hand, did not smell "chemically" and I think that's largely due to the fact that the latter product is made with just a few components including deionized water, vegetable derived surfactants, ethanol, emulsifiers, fragrance and organic pigment. Another product, PawSafe Toy Cleaner, is labeled safe to use for cleaning both children's toys as well as pet food & water bowls, animal toys, collars & leads, and litter boxes.  The safety qualities of these two products are representative of the other solutions the company markets.

A detailed product-by-product list of all the PawSafe Cleaners and what each contains is available here.

Where to Buy PawSafe
Even though PawSafe products -- from the makers of Simple Solution -- can be found primarily in pet specialty stores nationwide at present, the product line is labeled as safe to use to clean your home, especially around children, too.  Perhaps it will be available in a wider range of retail locations soon as the market for this product expands.  See the company's Where to Buy directory for the store closest to you.

FTC Disclosure: MommyBlogExpert received a set of the full PawSafe Cleaners household line to test and review.  For the MommyBlogExpert giveaway contest PawSafeCleaners  is also providing all prizes.  MommyBlogExpert did not receive any payment or other compensation associated with this post or giveaway contest.  See complete FTC Disclosure information that appears at the bottom of MommyBlogExpert's main page and at the bottom of every individual post on this blog, including this one.    

Ten Tips for Being Fashionable on a Budget

by Janis Brett Elspas

MommyBlogExpert.blogspot.com

Pictured at left here I am with my four kids and dear hubbie (my men are wearing Gap Jeans) competing in a costume contest.

10 Tips for Moms

to Dress Well 

Without Breaking the Bank

When TwitterMoms & Gap Outlet announced this opportunity to blog, I just had to participate, so here is my advice on being fashionable and frugal, too.

1. If you have teen girls or daughters living at home in their early 20s, why not borrow from one another's closets?

2. Buy clothes that are stylish without being too faddish. That way, you'll be able to get maybe seasons out of an outfit.

3. DON'T buy clothes just because they are on sale or you've found a great deal. If you bring them home, but never wear them it is like throwing money in the trash.

4. Organize your closet so you can easily see everything you have. You will be amazed at the outfits that you can assemble if you have an overview of your closet.

5. Shop at thrift stores and also buy vintage. I avoid big city stores like these and instead seek out similar shops in small towns away from major metro areas whenever our family goes on road trips.

6. Purchase clothing that's classic at the end of the season either at retail stores or to save even bigger, shop the factory outlets on holiday weekends to find seasonal clearance items.

7. Borrow from your boyfriend's, hubby's or teen son's closet to find some great accessories and shirts.

8. Subscribe to free store e-newsletters of stores that you like to get advance notice and first pick at special sales events.  Get an extra 15% OFF w/ the TwitterMoms Special Discount -- Look to the right top of this blogpost above under the header and click on the Gap Outlet Widget to access & print an actual coupon, good now thru 5/24/2010, that you can click on and use to save money at their Gap stores.

9. Always comparison shop. Often you can buy the same thing online for less than in the store. You might even save more by comparing the same item sold on two different sites, if one these online retailers offers free shipping.

10. If you live in a city that is large enough to have a garment district such as L.A., New York, San Francisco, Chicago and other metropolitan areas, get to know what stores sell direct to the public because in many cases you'll end up paying a fraction of what the same item would cost in a standard retail store.

I wrote this blog post while participating in the TwitterMoms and Gap Outlet blogging program to be eligible to win a $20 gift card.  For more information on how you can participate, click here.  See more tips for being fashionable on a shoestring on the discussion page on TwitterMoms.com