This Week in Cloth Diapering

Hope you can enjoy some of the latest news in cloth diapering with your Monday morning cup o' joe! :)

Saving money on baby bottoms (via Canton Rep)

Some Polk Parents Herald the Benefits of Cloth Diapers (via theledger.com)

Dallas Family Opens Pico Boo Baby, Eco Friendly Designer Cloth Diapers (via PR Web)

ACU-patterned baby duds business keeps military mom busy (via Colorado Springs Gazette)

Smile, Mommy! deals with dirty work of diapers (via Nashville Ledger)

To Cloth or Not to Cloth (via Barrow Patch)

Shoptalk: Sweet Cheeks Diaper is all about the bottom line (via The Portland Press Herald)

Cloth diapers have several advantages (via New Jersey Herald)

Pampers Lawsuit Finally Settled

Many parents have been avidly following the Pampers lawsuit regarding the severe diaper rash and chemical burns allegedly caused by the disposable diaper company's new Dry Max formula used in theirSwaddlers and Cruisers diapers. Well, the lawsuit has finally come to an end, with rather inconclusive and disappointing results for the 59 parents who filed the claim. They received $1000 each for their wasted time (but not for any damages or harm, which Pampers maintains never happened). Pampers has made no revisions to their formula as they claim that the chemicals present indeed do not cause any rashes, burns, or other harm. I'm sure many parents would continue to claim otherwise, yet they have little power against this giant corporation, other than their power to boycott P&G products from now on.

You can read the full consumer report about the lawsuit's outcome here, or read the hundreds of original logged consumer complaints here if you are interested to learn more about the alleged harm that came from the new Dry Max formula.

Desperate Nations Grow Desperate for Pampers

[This commentary is in response to the article and video seen here]

The camera zooms in on the small, clinical classroom where village women, babies pressed in tightly to bosoms, sing a lovely chorus in perfect harmony. It is a quintessential African scene, cheering up what might otherwise be a not-so-jubilant situation. Hone in on the words these beautiful mothers chant, however, and the joy of the moment is somewhat rocked by the bone-chilling words, catchy as a radio jingle. They sing:

One Pampers, one happy baby
One Pampers, one dry night

1 billion new customers await Procter & Gamble in the world's Third World nations, many of them on the continent of Africa, where impoverished families struggle to meet even their most basic of needs. Parents are hard-pressed to provide food and clean drinking water to their kids. Larger luxuries like cars, televisions, and even radios are out of the question for a majority of the population, 70% of which are classified as poor in countries like sub-Saharan Nigeria. In that case, then, when you're one of the world's most powerful corporations and you've got your eye on this huge, untapped market, you must find new ways to promote yourself: create a living endorsement in each woman that walks through the market, that talks to her sisters, that helps a friend with a baby. Teach that one woman about the perks of Pampers for overnight diapering, give her a sample to try, and surely she will go forward and spread the Procter & Gamble gospel on your behalf, regardless of whether or not this new product--a luxury, to be sure--can be afforded by the mainstream.


Doubtless, raising a baby in a setting like Nigeria--whether rural or urban--is challenging enough without the added stress of diapering, especially considering that only 2% of families have a washing machine, even in huge bustling metropolises like Lagos. Finding water to do any sort of washing at all--even handwashing--can be a challenge. Many diaper-age babies wear crudely-fashioned cloth "nappies" as parents make do with the materials they can find around them. Washing is typically done by hand with multiple scrubs and rinses, often with handmade bar soap. It makes it easy to see why the traditional African way of life includes the practice of Elimination Communication, or diaper-free living that enables parents to read their child's natural waste elimination cues and forgo the diaper route altogther.

However, even in these financially deprived times, Proctor & Gamble have set their eyes on this target market, where people typically live on less than $5 a day. At $2.30 for a pack of 10, their Pampers disposable diapers are a number one seller in Nigeria, an example of just one country of focus. With one baby in the house, most parents would know that 10 diapers could quickly be used up in 1-2 days, not to mention even faster if you have multiple little ones running around in diapers at the same time. At over half the daily living expense, it seems unfair, if not cruel, to create such an insatiable demand for these diapers in such an impoverished setting. Still, Pampers are promoted, at Procter & Gamble's lead, as a healthy and desirable solution even from the local health clinics and schools, likely leaving many struggling parents who are already "in need" feeling even more so.

To be fair, yes, Procter & Gamble have stepped in with some products that make life easier for the African family, and African women in particular. The introduction of Always feminine pads does give adolescent girls the chance to attend long days of school away from home without the embarrassment and hygiene concerns that come along with having their periods. Procter & Gamble also does their fair share of donating to organizations that help some of the most down and out people in Nigeria, such as missions and orphanages that work overtime to care for countless parentless infants. This gesture does not go unnoticed, or unappreciated, by those pastors, volunteers, nurses, and aid workers who would find themselves in even harder times without this assistance.

The handouts are a kind gesture, to be sure; however, when P&G's marketing strategy overtly states that it aims to win over 1 billion new consumers within the Third World by the year 2015, it definitely leaves you a little skeptical of their true motives behind the donations.

For more on this story, read the in-depth news report as well as watch a riveting 8 minute video via Cincinnati.com news.

This Week in Cloth Diapering News

Once again, for your leisurely Sunday pleasure, here's some of the top news and announcements from the world of cloth diapering over the past week or so:

Cloth or disposables? Half-century debate still on (Associated Press)

Piles of T-shirts to diaper Haitian children (via Des Moines Register)

FuzziBunz® Unveils New Cloth Diaper to Raise Awareness for Earth Day (via bradenton.com)

Southwest Harbor woman hopes to capitalize on cloth diaper rebirth (via Bangor Daily News)

Group hopes to set world record (via Lewisville Leader)

Why disposable diapers remain a distant dream for most rural mothers (via Business Daily Africa)

Compostable Diaper Service Coming to Charlotte (via PRLog)

Diapers That Save the Planet (via ABC News4)

Diaper change going global (via The Barrie Examiner)

Diaper duty — Local business to host Great Cloth Diaper Change event (via Grand Junction Free Press)

Have a headline or announcement to share or promote? Contact us to discuss a featured link!

This Week in Cloth Diapering News

Once again, here's some of the top news and announcements from the world of cloth diapering over the past week or so:

Local Franklin, TN, Business Owners Team Up: Putting Cloth Diapers In The Record Books (via PRWeb)

Modern cloth diapers are cost-effective, eco-friendly (via knoxnews.com)

Thief abandons diaper van with doors wide open (via Global Winnepeg)

Break the Cycle: Reusable menstrual prodcuts are affordable, eco-friendly and surprisingly convenient (via Best of New Orleans)

Are Diapers a Basic Need? (via Stoller Derby)

Fresh duty for diapers (via Star Tribune)

Great Cloth Diaper Change Sets Guinness World Record - Charleston, SC (via PRLog)

Help set world diaper change record (via canada.com)

Have a headline or announcement to share or promote? Contact us to discuss a featured link!

This Week in Cloth Diapering News

Once again, for your leisurely Sunday evening reading pleasure, here's some of the top news and announcements from the world of cloth diapering:

Maine Cloth Diaper Enthusiasts preparing to set Earth Friendly World Record on April 23, 2011 (via PRLog)

Carjacker steals van toting 500 pounds of dirty diapers (via Global Saskatoon)

It's Easy to Make Your Own Baby Wipes (via Canada East)

Diaper Parties: Guinness World's Records Diaper Changing Challenge (via Quad-Cities Online)

Customized storybooks, cloth diapers are catching on (via Herald-Review)

Apartment residents sewing diapers for babies in Haiti (via StowSentry.com)

Cloth Diapering a Newborn (via Babble)

Bangor Store looking for people to change cloth diapers for world record attempt (via WLBZ2)

Company Begins Diaper Duty (via Fence Viewer)

Diaper pros sought for world record bid (via The Chronicle Herald)

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This Week in Cloth Diapering News

For your Sunday reading enjoyment! Have a great end to your weekend!

Manteca store shooting for cloth diapers record via Manteca Bulletin

A diaper-changing Guinness World Record? / Tri-Cities parents will compete in the Great Cloth Diaper Change on World Earth Day via Coquitlam Now

10 Ways to Cloth Diaper on a Budget via BlogHer

Rockin' Green Cloth Diaper & Laundry Detergent Debuts '52 Weeks of Clean' Spring Cleaning Campaign via PR-USA

Cloth diapers save cash via North Shore News

Denver Baby Store Aims to Set Cloth Diapering World Record on April 23 via eco-Politan

This Week In Cloth Diapering News

For your leisurely Sunday evening reading pleasure, here's some of the top news and announcements from the world of cloth diapering:

No Pins Required is Cut From a Different Cloth (via Patch.com)

New Parents Start Cloth Diaper Service (via CBC.ca)

Fluffy Bums Are Back (via Brainerd Dispatch)

SmartBaby Announces Expansion Plans (via IIFL)

Disposable Diapers Cost London £20M a Year (via greenbiz.com)

FuzziBunz Cloth Diapers Launches Free Hanging Diaper Pail Promotion (via PR Newswire)

Writer Seeks Support for Book About Cloth Diapers (via The Outlook)

Record Breaking Diaper Changing

The Real Poop: Byerline Seeks Babies for World Record in Diaper Changing (via La Mesa Patch)

Cloth Diaper Enthusiasts Preparing to Set Earth Friendly World Record on April 23, 2011 (via PRLog)

Have a headline or announcement to share or promote? Contact us to discuss a featured link!