BOTTOM'S UP!

I LOVE BABY WIPES!  What parent doesn't?  But after you hear what researchers found, may have you thinking twice about using them. 

Granted my "babies" are fully grown, but for those of you still wiping the bums of your children, heads up! Or, Bottoms up!

Researchers at the University of Connecticut, including Dr. Mary Wu Chang, an associate clinical professor of dermatology at UC say there is a preservative in some popular wipes (wet wipes and baby wipes) that can cause an allergic skin reaction in some children.

                                                (Picture Courtesy of: Dr. Mary Wu Chang)


Researchers at the University of Connecticut have pinpointed a preservative called methylisothiazolinone (MI) that is found in half of all the wipes sold in the United States!

Here's the deal:

Between March 2011-January 2013 researchers investigated cases of skin reactions; everything from crusting patches, swelling, blistering and cracks on bottoms, mouths, faces and hands. As most parents, we would pass off our children's skin irritation as "diaper rash" or just a bad case of eczema, and make the assumption that it is indeed, just that.  But now, we have to wonder, was it diaper rash or could it have been caused by this preservative?  In the study researchers say as soon as the parents in this study stopped using wipes on their babies, the skin reactions clearned up!   By the way, none of the children were wearing diapers!

What Baby Wipes?
Huggies and Cottenelle by Kimberly-Clark.   In a statement the company says:

"We have been evaluating alternative preservative options over the past few years and are now ready to confirm that, beginning this month, Kimberly-Clark will start introducing new wet wipes that are MI-free across its entire product range in the U.S., Canada,  Europe and other global markets. At Kimberly-Clark, nothing is more important than the health and safety of the families who use our products and consumers can continue to use our products with confidence."

The company tells me you can expect to see the new MI-Free wipes in stores this month (January), they will be called "HUGGIES® Natural Care baby wipes  “Our Simplest Formula Ever”