MCKEESPORT, Pa.,None — A McKees Rocks mother rushed her baby to the emergency room after he broke out in a rash that appeared to be bruises on his skin.
Doctors ran blood tests, and it turns out the baby's diaper was to blame. Target 11 Consumer Investigator Robin Taylor uncovered the problem some parents are having.
The problem is with Huggies Snug & Dry diapers. A spokesman for the company admits the blue dye from the diaper can bleed onto babies' skin, making it look as if the infant has bruises.
Terry Caldwell, of McKees Rocks, wishes she had known that before she spent three hours in the emergency room with her 11-month-old son James.
She said the doctors didn't know what the marks were from so they ran blood tests to rule out leukemia. When those tests came back negative, they suspected the bruise-like marks were coming from the ink in the diapers.
"I was freaking out. I didn't know what was wrong with him," said Caldwell.
Caldwell said she was able to wash away the marks that were coming from the diapers with soap and water.
"This is very rare, but it has happened before," said Joey Mooring, a spokesman for Huggies.
"Huggies recently enhanced the color graphics on the outside of the diapers," said Moore who went on to say, when wet, the dye can rub off leaving a blue stain.
Caldwell contacted Huggies customer service and they said they would refund the cost of the diapers and pay for any medical costs not covered by her insurance.
This is the full statement from Kimberly-Clark, the maker of Huggies diapers:
"We extend our deepest apologies to this mother for any distress she and her baby experienced. We understand the importance of the safety of a mother's child and the concern this parent experienced when using our Huggies brand diapers. Because rigorous quality control practices are in place when designing and manufacturing any of our Huggies brand diapers, we were equally concerned to learn of this incident.
It is our understanding that the mother was using our Huggies Snug-n-Dry diapers on her child. Earlier this year, we updated the graphics located on the outside of the diaper with more vibrant colors and character designs. While rare, it appears the ink used in the Huggies Snug-n-Dry diapers transferred to the baby's skin. The ink used in our Huggies Snug-n-Dry diapers is safe and has been thoroughly tested and can be removed by rubbing the area with warm water and soap.
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