It's recently come to my attention that families choosing to cloth diaper may take what I and other cloth diapering bloggers say to be fact, essentially cloth diaper gospel, and will do what we say without question. Why? Because I have a blog, because I have a generous number of fans on Facebook or perhaps because I have a fancy logo or my own domain name?
A previous post on my blog about the use of Fish Tank Ammonia Remover as a last resort method for removing ammonia from your cloth diapers has brought this to light. I'm told that by even mentioning this method, even though I never did say that I recommended it, I could be held liable in a court of law for glorifying the use of a chemical for use on cloth diapers that will be in contact with a babies delicate skin.
I can admit, the comments have gotten to me. Do readers take what I say as gospel? Would a parent do something I say without even an inkling of their own research and should I feel responsible if should something happen?
I used a wetpail when I cloth diapered. It worked wonders for my cloth diapers. I kept the pail in our laundry room away from my children and it posed no drowning risk to them, but I cannot guarantee that should I recommend this method, or discuss how it worked for me, to the cloth diapering community that something horrible would not happen.
I cannot guarantee that a baby carrier I recommend will not be used improperly and cause injury to a child and I also can't guarantee that a cloth diaper safe detergent that I promote will not be the suspect of a baby's new blistering rash.
This is one factor that IS true for the cloth diaper industry, what works for one person may not work for another. Someone's favorite cloth diaper may leak non-stop on another's baby, one's wash routine may be the complete opposite of what will work for another family, and most importantly, babies have sensitive skin, some more than others and they can react to even the most hypoallergneic of fabrics, detergents and rash remedies.
I dare you to visit 2-3 cloth diaper manufacturers warranty and wash instructions literature and find one that does not contradict what the other says.
I would like to clarify with you all that the goal and purpose of my blog is to advocate cloth diaper use, share helpful cloth diaper care and use tips, resources (which sometimes includes information on what has worked for other people), and to help promote some of the amazing family owned and operated businesses that retail these products.
While I am flattered that people would see me as a cloth diaper expert, there is NO one person or expert in this industry who's advice is guaranteed to work for every single family or baby every time. You should NEVER associate the number of fans a page has or how fancy their website is with how knowledgeable, professional or educated they are on a topic. Always do your own research, always find multiple opinions that support your decision and ultimately remember that YOU CAN not trust every person online who appear to be an expert in their field.
With that, I thank you for being a fan. I look forward to continuing to share with those of you who take the time to follow my page and my blog.
Smooches,
Julie
Cloth Diaper Geek
I'm Julie, a former cloth diaper retailer who discovered a passion for the industry. Now, instead of selling cloth diapers, I advocate them and promote small businesses I love who sell and manufacture them.
I'm the wife of a fireman and mother of three. I have a daughter and identical twin sons.
Julie Kieras says
I feel like I’m always “qualifying” what I say on my blog b/c I fear someone taking my words as “gospel” – even when I’m talking about how much fun a particular craft was or something. I have had people be like “oh, my son was totally bored” – it’s like OKAY, it’s not going to be FOR everyone!!! People need to THINK when they read ANYTHING ANYWHERE! :) We are not doctors, lawyers, scientists… while of COURSE we should strive to tell the truth and be clear, everyone needs to do their own research and just use common sense. :)
DawsonCalliou says
I love your blog, and I’m glad to count it among my great resources. But it’s a blog, not a text book. I wish I could stay I am stunned that people could be so ignorant as to give you a hard time and even go so far as to be litigious, but I’m not. I’m sorry you had to experience this. Please keep up the great work you do!
DawsonCalliou says
I love your blog, and I’m glad to count it among my great resources. But it’s a blog, not a text book. I wish I could stay I am stunned that people could be so ignorant as to give you a hard time and even go so far as to be litigious, but I’m not. I’m sorry you had to experience this. Please keep up the great work you do!
Anonymous says
While you are correct that every manufacturer recommends a different method and detergent to clean diapers or strip them, I would like to find the one who recommends ammonia remover for ammonia stink.
Anonymous says
By posting the use of fish tank ammonia remover as a CD solution you really are recommending it. I know that pretty much every manufacturer has different recommendations for detergent and every CD family uses a different method that they swear by. I doubt that any manufacturer would approve this method of ammonia remover though.
Julie says
I certainly don’t mean for this post to be taken that I don’t appreciate the feedback. Knowing that something I recommend or even just mention as something that has worked for someone else could be taken as an absolute truth is very eye-opening.
Unfortunately the battle with ammonia is one that commonly results in people giving up on cloth. In this case I shared what I felt was a last resort method that actually worked for someone and I enjoy sharing unconventional methods, remedies, etc.
I do value everyone’s opinions, even if they don’t agree with me.
Kim says
I had a smart-ass comment typed out but I couldn’t go through with it. I think every parent should do their fair share of research before trying anything they read on the Internet.
And they should always take what they read on the Internet with a grain of salt because there are some crazies out there… Even respected cloth diaper bloggers can have it wrong or sometimes they allow guest posters on to show a different way of doing things for the benefit of the reader.
Don’t let the comment section into your brain.
Anne Sweden says
For anyone sounding the alarm about all the “nasty chemicals” in ammonia remover, it actually contains just two ingredients: water and Sodium hydroxymethane sulfinate. In products like Top Fin it’s highly diluted, and in using it to treat cloth diapers, the ammonia remover will rinse away after it does it’s job.
And one more thing to keep in mind…
Ammonia itself is a “chemical compound” and it can have devastating effects on human skin. As Julie said, some moms give up on cloth altogether because of how caustic ammonia is to their babies.
Folks should be really careful about throwing out highly-charged words like “cancer” and “chemicals” and “toxic” without backing this up with reliable data.
And I want to stress again just how important it is to note the CONCENTRATION level of any chemical in question.
I found a tread at Baby Center which talks about this very topic. Moms appear to be reporting close to 100% success with the ammonia remover. Did I mention the thread was 37 pages long??
http://community.babycenter.com/post/a23042415/ammonia_is_gone
Anonymous says
It’s great that there are “just” two ingredients, but one of those ingredients, sodium hydroxymethane sulfinate produces a byproduct commonly known as formaldehyde, which is a known carcinogen, and not something I want to take a chance of putting against my baby’s skin.
Janine Fowler says
Ugh, the perils of blogging. Between this and FTC guidelines… Can’t people seriously understand the nature of blogging and take it at face value?
It’s stupid that you even had to write this post. (Love your blog though! Duh.)
Anne Sweden says
It’s trace amounts of formaldehyde; again, the level of concentration is extremely important in any discussion. Many “natural” substances can be beneficial in small amounts….and deadly in large amounts. You will find trace amounts of formaldehyde in many commercial skincare and baby products.
But again, the post this post makes is clear: sharing a guest post, or even sharing something you personally have tried is not the same as TELLING people they should try the same thing AND that it will work for them AND that there won’t be unpleasant effects.