Is Your Kid a Victim of Mr. Bubble Down Under?
I’m a grinch kind of Mommy when it comes to doling out the bubble bath. Once a week. No more. Less if we could get away with it.
Yes, I’m depriving my child . . . of a urinary tract infection.
Didn’t know kids could end up with UTIs from bubble bath, did ya? A piece over at Jezebel this week actually referred to those of us born before the FDA started requiring the bubble bath manufacturers print labels warning of its risks as the “Mr. Bubble Generation.”
As in, the generation who suffered crotch rot as kids that required heavy doses of cranberry juice and an antibiotic to cure. Doesn’t have quite the same ring does it?
The piece cites doubts that the two are linked, alongside a study that claims the link is “plausible.” Personally, I remember the bubblicious joys of sud-filled tubs, the bubble beards and the fluffy white “hair.” But as long as they come linked to the threat of burning, itching and the sensation that you are peeing razor blades, it’s just not worth it.
So I’m sticking to my “a little drop will do ya” method of doling out the bubbles. What about you?
Image: Jezebel
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I had terrible experiences with Mr. Bubble as a child – it used to give me terrible, itchy rashes on my vulva. The worst part of it was, the doctors had no idea what was causing them, and actually started questioning my mother about whether I was being sexually abused! Absolutely horrified her, as I definitely wasn’t. Finally she went to a competent doctor and he told us it was Mr. Bubble – we stopped using it, and all bubble bath – I bathed in epsom salts for a few weeks, and I never had any problems again. I think, for girls in particular, it is best avoided.
I am this generation. I suffered from chronic UTI’s as a little girl and my parents didn’t know why. I have always been careful to avoid bubble baths for my daughter, but lapsed. The day after I read the Jezebel article, my daughter complained of a “rashy”. Guess what, I had let her have 2 bubble baths that week.
my daughter has bubble baths occasionally. I havent given her one in a while though, and we dont use mr bubble. we have some barbie princess kind. not even sure who makes it. but she has taken maybe 20-30 bubble baths in her 18 months (she also takes fewer baths, every couple of days, because of her eczema), and has never gotten a UTI, so i feel fine putting it in her bath, i guess i will just have to be careful about how much i put in and how often she does them?
For the record: Bubble bath ingredients cannot cause a urinary tract infection. Rather, urinary tract infections are caused by the presence of bacteria in the urethra. Certain bubble bath ingredients may irritate individuals with sensitive skin. However, since The Village Company purchased the brand in October 20008, all Mr. Bubble Bubble Bath formulas have been tested and proven to be mild and gentle to skin.
Wow, and I just thought I was allergic to that stuff! Glad (well in a relief sort of way!) to hear I was not alone in what Mr. Bubble did to me as a kid. UTIs, skin rashes, FUN!
We don’t use bubble bath at all, and we never will. I had those infections from Mr. Bubble when I was little, and the dr. told my mom to cut it out. I was disappointed, but my kids won’t be (since they don’t know it exists).
It’s not just Mr Bubble but really all of them that cause my daughter to get UTIs and somewhat milder things like vaginitis. So she can only sit in soap-free water, and has to shower now. My pedi suggested it was the soaps but it took awhile before I really stopped completely for her.
I thought it was just until age 2 or so, no? Our pediatrician gave us this warning and we’ve complied but I was looking forward to giving the occasional bubble bath next year…
According to my Mom and sister, I got a UTI when I was 2 that was so bad I just ran around in circles all day screaming and crying in terror because it hurt so bad and I didn’t understand why. The pediatrician gave me some antibiotics and said no more bubble bath – ever. I may not remember the incident myself, but their vivid description of my misery was enough to make me swear off bubble bath for life.
My son definitely had painful urination caused by bubble bath (can’t recall the brand) in the ’90s.
Funny, when my 2-year-old daughter was in the bath today, I was wondering whether that was just an idiosyncratic reaction and whether it might be worth letting her have bubble bath, which I think she’d love.
Clearly not, it seems.
I didn’t even know they still *made* Mr. Bubble! One tragic Mr. Bubble/contact dermatitis/UTI incident in 1975 was enough to ban him from our home for life. Mr. Bubble touched me in a way that I did not want to be touched.
I had recurrent UTI’s as a child, too, until my pediatrician suggested cutting out the bubble bath. Doesn’t bother every kid, but definitely not made up (not news, either: this was in the late 70′s).
oh my god, I had UTI’s from Mr. Bubble almost constantly from 1978-1982. And yes, they felt like peeing razor blades. And yep, they stopped when my mom figured out the Mr. Bubble connection.
It’s more of a health care article than a “protect your kids from the dangers of bubble bath”. Glad you were lucky and avoided this one, but a LOT of girls have issues with this! Is it worth the retrofabulousness of pouring Mr. Bubble in your kid’s bath? Um, not for me.
Seriously? Now we have to protect our kids from bubble bath?
I’m thinking this is the kind of story that’s manufactured just to sell ads (or up pageviews).