Whether you are serious about making your own baby wipes at home or just want to see what the fuss is about, you have come to the right place. This guide not only explores the advantages of using homemade baby wipes but also takes you through the process to make the three most popular variations.
Use the links below to quickly jump to the relevant section.
There are two huge advantages to homemade baby wipes. Not only are baby wipes that you make yourself cheaper than the store bought variety but safer too. Let’s take a look at these two points in more detail.
Have you ever had a close look at the ingredients that store-bought baby wipes actually contain? Yeah, up until recently, neither had I. If you are curious, take a look at the Cosmetics Database and search for baby wipes. The database lists ingredients as well as the health concerns associated. Just a warning, you may not like what you find.
Let’s take a look at a popular brand of baby wipes readily available on grocery store shelves:
Huggies Naturally Refreshing Baby Wipes, Cucumber & Green Tea
Ingredients: Water, Potassium Laureth Phosphate, Glycerin, Polysorbate 20, DMDM Hydantoin, Tetrasodium EDTA, Methylparaben, Malic Acid, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract, Calendula Officinalis Flower Extract, Camellia Oleifera Leaf Extract, Cucumis Sativus (Cucumber) Fruit Extract, Retinyl Palmitate, Tocopheryl Acetate, Zea Mays (Corn) Oil, Phenoxyethanol, Butylparaben, Ethylparaben, Propylparaben, Isobutylparaben, Fragrance
Now if you are anything like me you will be unable to pronounce most of those ingredients, let alone identify them. Looking up these baby wipes on the cosmetics database reveals some truly horrifying details.
Some of the ingredients in the above baby wipes have been linked to cancer, organ dysfunction, development problems, allergies and more. Hardly what you would call “naturally refreshing”. Your baby’s bottom deserves better, something that is genuinely natural. By creating your own baby wipes you are ensuring that your baby does not come into contact with these toxic chemicals.
It’s mommy math time! Are you ready to find out how many baby wipes you use in a year? You may be surprised by the results.
Substitute the blanks for your own numbers to complete the equation.
x x 365 =
If your result is similar to mine then you may discover that you use thousands of baby wipes a year. This amount came as a complete shock to me. As your typical 72 wipe baby dispenser costs approximately $3.50, there are big savings to be made by choosing to make your own baby wipes.
So there you have it, healthier and cheaper baby wipes. I don’t know about you but I’m sold. Now let’s take a look at the different variations of homemade baby wipes.
The idea behind cloth baby wipes (also known as reusable baby wipes) is that they can be washed and reused many times. Cloth baby wipes will in no way resemble your paper thin baby wipes that come from a dispenser. Rather than coming moist and ready to use, you will need to use your cloth with a baby wipe solution to effectively wipe your baby’s bottom.
So the first thing you will be required to do is choose a type of cloth baby wipe. Since I use cloth baby wipes to avoid touching my baby’s bottom with chemicals I also go to the extent of avoiding bleached cloth wipes. Fortunately, there are plenty of unbleached cloth baby wipes on the market, such as the variety below.
Style: As pictured
When shopping for cloth baby wipes the color will give you a hint as to whether it is bleached or not. Bleached cloth baby wipes will be a crisp white in color while the unbleached variety is generally a lighter brown or tan.
You can even cut old receiving blankets and t-shirts into squares to make your own cloth baby wipes. While they may not last as long as cloth wipes bought from the store, they will still get the job done.
With your cloth baby wipe chosen it is now time to create a solution to help shift the mess from your baby’s bottom.
If you are creative then you will find making a cloth baby wipe solution a great deal of fun as you can experiment with all manner of different ingredients. A cloth wipe solution can consist of any combination of the following:
Oil:Oil will not only help keep your baby’s skin soft but will also allow the cloth baby wipe to glide smoothly across your baby’s bottom.
Soap:Helps clean your babies bottom by shifting urine and poop.
Essential Oil:Depending on the essential oil, numerous benefits can be added to the baby wipe solution. Tea tree oil will provide antibacterial properties while lavender provides aromatherapy benefits.
Water:Water helps dilute other ingredients and makes the solution easy to spread.Now you know the basic blueprint of a natural baby wipe solution lets take a look at some baby wipe solution recipes that you can make yourself.
Antibacterial Organic Baby Wipe Solution
If your baby has a rash, skip the vinegar. The tea tree provides this baby wipe solution with antibacterial properties, if your baby is allergic to tea tree oil then you are best off choosing a different wipe solution.
Easy Homemade Baby Wipe Solution
A super simple baby wipe recipe made from ingredients that many parents will already have laying around the house. This recipe can be adapted by adding essential oils.
Almond and Chamomile Baby Wipe Solution
Simply steep the chamomile tea bags in hot water before adding the oil.
For these and more cloth wipe solution recipes, check out Zany-Zebra. Experiment until you find the perfect solution that works for your baby.
Applying and storing cloth baby wipe solutions
To apply your solution to your cloth baby wipe you can use one of the methods below:
When preparing your baby wipe solution it is better to frequently make smaller batches rather than a single large batch. You do not want your baby wipe solution to turn musty. Many mothers report success with mixing a fresh solution once a week. Check your baby wipe solution before each use just in case.
Paper towel baby wipes are an incredibly cheap alternative to the store-bought variety. Depending on the ingredients used you can get the cost down to 1 cent per baby wipe. Now that’s economical!
Just avoid cheap paper towels, they will fall to pieces in the solution. While I wouldn’t use it anywhere else in my house, I use Bounty paper towel for baby wipes without any issues.
Ingredients
Instructions
2.Place half of the paper towel roll face down into the container
3.In a separate bowl combine remaining ingredients and stir thoroughly until a single solution is formed.
4.Pour the solution over your paper towel and leave to absorb for 10 minutes.
5.Flip the container upside down and leave for another 10 minutes.
6.Return container to upright and pull the cardboard roll out from inside. This will also pull up the innermost wipe, giving you a starting point for your baby wipes.
7.Use each square as a regular baby wipe.
Depending on the brand of paper towel you use you may need to add more water so that the solution is absorbed right through. For babies with sensitive skin, skip using essential oils.
Did you know you can make your own baby wipes that are incredibly similar to the store bought variety?You will need the following items:
Now, all that you need to do is make a solution to soak the wipes in and you will have baby wipes that are nearly identical to the store-bought variety, minus the chemicals. You can replace the cleansing cloths with a paper towel but it will require you to fold individual rectangles. I feel that it simply isn’t worth the time.
You can use any baby wipe solution that has been listed earlier in the article or create your own. Now all you need to do is place your baby wipes in the dispenser and add your solution for natural baby wipes.
The beauty of these baby wipes is that they are much more transportable than the other homemade baby wipes. This makes the wipes particularly useful for travel.
And if you honestly cannot be bothered with making your own baby wipes, I have put together a guide on buying cheap baby wipes here. Less effort at an affordable price.
As you can see there are many different methods to make your own homemade diaper wipes. Which one do you use?
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