When I tried making my own baby wipes (using paper towels), it was a colossal FAIL. The paper towels shredded where I cut them, leaving huge fuzzy balls everywhere, including baby’s linty butt. I didn’t find that they cleaned particularly well either. I was irritated that I spent money on paper towels, something I never buy, to try making my own.

Making my own homemade baby wipe solution (to use with cloth wipes) is a different story.

Why?

• Commercial baby wipes contain ingredients I’d rather not have on my baby’s skin. Things like: parabens, propylene glycol, Disodium EDTA, and fragrances. And the all natural ones are very expensive, and not as environmentally friendly as cloth.
• Washing cloth wipes isn’t any extra work when you’re already washing cloth diapers.
• Cloth wipes, once you’ve made the initial investment, are free. I love whizzing by the baby wipes aisle in the grocery store. I think cloth does a better job of cleaning the baby’s bottom anyway.
• Making this wipes solution takes less than 60 seconds, start to finish. It’s a frugal activity that’s worth it, for me.

To whip it up, I use the following ingredients:

Homemade Baby Wipe Solution

 

– Water. I’m not fussy with this. Ordinary tap water is fine. It’s going on a butt. I don’t boil my baby’s bathwater to sterilize it, so I see no need to do anything special with butt washing water.

– Soap. I use Dr. Bronner’s baby castile. But you could use any gentle, all natural liquid soap (or shampoo) you feel comfortable with. I get mine from Grove.co, they have excellent prices and free shipping!

– Oil. The oil is what helps move poop off the baby’s skin. Don’t skip it. It really makes a difference. I use Burt’s Bees Baby Bee Oil because I love love love the natural fragrance, but you could use almond oil or another baby safe oil.

– Disinfectant. This is to keep the water from getting scummy since it will be sitting around for a few days. I use tea tree oil for my disinfectant, but I’ve heard of people using a little lavender oil or even vinegar for this reason. The disinfectant ingredient would also help prevent diaper rashes due to candida. So, bonus.

Note: After I started making this solution, I noticed that Ruby got less diaper rash. She’s the only baby I’ve had who is prone to rash, and I have to be vigilant with frequent changes and such to keep it at bay. This recipe really helps keep her booty cleared up! Commercial baby wipes, on the other hand, seem to contribute to rash and if she has a rash, they burn.

My specific “recipe” for homemade baby wipe solution is not exact. I usually just eye it.

I use:

• 1 quart of water
• 1 tsp. castile soap
• 1 tsp oil
• a few drops tea tree oil

I put a lid on the container and shake it up nicely, then pour the solution on top of the cloth wipes in my wipes warmer.

[Update 2013: I no longer use a baby wipes warmer. My sixth baby had a terrible experience and the wipes warmer may have been at fault. Read more here.]

 

Instead of using a wipes warmer which may be dangerous, you can keep the wipes solution in a spray bottle (the ones you can buy at dollar stores work perfectly well) and spray the cloth wipe before using.

Have you ever made homemade baby wipe solution? What recipe do you like?