Wednesday, February 3, 2010

How to Make Your Own Baby Wipe Solution




When Andy was younger we used cloth diapers pretty much exclusively for him, unless we were traveling. On the recommendation of a friend, we decided to go with pocket diapers and chose Fuzzi Bunz. They were easy to use, we hardly had any leaks or blow outs and they were just so darn cute! We would pre-load the diapers with the inserts at night while watching tv and have them in his drawer ready to go whenever he needed a change. At first, we were using disposable wipes, but we found that since we were tossing the diapers and the inserts into the diaper bag, we didn't like being left with the disposable wipes to throw away, so I started making our own wipe solution. Our initial purchase of 18 Fuzzi Bunz came with several cloth wipes for free. They are just flanel wipes that look like they would be very inexpensive and easy to make. I have read that some people tear paper towels and make their own solution for disposable wipes, but for us, we figured that as long as we were washing the diapers, we might as well throw the wipes in too!

Well, a few months ago, cloth diapering stopped working so well for us. Andy has transitioned to urinating less frequently during the day, but having more liquid each time. Every time he would go, he would completely soak through the insert and his clothes would be wet. I tried doubling up the inserts and although that held the liquid, I couldn't get any of his pants to fit right because he was so bulky around the bottom, that if the pants fit there, they were huge in the waist. We decided to switch to disposables. I completely underestimated how much all of that diaper waste was going to bother me, so today I went and purchased two gDiapers to try instead. I'm hoping that maybe the disposable and biodegradable inserts will be more absorbent than the cloth ones and I still plan to use my cloth inserts instead when I know he should be dry for a while. I'll post about using the gDiapers tomorrow. I'm going to try them out when Andy wakes up from his nap today.

So, long story short, we had gotten away from using the cloth wipes when we switched to disposable diapers, and I have really missed using them. First of all, they are softer and smell much nicer, second, they are MUCH more economical and third I just feel like the disposable wipes are kind of harsh with all of the ingredients. So, today I got my cloth wipes back out and I mixed up a new batch of solution. I keep my wipes in an empty disposable wipe container. The recipe is really simple!

Lavender & Tea Tree Oil Baby Wipe Solution
3 cups of water (boil water first and let cool)
2 Tablespoons of baby oil (I use lavender scented)
4 drops of tea tree oil
1 tablespoon of baby shampoo (I use Aveeno Baby Lavender & Vanilla Calming Comfort Bath)
2 Tablespoons of witch hazel

Mix all ingredients together in a bowl and pour over cloth wipes in wipes container! Simple! You can vary the ingredients based on your brand preference or any allergies your child might have. This is so simple and will save A LOT of money! You should wash your wipes in a hot wash cycle with a cold rinse. I used to put mine in with the cloth diapers to wash, but now I think I will just wash them with my towels. I'll just drop them into the cloth diaper bag that I have hanging next to Andy's changing table when I'm done.

No comments:

Post a Comment