09/10/2011

reusable baby wipes

I think I've mentioned once or twice that we're avid cloth diaperers ;) but did you know we are cloth wiperers as well?

If you're doing diaper laundry anyway, then using cloth wipes is a natural extension of cloth diapering.

This is what's working for us:

  • A few packs of cheapo baby washcloths from Walmart (three $4 packs of 12, I believe). Baby washcloths work well because one side is soft for wiping and drying, and the other side is a bit rougher for cleaning up messes.
  • Homemade wipe solution: 2c water, 2 tbsp baby shampoo, 2 tbsp sweet almond oil, and a few drops of tea tree oil. Pour all ingredients into a refillable squeeze bottle (we use a cleaned out used shampoo bottle) and shake well to mix. I also keep some in a small peri bottle for the diaper bag for traveling. One 'batch' will last well over a month.
At diaper changes, simply give the bottle a little shake, squeeze some solution out onto the corner or one side of a washcloth, wipe baby clean, then dry the area using the rest of the washcloth. Toss washcloth in with diaper laundry. Wash. Reuse. The initial $20 investment has given us over 7 months of wipes so far, and we're still going strong.

I've found the homemade solution to be a great for cleaning baby's bottom without drying out sensitive skin. Nor do we need to routinely use diaper creams, which I'm definitely not a fan of. We've doing this since birth (aside from a few trips when we decided to go the disposable route) and we've only now had our first diaper rash (and I'm pretty sure that has more to do with dietary change than anything).

So there you have it! Another eco-, budget-, baby- friendly alternative in the cloth diapering world that has really been working for us. And believe me when I tell you, it's way easier to do than you think!

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