Cloth Baby Wipes

I mentioned a couple months back that I was going to start using cloth baby wipes for Ariel whenever we ran out of our huge supply of disposable ones. I got a simple recipe and cut up some fabric and we were ready.

The actual fabric I am using is mixed. Most of my fabric came from old baby blankets. We have some soft fleece wipes for the tougher messes, some flannel wipes from a recieving blanket, and the rest of them are from the surplus of baby wash cloths we have (really soft thin terry cloth). The flannel ones took the most time cause they tend to fray in the wash so I sewed a zigzag stitch around the edge (not difficult at all). I want to cut up some of Jason's less worn, soft t-shirts and add them to the mix cause I hear jersey is good for wipes.

The solution I am using right now is 2 cups of water (heated in the microwave), 2 tbs baby shampoo, 1 tbs baby oil, and 1 tbs baby lotion. I know there are more natural solutions, but for a first try I went for what I had in the house and Ihad these things. I'm probably going to change next time I mix some up, but more on that later.

To make the actual wipes, I mix up the solution in a plastic container I got at walmart with a good seal. Put my big pile of folded wipes in solution, put my lid on the container, and let them soak. I let them soak for about 30 minutes upside down so the solution gets on all of them and then leave them right side up. Easy peasy! Because of the size of my container, I only have enough wipes for about a week to a week and a half at a time. I have had no problem with mildew or anything that some people have complained about.

I am really happy using these wipes. We use cloth diapers, so I use the wipes and toss them in the diaper container and wash them together. Not really any extra work - well making the wipes takes about 2 minutes, so wow lots of work there. I like having less trash to take out too (especially since diaper trash can be stinky). I have only traveled with these wipes once and that wasn't really difficult, but not convenient enough for diaper changes in the car, etc. That's mostly because I don't have the right container for those places or the appropriate wet bag (plastic wal-mart bags are my current wet bag - they do ok). I find disposable wipes (and diapers sometimes) easier to just throw away. This may change in the future. I also love saving money. Sure wipes aren't terribly expensive, but with the other benefits I'm just fine not spending the money. We can use it for other things.

The only negative I've seen is that Ariel has had a little diaper rash the last couple of weeks. She was fine for a long time, but it has creeped up on us here lately. I'm theorizing what's going on. Maybe its the solution - I'm probably going to change the recipe first because more natural can only be better. I'm concerned that our water might be part of the problem too so I'm considering using bottled or filtered water too. Maybe a little more water too - just in case the wipes are too dry. They don't seem dry at all, but I'm just trying to think of this from all angles. Those are relatively easy fixes worth trying. Another possibility (less likely) is that the fabric is a little to rough on her tender baby skin - that's why I'm thinking of using jersey for a new set of wipes.

Well, I'll let you know what I try and what works.