Friday, November 6, 2009

Homemade Baby Wipes



When my third child was little, she had horrible eczema and would get diaper rash quite often. After trying every brand of wipe I could find and have them all irritate her skin, I finally resorted to making my own. I remember thinking at first that it was going to be so time consuming. It only takes minutes though and even my older 2 kids like making them for me. It is super simple.

Here is what you will need:

1 roll of paper towels
baby wash (I use Target brand)
baby oil (I use Target brand)
water

I have seen this done many ways, with getting the whole thing wet and pulling out the inner tube, or cutting the roll in half with a knife, this is just what works best for me. I don't like all the paper balls I get when I use the knife.

I use whatever paper towels that I have on hand, usually either Bounty select-a-size that I bought with a coupon, on sale of course, which is my favorite. Or Target brand, my second favorite. I like both, but the Target brand you have to cut.

Here is how I make it. I tear the towels off the roll and make a big pile. If you don't have the select-a-size then you will need to use scissors to cut them once you get your pile done. Just cut them in half. Then separate into two equal piles.

I use 2 cups of water with mine, as I like my wipes really wet. Mix about 1 tablespoon of the baby body wash and 1 tablespoon of the baby oil in the water. I pour about 1/3 of the water in the bottom of a diaper container I already had. Add a third of one of the piles of towels to that to soak up the mixture. Then add another third of the towels, pour a third of the mixture over it. Then finish with the last of the towels in that pile and the rest of the mixture. That is it. This makes me two containers and lasts about a week.

I do buy premade baby wipes for when we travel and for grandma's house. Mainly because I know not everyone likes the homemade wipes. But with my son, I have not had any problems using these wipes and he has had almost no diaper rash at all.

I have also used these as a quick type of bath. when I am getting him dressed I will sometimes give him a once over with the wipes and it makes him smell like a baby again! I love that baby smell.

I choose to do this for the health of my kids skin. So as far as cost saving, I don't really know the exact numbers. But I do know they are cheaper than store bought wipes. I get my rolls for less than a dollar a piece and get two containers of wipes from each roll. That is a huge savings in my book.

This links to Works for Me WednesdaysSuper Saving Saturdays and Frugal Fridays.

4 comments:

  1. I love homemade wipes, too! I had trouble with them molding before I could get them used, though, and finally came up with a couple of ways to keep them fresh. If you're interested, you can see how here. I love how easy they are to make!!

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  2. I love your post on Things in My House!

    I used homemade wipes with all three of my kids, and now that I'm keeping a baby everyday, I started making them again. I use Bounty, but reused the round Rubermaid container I previously used with my kids. Here is how I did it: http://aspiringmom2three.blogspot.com/2009/01/works-for-me-wednesday_14.html

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  3. Yup, the tea tree oil (or the grapefruit seed extract) helps inhibit mold growth, and since I make two boxes at a time, I put the extra one in the refrigerator. I like leaving them attached so they'll pop up, but that's just my quirk. How blessed you are to go through them so quickly! :>) :>)

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  4. I always liked the viva brand. They are very strong and do not rip. They are thick like wipes too.

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