When I first did the deep dive to the cloth world, I didn’t really realize all the different things I could switch to save money. The first thing I came across were cloth wipes. It made sense for me to give them a try. I was already planning on washing my diapers, so why wouldn’t I just throw it all in together. It didn’t make sense to me to have to go through and pick out dirty wipes from my diapers. The last thing you want to do is touch the poop. Before I got to this decision with any type of cloth in general, we had to experience a terrible time with our newborn. He had awful bleeding rashes that never healed no matter what we did, what we treated him with, or what natural diapers and wipes we tried. It was heartbreaking. We had to find a solution. I came across cloth and jumped right in. I learned how many nasty chemicals were in typical wipes and diapers. I also learned, these companies are not at liability to disclose all the ingredients in either one. Notice you don’t see ingredients on most diapers? Did you know all the ingredients aren’t listed on your wipes in most cases? The law doesn’t require them to tell you. Even in the ones that claim to be all natural. Here’s just a few chemicals in your every day wipes:
2-Bromo-2-Nitropropane-1; 3-Diol: This contaminate is both a neuro and immunomoxin. This contaminate is a “hidden ingredient” in a variety of wipes.
Propylene Glycol: Immunomoxin. Can cause organ damage, and pose a cancer risk. Used in anti-freeze.
Formaldehyde: Recognized by the U.S. Occupational Health and Safety Administration (OSHA) as a carcinogen. It is rated on Environmental Working Group’s Skin Deep database as a level 10, being the worst rating for skin absorption into the body.
This is just to name a few. This was a major red flag for me on very many levels. Not only did I realize I was putting hazardous chemicals on my baby, it also made sense as to why nothing ever worked. I was delighted to find the potential problem. I switched immediately. I finally had a peace of mind, and a happy baby.
*Other reasons to use cloth wipes:
They save you money!
Chemical free!
Much softer on baby’s bum!
Cleans poo off much easier than disposable wipes!
Super cute patterns!
*How to use cloth wipes*
Just like disposables of course! Only difference, is that you have to wet them. I personally like to wet mine before going out so they’re ready to go! But this isn’t your only option. Here are a few options for wetting your cloth wipes:
-Buy a spray bottle to take with you on outings or to spray at home.
-Buy a solution such as Le Petite Cream
or Diaper Lotion Potion that do not require a wet wipe.
-Store wet wipes in a repurposed wipe container, buy one off Amazon, or repurpose an old jar. You can also just place in your wet bag, or purchase a mini one here!
I have a wonderful wipes container for at home that I love to use. It has a weight to hold wipes down so you can pull wipes out individually. You can find the wipes container here. You also can fold wipes to where they pop up just like regular wipes!
You can view that video here!
When you go out with your wipes, just place them in your dirty diapers and throw it all in your wet bag, then wash everything together. That’s it!
A lot of people tend to just use water for their wipes. And that’s totally fine! Me personally, I like to pre-make my wipes and have them on hand when needed. Especially at home cause you always need wipes. I tried the only water thing for a bit, but the issue with that? They start to smell. Bacterial growth happens and then you’ve got a bunch of wasted wipes to wash. I prefer to use a solution on my wipes. You can make your own, or buy some to make things easier. I do both, but I do prefer to buy pre-made.
*How to make your own solution*
1/2 Tbsp Coconut Oil
1 Tsp Vitamin E Oil
5 drops Tea Tree Oil
5 drops Lavender Oil
1 cup of hot water
Try different recipes and see what works best for your baby! Really, all you need is a type of soap, water, oil to help remove all the nasty stuff and in my option, tea tree to help with bacterial growth.
If you would rather buy your solution, here are my recommendations:
Diaper lotion potion is my all time favorite! On the go, I’ll just spray onto babies bum and use a dry wipe to wipe it all off, then store my wipes into my wet bag. At home, I’ll fill a measuring cup with water and then spritz the water with the solution and mix. Once that’s done, I’ll pour the solution onto my wipes. Easy peasy. BALM baby is very similar. It’s only a concentrate, so you just pour it onto your wipes and dilute with water. You can also place it in a reusable spray bottle for on the go.Tiny humans is a spray that works wonders as well. You can definitely wet your wipes, spray them, and call it a day. You can also use this to just spray directly on baby’s bum!
*How many wipes do you need?*
-25-30 wipes, per child for about 2-3 days
*Where to get your wipes?
If you’re crafty, by all means MAKE YOUR OWN! I have the creativity of a stump. But this would save you a lot of money and you could make them look and be sized to your own preference.
Here’s a few places I love to buy my cloth accessories. Granted, Amazon can be great for getting things with free shipping, but I do prefer buying directly from companies first and foremost. I use two different wipes between home and on the go. Those will be listed first:
Have any questions? Shoot me a message! I’d love to help. Check back periodically for new posts about other ways you can incorporate cloth and other reusable items into your everyday life!