The Clean Scene

After we switched to cloth diapers I faced a dilemma on what to do with wipes. I could continue purchasing disposable wipes and throwing our money away every time I changed a diaper, or I could whip up some cloth wipes out of old receiving blankets and make my own wipe solution.

After browsing several different websites and playing around with the items I had around the house, I came up with this very simple solution that gets the bums of my little guys squeaky clean and smelling fresh.

Tools and Ingredients

• 1/2 Pint Canning Jar
• 2 Tablespoons Coconut Oil
• 1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
• 10 Drops of Tea Tree Oil
• 2 Teaspoons Soap (I use lavender castile soap)
• Water
• Orange and Lavender Essential Oils, optional
• Funnel
• Small Spray Bottle (travel size is easiest to work with)

Directions

• Heat ½ a pint of water in a small saucepan to boiling.
• In the ½ pint jar measure out the oils and castile soap. The coconut oil will be solid if kept in the refrigerator and semi-solid if left at room temperature. I find it a lot easier to work with when it is room temperature.
• Fill the rest of the jar with the boiling water.
• Screw on the lid. Make sure it is nice and tight. Wrap a towel around the jar and shake. You want to make sure that the oils and water mix really well. There will be separation as oil and water never truly mix but do your best to shake it up while the mixture is still warm. This will melt the coconut oil and make it blend it better.
• Let sit overnight with the lid on. In the morning shake up your solution again. When you open the lid you will see that it has bubbles on the top. That’s okay. Carefully pour the solution into the small spray bottle using a funnel.
• Put the lid on the spray bottle and it is ready to use. Make sure to shake it each time that you use the solution, as the oil and water will separate.
• If you have any of the solution left over after pouring it into your spray bottle, just put the lid back on tightly and store until you are in need of a refill. I recommend washing the jar after emptying it and before making up a new batch. I also recommend using the mixture within a couple weeks in order to prevent any bacterial growth, although the tea tree oil should help prevent anything from growing.

I find that the easiest way to use the solution is to spray it directly on my little one’s bum. You can also spray it directly onto the wipe before using it on your little one. I chose not to do it this way generally because it takes more of the solution. Another option is to pour the solution into a container (an old wipes container works nicely) and then place the wipes into the container.

I use this mixture for every diaper change. When we are out of the house I have a second small bottle all ready to go and in the diaper bag. I use the cloth wipes the same way as I do at home and then toss them into my wet bag with the soiled diapers. It also works as an effective, but gentle cleaner for the hands and the face when applied directly onto the wipe and then used for cleaning. And it costs mere pennies each time I make up a batch!

**Disclaimer: Please note that we do recommend washing your cloth wipes separately from your cloth diapers if you use an oil-based ingredient.

Dana G is the proud stay at home mother of 2 handsome baby boys and the wife of a marvelous man who serves our country in the Air Force. You can check out more of her tips and stories on adaynasmile.wordpress.com.

The Clean Scene

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Wipes, solutions, and sprays, oh my!

We have been using cloth wipes for a while now—our middle child, who is now almost 7, was cloth diapered, and I found the wipes so useful that some of them were still in regular rotation when I found myself expecting baby #3. They wiped nasty noses, made a quick scrub for faces, and were in general like a washcloth with an attitude—and that was handy through the preschool years. My favorite wipes were two sided, one side soft and one side scrubby—I had some that were velour and sherpa that are still in use with Sam.

When Adam was a baby, I tried so many different things in regard to diapering—different styles of diapers, different inserts. And many, many wipes solutions. I used the baby bits-style drops , which I liked, but were kind of a pain to dissolve. I made my own solution with tea tree oil and lavender—okay, but a bit more than we needed most of the time. Sometimes I just used water, although for some reason I never got a system going for keeping damp wipes at the changing table. I got lots of samples of different wipes solutions—a popular freebie with fluff orders-- and tried them all! It was a bit crazy. One thing that was very useful was adding grapefruit seed extract to water when thrush was an issue—I used it for wipes and also to wash anything that was touching his mouth.

This time around, as with diapers, I resolved to simplify things as much as possible. After reading a bit I decided to try Kissaluvs diaper lotion potion, the concentrate form. I mixed this with witch hazel, using a little less concentrate than the bottle calls for, which works fine for Sam. So far, a year into things, we have used a combined system. We have a box with dry wipes on the changing table. I also keep about 10 wipes in an old disposable wipes box, damped with just water. That seems to be a good number -- they don’t sour before I can use them, and there is (usually) a damp wipe available when I need one quickly. If not, well, I am lucky to have big children around the house who can be dispatched to the sink. I keep a small bottle of witch hazel/ KDLP, which I spray directly on Sam. I always give him a quick spritz first thing in the morning, and then occasionally throughout the day. So far, so good in terms of diaper rash—Sam has only had an issue with this when he was on antibiotics and developed an unfortunate stomach ailment that I will not detail. One bottle of the concentrate has lasted me all this time and I still have a good bit left in the bottle. We’ve been happy with our solution this time around.

Anne-Marie is a mostly stay-at-home mama to three monkeys (9, 7, and *sniff* 1 ) in Northern New England. She blogs about their adventures in making sustainable(ish) changes in family life at http://greenishmonkeys.wordpress.com

Wipes, solutions, and sprays, oh my!

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How to Make Your Own Cloth Wipes: Part 2

Once you have made your cloth wipes, what solution should you soak them in and how should you store and wash them?

There are many many recipes online that you can find by googling “cloth wipes solution.” Finding the right one for your baby’s bum can depend on many factors:

Is your baby’s skin very sensitive?
Do you like to measure or approximate?
Are you into all-natural essential oils?
Or do you hate having to make a special trip to Whole Foods for stuff like that?
Do you have any ongoing rash issues?
And the list could go on...

Ultimately it just takes a little trial and error to find something that works for you and your baby. Here’s what I ended up doing for my son:

I didn’t want to take the trouble to measure! I just wanted to squirt a little of this and a little of that into a container, shake it up and go. I started by doing about 2 cups of water (I did measure the first time or two to get a feel for how much water that looked like) and then adding 1 squirt of baby oil and 2 squirts of baby shampoo. Mix up a bit, add wipes, squeeze out excess, put in container, done!

I ended up cutting out the baby shampoo because it made the wipes smell a little musty after a few days, in my opinion. Additionally, when we moved to tropical south Florida where mildew abounds, I started adding a few drops of tea tree oil (natural anti-funk agent) to make sure that nothing funky was growing in that dark, moist environment. It does the trick nicely!

So now my “recipe” is: Eyeball how many dry wipes are in my stack, run some water into my wipes container, 1 squirt baby oil, a few drops of tea tree oil, swirl with fingers, add wipes stack, squeeze out and pour off excess, lay wipes back in container and done!

One note about the baby oil - go easy on the amount because while it helps the wipe to glide over baby’s skin, you don’t want to put oily stuff into the same wash load as your diapers. The amount I use makes the wipes feel slightly softened but not oily to the touch. I’ve been using this method for over a year and have had no problems with the very small amount of baby oil I add to the solution.

There is no wrong way to make wipes solution! Try out a bunch of different things, tweak it to how you like it and then go from there! It’s so easy!

One last note on storing and washing:
I use an old Huggies wipes container to store my wipes, but you can also use whatever you want! Any plastic container will do - an old tupperware from your kitchen is fine! Some people also like to use a wipes warmer, but beware the funk because warm, dark and moist is a favorite habitat for heebie-jeebie growth.

To wash, just throw them in your diaper pail with all your other diapers, put them through your regular wash routine all together, and lay flat to dry. At least with flannel, laying flat is helpful. They can be kind of stiff if they dry all bunchy. Just depends on whether bunchy wipes bug you or not.

Good luck making your own cloth wipes!!

By Stephanie G.

How to Make Your Own Cloth Wipes: Part 2

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A Solution for Every Problem

When I was trying to convince my husband to use cloth diapers over a year ago, one of my selling points was, “It’s not like I am wanting to use cloth wipes, too. That would be gross.”  Eventually he agreed to do a test run. We bought 6 cloth diapers. The plan was to do cloth part time until I decided if it was something I wanted to stick with, and we had the extra money to get more diapers. This part time thing lasted about a day when I decided I would just wash my 6 precious diapers every night so I didn’t have to put disposables on him at all. So that’s what I did for a couple weeks. After my son went to sleep in his double stuffed cloth diaper, I washed the 5 others and got them ready for the next day.

Very soon into this adventure I realized that I could make diaper changes much simpler by using cloth wipes. I currently had to keep the disposable wipes in a little pile by themselves and then make a trip to the diaper pail and then the trash can to dispose of the wipes. What would be so bad about just throwing the cloth wipes in with the diapers and washing them all together? So on my next order from Kelly’s Closet, I ordered a pack of the BumGenius flannel wipes. They were a great deal, so if I hated cloth wipes, I didn’t feel too bad about wasting that money. It turns out, I loved them. I was right; it really did simplify the diaper changing process, and it was no grosser than using disposables.

I looked at wipes solutions, but they were pretty expensive. So I decided I would make my own. I researched what went into them and looked up a few wipe solution recipes online. I knew I didn’t want to use soap because it can dry out skin sometimes, so I looked at alternatives. I loved the antimicrobial properties of tea tree oil so I knew I wanted that in it. Also, lavender smells so good so that would go in it too. Those essential oils are very concentrated though. They can irritate the skin if they aren’t dissolved in a carrier oil. Jojoba oil is very moisturizing so I chose it as my carrier oil. I could put all of this in water I guess, but maybe there is something better? I noticed many recipes called for witch hazel, so I decided to try that. Here is the recipe I came up with:

Wipe Solution

1 cup witch hazel

1-2 tsp jojoba oil

1-2 drops tea tree oil

2-3 drops lavender oil

Mix the oils in a squirt bottle, then add the witch hazel and shake to combine. (In reality I never measure any of it.)

This solution has worked well for us for about a year now. Sometimes I use plain water instead of witch hazel if I don’t have any on hand. I use an 8 oz squirt bottle that I found in the travel toiletries isle at Walmart when we are home, and a 2 oz squirt bottle found in the same isle for the diaper bag. I’ve found this solution really helps prevent rashes. Maybe if you’ve been looking for something like this it can help you too!

I am a stay-at-home mom to Cooper (2 years), and our baby girl Emma is due to arrive in October. Cooper has had a fluffy butt since May 2010, and I am building a newborn stash so I can cloth diaper Emma from Day 1! I also blog at http://coopersmommy09.blogspot.com/

A Solution for Every Problem

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A Wipe Is Just a Wipe, Right?

We started using cloth diapers when our son was 10 days old, but we continued using disposable wipes even though we had a few cloth wipes on hand. I wasn't sure how to get started with them or what to do for the solution. When we finally made the switch to cloth wipes a few weeks later it was for a variety of reasons:

1) I found myself standing there after changing a poopy diaper, holding poop covered disposable wipes in my hand, and feeling totally clueless what to do with it. What do you do with a disposable wipe after a diaper change?!! We didn't have a garbage can in the our baby's room. After changing a pee diaper I would just leave the wipe in the cloth diaper, and drop it in the trash before putting his diaper in the pail. After a poop, things are bit more difficult. I didn't want to drop a poop covered wipe in the open bathroom trash. I found myself rinsing the disposable wipes before throwing them away. I realized quickly that I just needed to get the cloth wipes out.

2) It is like a mini bath every time we change his diaper. I LOVE knowing that my son is clean, especially after he's been in a diaper for a long time at night. Such a refreshing way to start the day! My husband loves the cloth wipes because he feels they clean the skin better and easier than disposables.

3) We're saving even more money that we expected to with cloth diapers. I had no clue how many disposable wipes we would go through, and was surprised at how often we had to buy a new mega-huge box. Since we switched to using cloth most of the time (we still have disposables around) I haven't bought a new box of wipes. We're still using the last box of wipes I purchased during those first few weeks.

4) We can control what goes on the wipe. Even though we were buying "natural" wipes, I still wasn't sure what he was being cleaned with. Now I control it and can have fun making various solutions to try. Right now we're using a squirt of California Baby Super Sensitive Shampoo & Body Wash along with a few drops of "Almond Glow" that includes sweet almond oil, peanut oil, olive oil, lanolin oil, Vitamin E, and lavender.

5) Once again, we producing less waste! I can't imagine how much trash we would be throwing out each week if we used disposable diapers and wipes. Right now we're only using flannel wipes, some I bought and some I made with scraps of flannel. They're super soft and 100% reusable!

My husband and I are both glad we transitioned to using the cloth wipes along with the diapers. It has been just one more thing we feel we are doing that is the best thing for our son's skin, our budget, and the environment. Amazing that a little scrap of cloth can make you feel so proud!

By Natalie G.

A Wipe Is Just a Wipe, Right?

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WIPEOUT!

My first daughter, Ophelia, was born 6 weeks early and was so tiny that none of our cloth diapers would fit her. Even prefolds and covers were just too much for her tiny little body. So for the first 2 months, she was in preemie sized disposable diapers. But there was one item in our stash that was definitely one size fits all - our cloth wipes. We started using washcloths wet with warm water while we were in the hospital. They kept putting packets of disposable wipers in her bassinet and we kept taking them out, finally actually putting a sign on her bassinet drawer that said “No disposable wipes - please use cloth!”

We continued our use of cloth wipes when we finally were able to bring our little nugget home. At first I used plain white washcloths that I was able to buy for $3.99 per dozen at the local department store. I had 2 dozen in a stack and used them for everything from face wipers, sponge baths, to butt wipers.

Now, we were using cloth wipes for many of the same reasons we planned on using cloth diapers: we knew it was better to use a reusable product than one that causes more waste, it was convenient (just toss in the pail with the cloth diaper), and it was infinitely less expensive to do so. Little did I know that there was an even better reason for us to be using cloth wipes:

One day while were out shopping I had to do a quick diaper change and realized I had neglected to bring an extra cloth wiper - so I resorted to that back up packet of disposable wipes. By the very next diaper change, Ophelia’s bottom was irritated and splotchy. Yikes! Could it be the disposable wipes? What is in those things anyway? Preservatives! Parabens! Artificial Fragrances! Surfactants! And these were purportedly for sensitive skin! No way was I ever going back to that!

Over the years (Ophelia is now almost 3 and we also have a 10 month old daughter!) we have used a variety of different cloth wipes. My mom made me a giant stack of wipes that were suede cloth on one side and flannel on the other, and some that were fleece and flannel - all sewn, turned, and topstitched. I won a pile of cotton fleece wipes that were smooth on one side and nappy on the other. I purchased a stack of bamboo velour and bamboo terry wipes that are so soft and amazing! And I also made myself a dozen from bamboo velour and flannel - which are super fun because the flannel has some great prints! You can turn pretty much any soft piece of cloth in to a cloth wipe! Cut up worn out flannel bed sheets, cut up receiving blankets, washcloths, toweling, cut up old T-shirts, and fleece scraps - not to mention new yardage of any fabric you want. You can cut them to fit in a wipes warmer and place a days worth in the warmer each morning. Or keep them in a disposable wipes box dry or with a bit of water or wipes solution if you don’t mind a cold wiper on your baby’s bottom!

We have always just wet a new wipe with warm water from the sink when it’s time for a diaper change. We started using a wipes solution with Ophelia after she stopped breast feeding and her poops became ‘real’ - as in real stinky and real sticky. I found that a wipes solution helped to get her bottom cleaner. We use a soap like cube that I dissolve in 2 cups of hot water. I keep it in a spray bottle (after it cools, of course) and spray it directly on her bottom and then wipe with a warm wet wiper. There are many options for wipes solutions, including making your own. You can purchase premade solutions that you can spray on a wiper or directly on the bottom, or glycerin chunks or liquids that you can mix and dilute yourself.

Now, there IS one time that I will reach for a disposable wipe. If either one of my girls has a diaper rash that requires me to use creams that are not cloth compatible, I put them in a disposable diaper and use disposable wipes to wipe them. I have made the mistake of using my cloth wipes to wipe diaper cream bottoms - and the diaper cream on the wipes ended up migrating to my diapers in the wash and I had a heck of a time scrubbing and stripping my cloth to get it in usable condition again. I have found that Seventh Generation Disposable wipes are fine on my girls bottoms - there are no artificial ingredients and are very mild. You can also find disposable cloths that you can wet in the sink just like a cloth wipe.

You can find many great cloth wipes and wipes solutions at Kelly’s Closet!

- by Heidi M.

WIPEOUT!

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Wipe-Out!

When thinking about cloth diapers it’s easy to forget about the little details, such as cloth wipes. If you’re already committed to cloth diapering – using cloth wipes is truly the easiest and economical way to go!

There are many types of cloth wipes available; terry cloth, organic cotton, flannel, bamboo, velour, hemp, etc… My personal favorite is terry cloth wipes such as Kissaluvs Knit Terry wipes. Knit terry fabric is coarse enough to thoroughly wipe up the messiest bowel movement but is still gentle on your little one’s skin. Oftentimes I can even clean my little man’s monster poo with one terry knit wipe (although I typically use an extra one for good measure). For pee-only diaper changes I like to use a cotton wipe, such as the bumGenius Egyptian Cotton wipes (these came as part of my bumGenius Shop and Go Pak).

On a tight budget? You can make your own wipes by purchasing a ½ - 1 yard of fabric (depending on how many wipes you want to make); cut the fabric into even-sized squares then stitch and/or serge the edges to prevent the material from fraying. Here’s an example of the double sided terry wipes I made myself with some stretch terry knit fabric I found on clearance at my local Wal-Mart. My daughters even helped me put the squares of fabric together and handed them to me as they were ready to be sewn.

A solution for your wipes solution…
The cloth diapering fun never ends; once you find the cloth wipe you like best – you can experiment with wipe solutions too! There are some who choose to use only water. I’ve tried this approach but found with numerous diaper changes throughout the day a little moisturizer is needed to prevent excessive skin dryness.

There are many great reviews for the more popular wipes solutions: Kissaluvs Diaper Lotion Potion, Baby Bits, and Northern Essence Tea Tree Oil and Lavender Free Wipes Solution. I’d love to try these, but since I prefer to save my cloth diaper “allowance” for diapers, I’ve chosen to make my own wipes solution. I use 2 teaspoons of Burt’s Bee’s Baby Wash and 2 teaspoons of Burt’s Bees Apricot Baby Oil with 2 cups of water; this solution is enough for approximately 20 wipes.

Other recommendations for DIY wipes solutions: boil water with lavender and/or chamomile tea bags and let cool (strain if necessary), then add a little oil (such as olive oil) if desired.

I prefer to have my wipes wet and ready to go, so I store them in a wipe warmer (which I will discuss in a moment). However you may store the solution in a spray bottle and either wet the wipes as needed or spray directly on baby’s bum.

Storing and Warming Your Wipes…
Although I use a wipe warmer it’s essentially a glorified storage box as I’ve chosen not to use the warming feature. I could have used a plastic storage box (or a recycled plastic wipes box), but I still had the wipe warmer my dad bought me 4 years ago – so I might as well use it for storage if nothing else.

The warming feature is great, especially for babies who detest a cold wipe against their skin. Take a cold wipe and slap it against the skin on your stomach to test for yourself how cold wipes actually feel and you would understand why so many babies cry during diaper changes. My little guy doesn’t seem to care either way so for the sake of less maintenance I’ve chosen not to warm them.

If you do utilize a wipe warmer you need to be a bit more attentive as the combination of water and warmth can cause a few problems, namely musty smells or even mold. To deter smells and/or mold avoid using too many wipes in the warmer (no more than you can use in less than a day). You may also consider adding a couple drops of Tea Tree Oil (TTO) to your solution. Tea Tree Oil has antifungal properties and will help ward off any potential problems with mold and also combats smell.

Another way to have warm wipes is to use a small thermal pump pot. Basically fill the pump pot with a little of your warm solution (or plain water) and this will keep it warm for at least 8 hours, maybe longer. Just pump a little water onto your wipe and voila – instant warm wipe!

More savings!
We all know the significant savings we gain by using cloth diapers; but those figures don’t typically factor in the cost of disposable wipes. When I used disposable wipes I would purchase them in bulk from Costco Warehouse. A box of 704 wipes (8 packages of 88 wipes each) costs approximately $16; which breaks down to $0.02 per wipe. Two pennies may not seem like much, but over the course of time they certain add up especially when you’re using a few dozen a day! By switching to cloth wipes I estimate a person can save a minimumof $100 each year!

NOTE: If experimenting with your own solution be very careful not to use too much of any one ingredient, especially oils and essentials oils. If you use too much, you not only risk causing harm to your little one’s skin, but the oils can deposit onto your diapers causing an oily buildup leading to leaking and repellency problems.

- By Serena

Wipe-Out!

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