I love using cloth wipes for several reasons: they are chemical free, cheap, and smell amazing. Most wipes you can buy in stores (even many “sensitive, alcohol free, and fragrance free” options) contain all sorts of horrid ingredients like parabens, methylisoyhiazolinone, benzyl alcohol, and fragrance.
Things I don’t want in my own body products, much less in my tiny baby’s!
If you are like me, you won’t get out all of the supplies for making your own wipes on a weekly basis, so, I’ve made a recipe for an entire gallon, so you can make it ahead and just pour over dry cloths as needed.
- 1 gallon purified or distilled water
- 1-2 Tbs. Oil (I prefer almond oil, just avoid all mineral oils)
- 1 tsp Dr. Bronner’s Castile Soap (lavender, tea tree, or baby mild)
- 10 drops Lavender Essential oil**
- 10 drops Tea Tree Oil** (really important to keep mildew at bay)
Simply stuff clean rags in a container. Shake your solution and pour over the rags until wet. Too much solution and you will have to wring them out before each use, but you will get the hang of how much to use quickly.
You can always add aloe vera or pure, alcohol-free witch hazel, but I don’t find those to be necessary.
**I use Young Living Essential oils, which are ultra pure. To purchase at wholesale price just sign up as a distributor, using my sponsor code: 1404324.**
For in the diaper bag, I do use disposable wipes by Seventh Generation. They are fragrance free, alcohol free and paraben free.
I use my wipes solution for diaper wipes and also as multi-purpose toddler wipes. I keep a bucket of these rags under the kitchen sink for easy clean-up for Miles after meals.
My favorite cloth wipes for the baby are BabyKicks Natural & Organic Baby Wipes, but for Miles’ bucket I just use old ratty washcloths!
This homemade wipes solution smells fantastic, moisturizes and safely cleans that sweet baby skin. The essential oils aid in cleansing, as well as warding off diaper rash. The castille soap is extremely gentle and requires no rinsing, so I use these for little sponge baths for Etta, and I’ve even grabbed one from time to time for a quick face wash for myself!
live well. be well.