Cloth wipes, not just for baby butts!

I mentioned in my post about cloth diapers that we also make cloth wipes.  If you're like me, you are currently horrified.  Cloth diapers are one thing, but cloth wipes?  They will DEFINITELY have a lot of poo on them *gag* amIright?  I feel you, that was totally my initial thought, but once I got past the cloth diaper phobia cloth wipes didn't seem so bad.  Stay with me, let's say you're using cloth diapers (yay you!) and you are using disposable wipes, this means you need to make sure you don't wrap up the wipes with the diapers, you have to keep a trash can AND a cloth diaper bin by the changing table, AND you have to constantly remember to buy wipes.  What a PITA!  If you use cloth wipes you can put the used wipe in the diaper, just like you used to do for disposables, and toss them both in the cloth diaper bin, AND you always have wipes because you use cloth.  Starting to come around?

We just use the cheapy baby washcloths for the wipes (lots of people make their own, my green/craftiness is not this strong, so I just bought them off of amazon like so:   Luvable Friends 12 Washcloths With Bonus Toy, Blue that's a 12 pack for under $4, I would get probably 3 of those and you'll be good to go.  Then, if you want the wipes wet (and I certainly do) then you have a few options
1) You can buy wipe solution (California Baby Diaper Area Wash - Non-Burning & Calming, 6.5 oz )
2) You can buy these to make wipe solution (Knickernappies Baby Bum Drops - Wipe Solution )
3) You can just make wipe solution yourself and save a TON of money

I prefer option #3 for obvious reasons :).  My method to make wipe solution is SUPER easy, my friend Laura told me about it and we've been using it since Gavin was itsy bitsy with no issues. It goes like this:

2 cups warm water
1 squirt baby wash (We use California Baby Super Sensitive Shampoo and Bodywash -- 19 fl oz )
3 drops tea tree oil (Now Foods Organic Tea Tree Oil, 1-Ounce)

                       

Stir and pour over wipes in the container.  Now the components ARE expensive by themselves, BUT Gavin is almost 5 months old, and I have only bought these once, meaning for $26 I have wiped my son's behind for 5 months.  Compare that to $12 for a 3-pack of wipes that'll last you a week or two and it doesn't seem so bad now does it?  Also, you don't *have* to use California baby, any sensitive baby wash will do, and you don't *have* to use organic tea tree oil, any tea tree oil will do.  This is in there for antibacterial properties, and do NOT use more than 3-4 drops on baby's sensitive behind area, that's plenty, trust me.


We use an old wipes container and/or a wipe warmer for storage, and I found online a folding technique for the wipes that makes it so they "pop-up" like you're used to with the disposable ones.  See the folding technique in pictures below :).

Lay one washcloth flat

Add the second one and overlap top half on top of bottom half of the first one

Fold over the top of the first one

Add a 3rd one with bottom half overlapping the folded part

Fold up the bottom of the second one, next you'll place the 4th with the top overlapping this fold, fold over the 3rd one, keep going til you have a stack that will fill your wipes container

You can use these wipes for more than just baby butts too!  Keep them around for cleaning messy hands, messy faces, sticky things, whatever you would use wipes for normally, you can use in place of baby wipes and wet ones type wipes.  I'm sure you can even think of more to uses!