Baby wipes are something that every mom uses to clean up her baby during changing time. Several moms have told me that they make their own baby wipes, which seemed very economical to me.
Why make your own baby wipes? Several reasons come to mind.
- My child has a sensitive bottom and I want to control what goes on it to prevent diaper rash.
- I hate running to the store just to make a trip to purchase baby wipes.
- I feel they are a bit better at cleaning up #2 because of the stiffness of the paper.
- It saves you money! I was able to purchase enough materials to make 32 weeks worth of wipes for less than you can buy a 3 pack for in the store, which might last 6 weeks.
All I have to say is thank goodness for You Tube! I found this video by Babies411, which I followed to make my wipes.
Homemade Baby Wipes
Supplies:
- 1 Roll Paper Towels (I used Viva because they are soft)
- 1 Large Kitchen Knife
- 1 Tbsp Baby Wash
- 1/2 Tbsp Baby Oil
- 1 Cup Water
- 1 Large Container for Storage
Instructions:
Step 1: Using your large kitchen knife, cut the roll of paper towels in half. I used my husband for this step because we all know that it is not safe to allow me to use a large knife.
Step 2: Since I used an empty container from another brand I had previously purchased, I had to fold my towels to fit into the container. You can also use a large round container as they do in the video if you want to skip this step. Take the paper towels and fold it back and forth where the sheets can be easily dispensed one at a time from the top of the container.
Step 3: Stir your baby wash and baby oil into the water. I took a picture of the products I used, but you can find many other recipes on this website.
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Step 4: Pour the mixture over the wipes. Close the top of the container and all this to sit for approximately 10 minutes.
Step 5: Open top of container and flip wipes over using clean hands. Allow them to sit for another 10 minutes before using or storing for later usage.
That is it! Super simple, right? My favorite part about this is that I can sit and fold the paper towels into the container while I watch TV and can make wipes at ANY time during the day!
My next mission will be creating a travel-sized, washable, wipe container. 🙂
Do you have any great tips to share on making baby wipes?
Kristen @ Curious Cora says
March 7, 2011 at 4:55 pmThanks for the tutorial! I have enough wipes from my baby shower to last me a little bit longer, but I would love to make my own! I think making your own anything is better than buying it! Next stop: Make your own washing detergent and dish soap! 🙂
amanda says
March 7, 2011 at 8:04 pmI agree Kristen! I make anything I can. I actually got enough baby wash from my shower that I haven’t had to buy any in almost 2 years! I have some family members that make their own laundry soap. Maybe I need to consult them for my next tutorial! Thanks for the great ideas!
Skye says
July 31, 2011 at 1:50 amIm gonna have to try that!
Tammy says
August 12, 2011 at 12:27 pmOk, I tried this…and after the first 10 minutes I flipped the paper towels over, but the bottom ones were still dry. Should I have done something different?
amanda says
August 12, 2011 at 12:47 pmDepending on how thick your pile of wipes will be, you may have to adjust the mixture. If I get a roll that is a little bit larger than normal, I usually start out with more water, maybe 1 1/4 cup. You can also try pouring the mixture on top and then pour a bit of it down the sides so that it will make it down to the bottom.
Another “quick tip” I’ve starting using is to simply leave the half roll as is (without folding it) and putting it in a large wipes case and pouring the mixture over it. With this method I usually have to open the lid each time to tear the towel off the roll, but it has also worked pretty well for me.
Tammy says
August 12, 2011 at 2:36 pmI think I figured it out…I think I used a bigger roll…lol. Thank you for posting this.
amanda says
August 12, 2011 at 6:45 pmGreat to hear that! Congrats on your new site. Good luck! I’ll stop over and follow you.
Mandi says
September 15, 2011 at 11:23 amThis sounds like a great idea… but most paper-towel fibers are sprayed with various chemical solutions during processing & packaging. Make sure you’re reading the labels carefully, and choose non-recycled paper-towel brands. Any ‘recycled’ fibers will have been chemically cleaned, whereas most new towels have fibers that have only been bleached. You wouldn’t want those chemicals absorbing into your child’s skin, especially if they are already sensitive.
amanda says
September 15, 2011 at 6:14 pmThank you for the tips Mandi.
Rosie says
December 28, 2011 at 5:51 amWonderful, I sure will tell my friends about it. thanks for sharing.
Heather Umphrey says
February 1, 2012 at 11:04 pmOh, my goodness! That is great! Baby wipes can be expensive over time and harsh on babies bottoms. What a clever and usefull post : )
Simone Woods says
February 21, 2012 at 4:03 pmGreat idea. Have to give it a go.
Marie-claude says
February 25, 2012 at 12:47 pmBy adding rose or orange blossom water to this recipe, you add a great perfume without irritation !
amanda says
February 27, 2012 at 8:19 amThanks for the tip!
Krystle says
February 28, 2012 at 4:26 pmI recently linked to this in a post I wrote. Thanks for the great idea!
Joni Mackey says
June 13, 2012 at 10:17 pmI made these a few weeks ago and they were great. BUT if you don’t use them fast they mold. I had to throw half of it away.
amanda says
June 13, 2012 at 10:55 pmI’ve never had them mold on me before. I suppose it could happen if you didn’t use them fast enough though. I would make up only one batch at a time and then when I was running low, start another. I also got to the point to where I was just cutting the paper towel roll in half and instead of folding it nicely, I just put it in the container whole and would tear off the sheets.