Making Homemade Baby Wipes

Here are two 'recipes' for baby wipes that I came across. Try one (or both) of them and never buy expensive prepackaged baby wipes again!

The first recipe uses cotton pads - the type some people use to remove makeup. Put the pads in a container with a tight fitting lid. Add a few squirts of baby oil or olive oil (Baby oil contains mineral oil, and some experts believe that the use of mineral oil on your skin should be avoided.) and then put enough warm water in the container to cover the pads. Close the container until you need a fresh wipe. I am not sure how much you will save by using the cotton pads - they will feel nice on baby's skin, but may not cost much less than just buying the wipes (although more natural).

The second 'recipe' uses a roll of resusable paper towels (thicker and less likely to tear - Bounty makes them, not sure if other brands do, or not), cut in half. You will need a sealable container that is big enough to hold half of the roll of paper towels. Mix 2 1/2 cups of warm water and 2 - 3 tablespoons of baby bath, baby shampoo, or other non-allergenic liquid soap in the container and then put half of the roll of paper towels in. After the water has saturated the entire roll of paper, the cardboard insert will be easy to peel out. Seal the container, and there you have your wipes!

Each of these methods has its benefits - the first one, while probably more expensive, is 'greener' and gentler on baby's skin since you are not using paper. You can vary the cleaning ingredients to suit your preferences and what you have on hand. The directions give you the general idea of what to shoot for.