Best store-bought wet wipes?

[veedeepee]

My lo is 10 weeks old, and so far all I've used for wipes are dry wipes that we wet with water. I the beginning, we used the wipes we got from the hospital, and then we started using Viva paper towels cut into quarters (they're SO soft!). This is working fine for us, and I think we'll keep using the paper towels until he starts on solid food sometime in the fall (I hear the poo is stickier then, so we may need something other than plain water).

When we're out and about, however, I'm thinking it would be nice to have a pack of store-bought baby wipes. Right now I'm either carrying dry wipes and a bottle of water, of sticking some damp wipes in a ziploc bag. It's not terrible, but it's not super-convenient, either. I feel like I'm wasting a ziploc bag every time I get home (I don't keep the bag of unused wipes, as I figure bacteria would start growing in it if I just kept it in the diaper bag for a bunch of days). At least with store-bought wipes I could keep one pack in the diaper bag for a long time and waste less plastic.

So, what store-bought wipes do you like? I see that Nature Babycare makes wipes, are those any good? Other brands?


TIA

[StrawberryFields]

The best store bought wet wipes IME are Lansinoh Clean & Condition Cloths. My Target has them in the baby aisle by the breastfeeding supplies.

[hollytheteacher]

Do you have a costco near you?

I found the costco brand wipes to be really really good! They don't have a huge overbearing fragrance like the other brands (especially huggies blech) and they aren't overly wet, just wet enough to do the job.

The price is great too but obviously it is a lot of wipes since you buy in bulk there, so that might be the downside if you aren't going to use very many of them.

[Ola_]

Originally Posted by veedeepee

I feel like I'm wasting a ziploc bag every time I get home (I don't keep the bag of unused wipes, as I figure bacteria would start growing in it if I just kept it in the diaper bag for a bunch of days). At least with store-bought wipes I could keep one pack in the diaper bag for a long time and waste less plastic.

I guess I don't quite get how store-bought wipes would be ok to keep in the bag for a long time, but damp wipes in a plastic bag would not? They probably have mold-preventing and anti-bacterial stuff in their solution, don't they? Eww!

Another option is to get one travel container of commercial wipes and then just reuse it for your own wipes when it's empty. That would at least cut down on the baggie waste.

[AKislandgirl]

I second the lansinoh wipes. We use cloth at home and the lansinoh in the diaper bag. They are really nice.

[Michigan Mama]

Whatever you buy, just check to make sure they don't have parabens in them. (icky chemicals!) Many brands are fine. I think Huggies has them in theirs, unless you buy the sensitive ones. The lansinoh ones are probably ok, I would just read the label first.

[veedeepee]

Originally Posted by Ola_

I guess I don't quite get how store-bought wipes would be ok to keep in the bag for a long time, but damp wipes in a plastic bag would not? They probably have mold-preventing and anti-bacterial stuff in their solution, don't they? Eww!

I haven't read any labels at the store yet, so I don't know what's in them. I don't think they'd have antibacterial agents (I hope not!), but whatever the soap/cleansing element is in them should inhibit microbial growth at least for a while. I would definitely not be comfortable using anything antibacterial.

I'll also watch out for the parabens - good point about that. It looks like the Lansinoh ones do contain parabens.

Here's what's in the Lansinoh wipes (according to Amazon.com):
Water, Paraffinum Liquidum, Polysorbate 85, Phenoxyethanol, Methylparaben, Octyldodecanol, Oleath 5, Cetylpyridinium Chloride, Butylparaben, PEG 75 Lanolin, Perfume

Here's what's in the fragrance-free Nature Babycare wipes:
Aqua (water)
Glycerin (balances moisture level)
Panthenol (otherwise known as pro-vitamin B5, which moisturizes skin)
Aloe barbadensis (soothes the skin)
Cocamidopropylamine oxide (organic conditioner for softer skin)
Phenoxyethanol (organic compound that minimizes bacteria)
Ethylhexylglycerin (all-natural deodorizer)
Citric Acid (acts as a neutralizer for pH balance)

Here's what's in 7th Generation wipes:
Water, cetyl hydroxyethylcellulose (plant-derived cleaning agent), glycerin (vegetable oil derived), citric acid (provides stability and pH balance), aloe barbadensis leaf extract, tocopheryl acetate (vitamin E acetate), potassium sorbate and sodium benzoate (food-grade preservatives)


I like that the Nature Babycare and 7th Generation are fragrance-free...

[Vegan Princess]

I've been really happy with 7th generation wipes. Right amount of moisture. Pretty natural ingredients. I even heard on here you can wash and reuse them a couple times, though I've yet to try it myself. The OP said they got softer after a washing.

Cindy

[*Karen*]

I keep a pack of the 7th generation in my diaper bag and use cloth wipes at home. They stay good forever. I've had a pack longer than 6 months before and they've stayed fine.

[*Karen*]

I'd stay away from the Nature babycare ones...

FDA warning on phenoxyethanol

[pammysue]

We use the Whole Foods (365) brand and I love them. They are super soft and thick. They are "unscented" and have a very light clean smell. They do not have parabens and are chlorine free.

[kawa kamuri]

if i use them i use 7th gen

[EdnaMarie]

Originally Posted by hollytheteacher

I found the costco brand wipes to be really really good! They don't have a huge overbearing fragrance like the other brands (especially huggies blech) and they aren't overly wet, just wet enough to do the job.

The price is great too but obviously it is a lot of wipes since you buy in bulk there, so that might be the downside if you aren't going to use very many of them.

I looked into this a LOT and found that most of them, even the "green" ones, are pretty similar. Because of that, I buy the Costco Kirkland ones, and share the box with a relative. They are also unscented and paraben-free.

And they are SO much cheaper! We also use cloth at home but I too found it difficult out and about.

[roxemama]

For store bought wipes, I like Earth's Best wipes because they are really moist. I get them at BRUS. Otherwise, 7th Gen are really good too. I would also suggest that you get California Baby Diaper Area Wash Spray. It lasts forever. It's really convienent and you can use it with cloth wipes or just tissue.

[Vegan Princess]

For those of you who use the 7th gen wipes - they are 15% off on diapers.com now. Just click on their semi-annual sale.

Cindy

[JudiAU]

We liked lansinoh early on. Very gentle and no rashes during that time. But...DH and I both think they stink which is the only reason we switched. We used 7th gen for a long time. They function well and no stink. We finally switched to unscented Nature Babycare because they are biodegradable.

[veedeepee]

Thanks for all the great opinions & info, everyone. I think I'll end up going with the 7th Generation based on what people have posted here, and the fact that I can get them at lots of different stores (Nature Babycare are only at Babies R Us...I don't think Target carries the wipes from that brand).

I did hear from someone that the Whole Foods ones are good, but the Whole Foods is kind of out of my way. Although, I'll probably only need a pack of wipes for the diaper bag every few months, so maybe if I'm near Whole Foods sometime I'll pick up a pack of those, too!