Diaper Wipes Solutions

[libbylovely]

Okay, so what's the deal here?

1) I've heard that making your own wipes solution (eg. 2 tablespoons grapeseed oil, 1 cup water, and 2 drops lavendar essential oil) is bad for your cloth wipes and diapers in that the oil makes them lose their absorbancy. Is this true in any of your experiences?

2) If you shouldn't make your own solution, what is your favorite wipes solution? Why? Works awesome? Economical? Not economical, but holy cow, it is the best product out there?

THANKS!

[Blueone]

I make my own. I use mostly water with a bit of olive oil and some witch hazel. It works fine and my son is fine with it too. I haven't had any wipe problems, but we use cotton wipes with a small mix of Baby Kicks Hemp wipes.

[sepschooler]

Hi. I am a mom of 4, and have been CD'ing for about 10 years. I used to make my own wipes solution, and it worked okay, but it took a lot of time, albeit I tend to go for the ultimate in greatness. I was trying to solve issues with persistent diaper rash, though, so I had to really put some effort into it. I used a couple of drops of Dr. Bronner's liquid Castille soap in the unscented Baby hemp variety, plus various essential oils, plus vitamin E and a bit of Weleda baby oil. Then, when my youngest was born, I got a bar of soap from Earth Mama Angel Baby in a kit, and used it with wipes I wet with warm water. That worked well, but it tended to over dry my daughter's skin. Since then, I have simplified my routine and use Dr. Bronner's baby unscented Castille bar soap, and have fantastic results. I just wet my cloth wipes with warm water, rub one on the soap, wipe up the poopy, then use another wipe with plain water. If one really wanted to save money and have wipes-warmer level of convenience, I think the thing to do would be to put comfortably warm/hot water in a thermal carafe in the changing area, then wet the wipes with that. Then, you wouldn't have to plug anything in, or let the water run from the tap until it is hot. When your babies are out of diapers, you have a usable thermal carafe, not some wipes warmer to get rid of. You could do the same sort of thing with a small thermos in the diaper bag. It's much less rigamarole, in my opinion.

[cristeen]

I just use water - most economical thing there is.

[sepschooler]

Another thing about the longevity of cloth wipes: I made my own, because they are so ridiculously easy to dash off on the sewing machine. You only need the most rudimentary sewing skills.
The material that they are made from makes a big difference in how long they last. My experience has been that velours will last a couple of years, then begin to fall apart. The problem is that it seems to be made with a polyester net backing, with the natural fiber as the "pile". Eventually, the pile pulls or falls out of the netting, and you're left with a threadbare ghost of a wipe. If you want something to last a long time, go for a really thick flannel made of cotton or hemp. Organic Cotton Plus sells a 12 oz. version.

[Bluegoat]

I've had good luck with glycerin and rose water from the pharmacy. My Nana swore by it and it does the trick. I haven't had a problem with it coating the diapers.

[Funny Face]

We use a spray bottle with water and a squirt of Burt's Bees Baby Wash. It's worked great for us.

[AlishaLukesMom]

I used to make my own with baby shampoo, oil and water. But then I started using a WAHM Monkey Butt Soap bits. And I love em. So easy to use. I put one in a spray bottle and wet the wipes as I need them.

[My3guys]

We are big fans of the Northern Essence Foaming Wipes solution. We tend to get the big bottles of the concentrate and then fill little to go bottles for the diaper bag. Love the stuff.

Good luck making your own!