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{Baby Love} How to Make Homemade Baby Wipes.

Melissa Beene Ford/ Health

I started making my own baby wipes with baby oil and store-bought baby wash when my first baby was born back in 2001. Because I’m cheap frugal, and because I wanted to be Martha Stewart in those days. Twelve years and two new babies later, I’m more frugal than ever,  I’m WAY over Martha Stewart, and I also know way more about the chemicals and cancer-causing junk that are in virtually all store-bought baby products.

So… I’m still making my own baby wipes, but without the baby oil and baby wash I used to use. WHY? Check out this Cosmetics Database. Go ahead. Search for your favorite Huggies wipes, Johnson and Johnson baby wash, or whatever. You’ll see just how toxic that stuff is.

So let’s make our own! Yippee!

First, you’ll start off adding two tablespoons of coconut oil to two cups of hot filtered water. Have I ever mentioned the phenomenal health benefits of coconut oil? Well, if not, I should have, and you can bet I will again soon, but for now I’ll just say that coconut oil is GREAT for skin. I like Tropical Traditions.

Coconut oil is hard at room temp in January, even in Texas, so your water will need to be hot to melt the coconut oil. You can boil the water if you want to, but the water comes out of my tap at 972*, and I have a filter, so I use that.



Next, add two tablespoons of baby wash to the hot water. I used Burt’s Bees because it doesn’t have parabens, sulfates, phthaltates or petrochemicals. However, according to the database it isn’t ideal; it has a hazard rating of 1 which is VERY  low, but this is a trial-and-error journey I’m on, and I’ll probably look for something with a rating of zero next time around.  But at least this is leaps and bounds better than Huggies, know what I’m sayin’? 

And yes, someone needs a manicure. Look, I have a newborn and I can’t keep up with everything, ok?

Whisk all that together until it’s smooth.

The disadvantage of using ‘healthy’ baby wash and coconut oil versus the store-bought stuff is that there are no preservatives like there are in store-bought chemical-filled wipes, and MILDEW WILL GROW if you don’t use your baby wipes in, like, a day. That tends to happen in warm, damp environments like a container of homemade baby wipes… lesson learned the hard way.

So… we need to add SOMETHING that’s anti-bacterial and anti-fungal to keep that from happening. I use Tea Tree oil. It’s potent stuff, so I only add four drops.

AS FAR AS I KNOW there is nothing harmful for baby in that small amount, but it’s enough to keep your wipes from mildewing. My original plan was to add Lavender Essential Oil because I LOOOOVE the smell of lavender baby products, but lavender has hormonal properties that I didn’t think it wise to rub my baby girl with.

Meanwhile, cut your roll of paper towels in half. You *MUST* {repeat: MUST} use Bounty. Being the frugalista that I am, believe me, I’ve tried cheap brands, and they disintegrate.  NOTHING works like the quicker picker-upper. 
And … if you’re lucky enough to have an electric knife, it’s a must… I like to use the bread blade because it’s serrated and cuts through the roll of paper towels easily. Otherwise you’ll have to hack at it with a knife, and I never recommend hacking at things with a knife. Unless a Single White Female stalker chick is trying to steal your baby, then by all means… hack away with a knife. *I keep various weapons in my purse just for that reason. But for THIS purpose, use your electric knife.

Put one half-roll of paper towels into an airtight container; I use a Rubbermaid 12-cup container. Pour your soapy, oily, hot water mixture over the paper towels and let it all sit there for 3-4 minutes.

The cardboard roll in the middle will get soft, and when it does, pull it out and discard it fast before your eleven-year-old hoarder wants to save it to make some sort of craft out of. 

Then voila, you can pull your wipes out from the center as needed.

And that’s voila, not ‘walla,’ for those of you who don’t know. Major pet peeve.

These will be THE MOST PERFECT wipes you’ve ever used… the perfect amount of dampness, the perfect amount of cleanliness, and heck, I even like the smell, but they aren’t the most ideal for carrying in the diaper bag.  So it’s here that I must confess that I use the Huggies kind for that because they come in that handy-dandy little 1″ plastic case that fits so well in a diaper bag…. (ahem). 
Like I said… this whole health thing…?  It’s a journey. To view Homemade Baby Wipes on Pinterest click here.

Homemade Baby Wipes
Ingredients
1 12-cup airtight container
1 roll Bounty paper towels (Select-a-size works best)
2 cups hot water
2 T Baby wash of your choice (I like Burt’s Bees)
2 T Coconut oil
4 drops Tea tree oil

Directions
Cut paper towel roll in half and place in container. Whisk together hot water, baby wash, coconut oil, and tea tree oil. Pour mixture over the half-roll of paper towels; let sit 3-4 minutes. Remove cardboard roll from center of wipes. Wipes can be pulled from the center of the roll as needed. 

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Comments

  1. Karen says

    February 6, 2013 at 12:52 am

    Voila, not walla. Thank you.<br /><br />I so understand that pet peeve. (Walla doesn&#39;t even sound like voila. I think walla walla onions when I see it. If they want to spell it phonetically, it seems like there&#39;d be an option that would sound closer…)

    Reply
  2. Tana Boothe says

    December 6, 2014 at 6:35 am

    I&#39;m going to use cloth wipes and use the solution in a spray bottle to wipe my daughter with. Do you need the tea tree oil if I&#39;m just going to store it in a spray bottle? Will it still mildew?

    Reply
  3. Tana Boothe says

    December 6, 2014 at 6:37 am

    I&#39;m going to use cloth wipes and clean her with the solution. Do you think I need the tea tree oil? Will it mildew in the spray bottle?

    Reply

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About Me


Hey there... I'm Melissa! Texas girl. Mom to three + one goldendoodle. Believer. Old house fanatic. Creating a happy + healthy home with purpose is my passion. I'm so glad you're here!

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