After our third child was born with even more sensitive skin than the last, I decided to explore the option of homemade baby wipes. With a little experimentation, I'm pretty happy with our current wipes recipe. So easy! So economical! And it uses items you probably already have at home. Man, I really wished I had started doing this YEARS ago, instead of months. As long as there is a roll of paper towel in the house (and we buy it in bulk!) we will never run out of wipes again. Yippee!!
Fancybelle's Baby Wipes Recipe:
1 roll Bounty paper towel
2 cups warm water
2 tbsp baby wash
2 tbsp baby oil
1 round container, at least 6" wide and 5" tall
If you don't already have a round container to use for this project, you can see what your local store has available. I found this set of two bowls that fit the bill:
I like using basic Bounty paper towels for our wipes. I've tried a few types of paper
towels including store brands, but Bounty towels seem to do the best job overall so far. Also, I don't like using select-a-size paper towels because I always seem to tear off only the smallest size when I need a larger size (and vice versa) which just frustrates me!
Okay...let's make our baby wipes!
1) Use a bread knife or a knife with a serrated blade to cut a roll of paper towel in half horizontally
2) Put one half of the roll in your bowl with the cut side facing down
3) Add your choice of baby wash and baby oil to 2 cups of warm water
4) Pour the water mixture all over the half roll of paper towel.
Here's what it will look like...
5) Put the lid on and flip the container over. Let it rest for about 5 minutes.
6) Flip the container back upright and open the lid. Reach in and remove the cardboard tube. It will be wet and very easy to remove.
7) Pull a sheet of paper towel out from the center, and you'll be ready to start using your new baby wipes!
So exciting, right? I usually make two bowls of wipes at a time and they seem to last for weeks! And we have a baby just turning eight months old right now, so you know we're running through a ton of wipes. :)
As you start using homemade wipes, you can tweak the ingredients a little until you figure out what works best for you. I like our wipes to be fairly wet, but maybe you'd be more happy with using less water. And, obviously, you can make your wipes with all-organic materials if that is your preference.
Other wipes recipes I've found online use a touch of vinegar to make the wipes more anti-bacterial or to prevent mold growth. Honestly, I've never felt the need. Even though our wipes last a long time, I've never stored them long enough for mold to form!!
Hope this tutorial was helpful! Have a terrific day!