Homemade Baby Wipes
Make Your Own Baby Wipes.
In our household, we have two in diapers. This means that we go through a lot of diapers and a ton of baby wipes. As far as I am concerned, baby wipes are the most overpriced baby item out there.
Making your own wipes is actually very easy – majorly cost effective. Here is the recipe for homemade baby wipes that we use at our house:
Ingredients
- 1 Tablespoon of Grated Tea Tree Oil Soap OR 2 Tablespoons Liquid Baby Soap
- 2 Cups Boiling Water
- 1 Tablespoon Coconut Oil or Olive Oil
Instructions
Bring your 2 cups of water to a rapid boil for 5 minutes (this will sterilize it).
Remove from heat and stir in your soap and oil. If you are using baby soap, your wipes will only last for 1 week unless you add tea tree oil. I use the tea tree oil soap as it is by FAR the most economical way I have found to buy tea tree oil.
I purchase the tea tree oil soap for $1.99 at Bulk Barn (Well.ca sells it, too) and will get at least 15 tablespoons out of it. This makes the cost 13 cents per batch of homemade baby wipes.
Once the mixture has cooled, you have two choices: pour into a spray bottle, or pre-make your baby wipes.
As of lately, I have been using the spray bottle (as paper towels can be costly). I have a pile of cut up old receiving blankets, and a roll of paper towel. I remove the diaper and decide on my plan of attack. If it’s a doozy – I spray the paper towel, wipe and toss. If its not too bad, I spray the cloth (the cut up receiving blanket), wipe and wash.
To pre-make the baby wipes
- Cut a good quality roll of paper towel in half and remove the cardboard tube (Bounty works best).
- Place into a container with the cut side down (a container with a lid).
- Pour the solution over the paper towels.
- Pull the wipes up from the middle.
You can also use cut up old receiving blankets, baby wash cloths, or white t-shirts, and pre-soak them in the solution to re-use.
The cost breakdown:
- Solution = $0.10 cents for soap, 10 cents for oil
- Paper Towels = $2 (but cutting the roll in half, so $1 per batch – less if you buy on sale)
- Total Cost = $1.20 per batch if using disposable paper towel or 20 cents if reusing wipes
Consider making homemade baby wipes for your child – at least in part. It will save you money and reduce your footprint on the earth. It took me awhile to muster up the courage to try, but it really wasn’t that bad and now – I actually prefer homemade baby wipes over store-bought.
Do you make any homemade baby items?
Note:It was brought to my attention by a reader that Tea Tree Oil (melaleuca oil) may pose a health risk to boys. I have two boys myself, and use my products on them regularly, so took a long look into this issue. After my research, and after speaking with a professional, I feel comfortable continuing to use these products on my children.
Melaleuca Oil is used in most purchased natural baby products as well. If you prefer to not use Tea Tree Oil, please simply omit, using instead another soap. If you do omit the Tea Tree Oil, you may wish to make a smaller batch of the soap, as it will only keep for about one week.
Everyone should make their own decisions with this matter after doing their own research. My decision may not be right for you. I respect your decision and ask that you please respect mine.
Comments
We use bamboo cloth wipes and warm water. No chemicals, no residue on baby, and no garbage. I don’t think anything else is necessary, and using plain water actually decreases the risk of diaper rash.
Just curious.. what does that brand of coconut oil cost you?
It was purchased from no Frills for $6.50. I am still trying to find the best place to purchase store wise as the best price I have found is online. Bulk barn is pretty good if you purchase it with one of their coupons for $3 off a $10 purchase …
If you have a membership at Costco, coconut oil is the cheapest there. I wish I could remember the price, but I was buying it at Bulk Barn until I compared.
My daughter had terrible rashes, and when we switched to baby facecloths from the dollar store and just warm water, she never had another rash. I admit to using Pampers Sensitive wipes for the poo diapers;)
I have never looked for coconut oil there – I will definitely check it out. Thanks!
On the Duggar blog, they share a similar recipe for baby wipes that they got from their friends the Bates family (United Bates of America).
As for us, we saved money with baby number 4 by not buying commercially prepared baby food. We delayed the introduction of solids until she could basically eat mashed up table food (around 6 to 7 months old). No separate meals to prepare! She is now the best eater/least pickiest of our 4 kids.
We are the same as Cara. We’ve used baby washcloths (from the dollar store) and warm water for 6 years now with our 3 boys (we’ve had one or two in diapers for just over 6 years now). Two of our boys have never had diaper rashes and we think it’s because of these. You don’t need anything but water.
I’ll have to give this a try. I guess it makes sense – why would you need more? Though I don’t bath my little ones daily. Not sure if this would matter …
We don’t bath daily either (every two to three). Warm water really is all you need, and if you invest in good quality, thick wipes, they will last you!
I am starting to go green/chemical free so I would want to consider cloth wipes and water.@ Cara, where did you buy bamboo cloths?
We use Swaddlebees and love them! They are usually only available for order online, and can be a tad expensive, but are so soft and absorbant and really “grab on”.
I have tried home made baby wipes and I agree they are great and very cost effective, especially using them as flushable moist wipes when potty training. Tea tree oil is also great but it isn’t recommended for the wipes when making them for a boy as it may cause prepubertal gynecomastia(breast growth in boys)
REALLY?! I will certainly have to look into this – thank you for the information. What do you use to act as a preservative?
I usually only do one roll at a time but I have 2 babies in diapers so I go through them quick. I usually just use a tsp of an all natural baby soap, a bit of a natural baby lotion distilled water and 1/2 a tsp of olive oil or organic coconut oil. there are so many recipes out there. I heard about the tea tree oil being an issue from a tutorial I saw on youtube, and I looked into it. ”Luckily” since I have boys.
I’m glad to see I’m not the only person who just used a cloth and warm water. The thought of a cold baby wipe with chemicals of any kind on it, especially on that part of my baby, just made me cringe. I see people taking a wipe to clean a messy face and hands and, well, ewwwww-I can practically taste them just looking at it! I made simple shaped diapers inside covers as well. Used a regular bath towel too. I can’t believe all the baby paraphernalia out there now that people think they need!
When my kids were babies, I used this really cool thing called a wet wash cloth.
Funny, but true. We do the same thing here, usually prewet a day’s worth though ahead of time.
Hi Cassie,
I thought this was a great idea so I gave it a try, but for some reason it went gelly on me. What am I doing wrong?
Thanks!
P.S. I love your site and receiving your newsletter.
It went all jelly on me too and its just because of the soap. I used it anyway and I’m so happy that I did! Both of my daughters always seemed to have a bit of redness no matter what sensitive wipes I bought. My daughter ended up with a terrible rash which is why I decided to try this. Now no more rash, and no more redness. My initial concern was that the paper towel wouldn’t be as soft as the Pampers Sensitive wipes I use on her but they are just as soft. I will never buy store bought wipes again!
Hi gals! If it is too gel like, it means you can use less soap – probably half the amount – or even less. The recipe depends on what brand of soap you use. So glad it has helped your little ones tushies Heather!