Store-bought baby wipes certainly get the job done, but they can be expensive, and you’ll go through hundreds of them every month. Plus, if your baby has sensitive skin, you might need to go through some serious trial-and-error before you figure out which product works best on your baby’s delicate tush. So why not try homemade baby wipes? Of all the DIY baby ideas out there, this one will save you money and save your baby’s skin because it’s 100% natural and contains no harsh ingredients.
Most recipes call for regular baby oil, but I recommend using extra-virgin coconut oil, which is not only extremely gentle but has a light, tropical coconut scent that’s a nice change when everything else in your child’s nursery smells like either lavender or powder!
Here’s my fail-proof recipe for homemade wipes:
Ingredients
(yield: 2 sets of wipes)
Storage container for wipes (a used, store-bought wipes container will work; if not, you can take an empty tub of ice cream, clean it out and pierce a hole in the lid for easy wipe retrieval)
1 roll of dye-free, 2-ply paper towels
2 cups distilled water (you can do this process yourself by boiling then cooling tap water)
1/8 cup Dr. Bronner’s Organic Pure Unscented Castile Liquid Baby Soap
1/8 cup organic coconut oil (melted)
Optional: a few drops of an essential oil such as tea tree or lavender
Instructions
- Cut the paper towel roll in half (width-wise) with a sharp knife and place in a storage container.
- Combine the water, baby soap, oil and any desired essential oils.
- Pour mixture evenly over paper towels in container.
- Close container and let towels sit in mixture for 10 minutes.
- Turn container upside down and let sit for an additional 10 minutes.
- Remove paper towel core from paper towels.
That’s it! You’re done. You can keep the wipes in the container or put into gallon storage bags for on-the-go diaper changes.
What are your best DIY baby ideas? Post them in the comments below and we might include your recipe in our Featured Guest blog!
Jorie Mark is Vitacost.com’s Director of Marketing Communications and mom to three kids, ages 3 to 10.