Once you get into cloth diapers, most (if not all) parents tend to start using cloth wipes as well. Cloth wipes make sense – you’re washing diapers, so why not wash wipes at the same time? Plus, reusable wipes are one less thing to throw away and one less thing you have to buy all the time. You buy or make a couple dozen and you are good to go forever. When I first started shopping for cloth diapers, it never occurred to me to use cloth wipes, until I came across a blog post somewhere talking about cloth wipes. I read it, read it to my husband, and we did the whole “why didn’t we think of that – it’s so obvious” discussion. So off I went looking for cloth wipes to buy.
Now if you can sew, you can make your own wipes. Some will make them out of old flannel receiving blankets, others will use old t shirts, or pick up some fabric at the local fabric store. I am not a sewer, so I bought mine. We have a few different types of cloth wipes available for you non-sewers out there 
Once you get the “what to use for wipes” all sorted out, you need to think about what type of solution you are going to use on your wipes. There are quite a few sites that have a variety of recipes listed for making your own wipe solution. Basically, all wipe solutions are made of three (four) basic things:
- oil: helps the wipe glide across the bum and helps give some extra moisturizing at the same time.
- soap: to clean
- water: to help clean and dilute the other ingredients.
- essential oil: completely optional, but nice to add scent or for anti-bacterial properties.
We always kept our solution pretty basic. The great thing about making your own solution is that you know exactly what you’re putting on your baby’s skin. The skin is the largest organ in the human body and you really don’t want to put anything on an infant’s skin that you wouldn’t eat.
Here’s our recipe:
Little Monkey Cloth Wipe Solution
2 tbsp oil (we like grapeseed oil, it’s nice and light)
2 tbsp baby soap
2 cups water
And a few others to try out if you want:
Aloe Vera Wipe Solution
2 cups of hot water
1/4 cup of aloe vera gel (available at your local health food store)
2 drops of tea tree oil (great natural antibacterial essential oil)
Lavender Wipe Solution
2 cups of water
2 tbsp of baby soap
2 – 3 drops of lavender essential oil
Here’s some of our Facebook fan recipes:
Lee’s Wipe Solution
2 cups of water
2 drops of tea tree oil
2 drops of lavender oil
Zuri’s Wipe Solution
2 cups of water
2 tbsp of baby wash (she recommends Aveeno Calming Comfort)
2 tbsp baby oil (or olive oil)
Mix together in a medium ziploc container, then fill with a bunch of baby washcloths)
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And for those of you who would rather not make their own, or make your own but you’re going to be travelling and it’s just not convenient to haul around wipe solution, we have Monkey Doodlez wipe cubes available. They are super easy to use, drop one cube in two cups of hot water, wait for the water to cool off, and they are ready to use.
We store our wipes, pre-moistened in a wipe warmer. I like the idea of warm wipes, and they are very nice for those middle of the night changes. You can also store solution in the peri-bottle you received from your midwife or at the hospital and moisten each wipe as you need it. Or, wipe solution kept in a spray bottle is handy too.
Let us know what your recipe is and we’ll add it to our list!
Julie
www.littlemonkeystore.com
Blog: www.littlemonkeystore.wordpress.com
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