So have you decided to cloth diaper yet? Have you decided to cloth wipe? The reasons to use cloth wipes are much the same as the reasons to use cloth diapers, saving money, convenience of not having to do both, saving the environment, they're cute, and sensitive skin. This may sound like a review from my cloth wipes post but bear with me! Or skip to the recipes, either way is fine with me!
If you've decided to use cloth wipes, you may be wondering...
You may be wondering what solution to use for your cloth wipes! So I figured I'd post some recipes and recommendations! Enjoy and please leave comments with what you use, have tried that didn't work, have tried that did work, what you want to try, etc.
Water, water, water
A lot of people who cloth diaper and use cloth wipes use...ready for the big magical solution? WATER! That's right, plain old water. Some people use warm water from the tap. Some put filtered water or bottled water into a peri bottle. Some people boil water then cool it and use that. Whatever. The point is you can just wet your cloth wipes or baby's butt and wipe. Do I do it? No. I prefer a bit of soap of some sort in my solution.
Booty Bits
Soap bits, booty bits, and wipe boots are all names for these cool little cubes of premade wipe solution in a glycerin base that you dissolve into warm water, making solution! They are great because it's premade, you don't have to collect supplies, measure, and make the solution, all you have to do is drop a cube into some hot water and stir! This is what I use almost exclusively.
Recipes for clean tushes!
Most cloth wipe solutions have a few things in common. Of course they all have water in them. They also usually have some sort of soap and some sort of oil. Some may even have essential oils in it as well. The essential oils are usually for the smell but some have antibacterial/germ fighting properties. The soap is obviously to clean, and the oil is to help keep the baby soft and moisturized. It also helps to "carry" the solution, meaning give it a smoother delivery. Here are some recipes I have found online that sound like they would work well. I have no experiences with these so you will have to try them for yourself!
The great part about all of this is you can experiment and find something that works great for you! You can design your own, adjust amounts of ingredients, use different essential oils, play with combinations, use scented baby oil or different scents of
soap and/or shampoo, different teas, etc. Try a few and play around, see what you come up with and leave a comment telling me about it! You might try adding aloe, witch hazel, or other soothing ingredients. Tea Tree oil and vinegar are both renowned for their antibacterial properties but vinegar should not be used if baby has a rash or is raw, because it will burn and cause discomfort. I honestly don't feel comfortable using vinegar on my baby's bum so I have tried not to include any of the recipes I found online that have vinegar in the ingredients, but vinegar can be a powerful ally in defeating and preventing thrush/yeast so it may be worth adding just a tiny bit to your solution occasionally.
The Most Basic Solution
1/4 cup baby oil
1/4 cup baby oil
1/4 cup baby wash (any kind!)
1 cup warm water
A Soothing Solution
1 chamomile tea bag
1 Tsp honey
1 cup water
Boil the water, brew the tea in it, add honey, use as solution. Should sooth a raw read bottom.
Soothing Lavender
1 chamomile tea bag
1 Tsp oil
1 Tsp baby bath or shampoo
1 drop lavender oil
1 cup hot water
Brew tea bag in boiling water, add ingredients. If it were me I would put in a couple more drops of lavender but it can be adjusted depending on how strongly you want it to smell.
1 Tsp oil
1 Tsp baby bath or shampoo
1 drop lavender oil
1 cup hot water
Brew tea bag in boiling water, add ingredients. If it were me I would put in a couple more drops of lavender but it can be adjusted depending on how strongly you want it to smell.
Lavender Tea Tree Solution
1/4 cup olive oil
2 Tbs baby shampoo
8 drops tea tree oil
16 drops lavender oil
3 cups water
Don't forget you can adjust how much of each essential oil you put in depending on how strong you want them. For instance if you aren't fond of tea tree oil try cutting that in half. If you want it not to smell as much, cut both in half, etc. Play with it and find what you like best!
2 Tbs baby shampoo
8 drops tea tree oil
16 drops lavender oil
3 cups water
Don't forget you can adjust how much of each essential oil you put in depending on how strong you want them. For instance if you aren't fond of tea tree oil try cutting that in half. If you want it not to smell as much, cut both in half, etc. Play with it and find what you like best!
Dry Skin Solution
1 Tbs Baby Oil (try scented baby oil!)
1 Tbs baby soap of your choosing
1 Tbs baby lotion
1 cup water
Good luck! Let me know what you find that works!
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