DIY Baby Wipes: A Sorta Semi-Crunchy Mama’s Recipe

I’m what you’d call a “sorta” semi-crunchy mama. I mean I’m only semi-crunchy, like, one-fourth of the time. My tot wears cloth diapers but usually only at home because I had one recent poo-fiasco in the car and I’ve been afraid to test the waters since. I didn’t invest in an amber teether, I just let him chew on whatever I’m wearing – he will anyway. I’ve tried making homemade baby food, but on his 1st birthday we gave him his own sugar-processed smash cake and he hasn’t looked at another homemade baby yogurt snack since. 

It’s not that I don’t want to do more. Some women just absolutely blow my mind with their dedication! It’s just that, sometimes I feel like what I do now is just enough. My son is happy, healthy and growing like a weed. So, I’m doing right by him.  

One of the things that I’m pretty gung-ho about in my crunchy spectrum though are homemade baby wipes. It’s safe on baby, smells pleasing, environmentally friendly, and if you play it right, it’s easy on the pocket book. When I first looked into different recipes out there for DIY baby wipes, my head spun. “1 tsp of a raven’s claw, 1 pad of super duper expensive lotion you can’t even name, and 2 tbsp of joyful tears because you’re amazing!”

OK, not really, but there was one recipe for baby wipes that called for chamomile extract and that oil alone was about $35… and that was just ONE ingredient – Eeek! So taking what I had researched, I tapered those recipes down, A LOT, and have been sticking to a very simple 5 ingredient combination that works wonders on my son’s skin AND keeps him nice and clean – better than any store-bought wipes I’ve tried in the past.

INGREDIENTS:

2 Cups Boiled Water

1 tbsp Coconut Oil (fractionated oil is best)

1 tbsp Baby Wash (Dr. Bronner’s Baby or Lavender wash, but you can use almost any natural wash. Alternatively I’v used Shea Moisture natural products and it works just as well.)

4 drops Lavender Oil/ 4 drops Tea Tree Oil

DIRECTIONS:

1. Boil 2 cups of water. In your measuring cup, add all ingredients and mix.
2. Pour over your clean, dry, cloth wipes and let soak for about 10 minutes in a big bowl/container that can withstand heat.
3. Wring them out and store in a clean container. Be SURE to not seal the container 100% or bacteria can start to form on the damp cloths.
4. Pour remaining mix in bowl on top of the cloths if you’d like.

These 4 ingredients seem to be the key in any base recipe you’re going to make. The coconut and tea tree oils alone and jam packed with antiseptic properties that you can rest assured your little is really getting cleaned. Lavender can be omitted but I absolutely love the smell and it’s soothing on the babe.  **Warning**  If you’re considering switching out oils, PLEASE do your research on what oils are baby safe. Not worth the risk!

If you’re considering making your own baby wipes but are realizing that purchasing cloth wipes are just as expensive than going the conventional route, there’s a solution for that! You can use pretty much anything. I have everything from 12 packs of baby wash cloths, cut up hand towels, old t-shirts and even cut up some pre-folds into small squares for wiping. My rule of thumb has always been as long as it’s soft to rub on skin, it’ll work on the babe’s tushie! However many you amass is up to you, but I usually have at least 70 pieces on hand, at minimum, which usually can last me through the week.

So that’s it. My super duper EASY baby wipes recipe to add to your routine! If ever you’ve been considering this, this is the one you want to try, it’s easy and I’m willing to bet most you of reading this already own half the ingredients in your house!  

If you’ve been thinking about doing more DIY things for your kiddo, this is by far one of the easier ones to try. There’s just so much out there now that’s added into consumable products, that it’s worth it to explore more natural solutions!

Plus (BONUS) my hands always feel like I’ve just given them a day at the spa after making these!

Do you have your own uber semi-crunchy mama routine?  Comment below, I’d love to hear!