cloth wipes

Before Jack was born, we had decided that we'd give cloth diapers a try, but that it may be wise to wait until he was about 3 months old since cloth diapers on a newborn can be, well, sort of awkward and huge. And here we are, Jack is about 3 1/2 months old (already!) and it's time to get our cloth diapering on.

Something I didn't expect I would be doing, but surprising LOVE, is using cloth wipes. Honestly, I'm sure we'll always have a pack or two of disposable wipes on hand because they're just. so. handy., but cloth wipes really are great. I generously received a big stack of homemade flannel cloth wipes at one of my showers and was a little intimidated to use them. After reading up on different ways to use them - storing them wet or dry, what solution to use, how to wash them - I figured out there's nothing intimidating at all. Here's what we do:

Storing - You can store them wet, meaning they will already be soaked in whatever solution you choose and ready to use. But with that method, it takes time to figure out the right ratio of solution so your wipes aren't too wet, and there is also the risk of mold/mildew. If you're really ambitious, you can even fold your cloth wipes accordion style and put them in an empty wipe dispenser with the solution. But I'm all about quick and easy these days, so I store my cloth wipes dry and stacked on top of the changing table. Next to them is a spray bottle with the wipe solution. To use, I spray the cloth wipe a few times and away we go!

Wipe solution - What's great about cloth wipes is that you can customize the solution for your baby's needs, i.e. sensitive skin, yeast issues, diaper rash, etc. If you Google "cloth wipe solution", you will find a whole slew of different ingredients and recipes. Since Jack doesn't have any skin issues, I went for a fairly basic solution that is both gentle and anti-fungal.

Cloth Wipe Solution

1 1/4 cups water

3 drops lavender oil

3 drops tea tree oil

1 tsp Dr. Bronner's soap

This amount lasts us about 2 weeks.

Washing - I haven't actually sat and counted out how many cloth wipes we have, but it's a pretty good stack, maybe around 3 or 4 dozen. The other great thing about cloth wipes is that I seriously only ever use one wipe per diaper change. That may change once Jack starts eating solids, but even then, I can see only ever needing to use 2 at the most. I store the dirty wipes in a wet/dry bag until laundry day. When it's time to wash them, I soak all the dirt wipes in a bucket with hot water and Oxi-Clean for a couple of hours, then wash with a free-and-clear detergent. So far, they've stayed stain free and fresh.

Traveling - for weekend trips, I just bring the spray bottle, dry cloth wipes, and wet/dry bag along. For things like going to church or shorter outings, I'm planning on using a wipe pouch and putting some of the wipe solution in a small, capped spray bottle.

*You don't need hand-sewn flannel squares to get started with cloth wipes, although they do rock. If you don't want to spend a lot on buying brand name cloth wipes, I've heard that little baby washcloths from Target or Walmart work, too; they just might not last as long.