How to Make Non-Toxic Baby Wipes

When I became pregnant with my first child I spend hours looking into diapers and baby wipes. You would be surprised to learn that most baby wipes contain parabens (and other endocrine disruptors) as well as fragrances. The problem with endocrine disruptors is that they interfere with your regular hormone production and the problem with fragrances is that you don’t know what’s in them and it could be ingredients that are harmful to your baby’s health long term.

Baby wipes are one of the few baby products any parent will be using for a long time and one that will be used in a sensitive area of the body. It should be a priority to use something that’s safe and non-toxic for babies.

When I was obsessively researching wipes, I came across the Environmental Working Group’s database on baby wipes. After researching the top brands recommended by them I decided to use Water Wipes. While I love these wipes it can get expensive to buy wipes after a while. On average, I spent about $400 a year in baby wipes. That is crazy amount for something to wipe a baby’s bottom.

I had seen friends making their own baby wipes and I decided to give it a try. I was surprised at how easy it was to make the wipes. It took me about 3 minutes to prepare them and they were just as effective as the ones I was buying.

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Now we do a combination of homemade wipes and ordering Water Wipes through Amazon’s subscribe and save (because you save 15% on baby wipes and diapers).  I get the Water Wipes travel size for my diaper bag and make these DIY ones for home use.

The best part is that they’re made with completely safe ingredients for your baby and that you can customize them to your baby’s needs. For example, if you’re fighting thrush or some other infection, you can add a few drops of Tea Tree essential oil to the wipes to help clear this infection. Keep in mind that essential oil shouldn’t be used on the wipes if your baby is less than 3 months old.

You can make homemade baby wipes with just water, castile soap and a little bit of olive oil. I decided to add a few more ingredients based on how effective our diaper rash healing spray has been. But keep in mind that you don’t need all of the ingredients to make the wipes.

The baby wipes liquid mixture can be used for disposable baby wipes (using paper towels) or reusable baby wipes, using cloth wipes.

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Homemade non-toxic baby wipes

Ingredients:

Wipes options:

• Paper towels: it’s important to get the thick kind so they don’t fall apart. I buy Bounty paper towels for this. If you’re making reusable baby wipes, I like to use these.
• Container to store wipes:
  • Disposable wipes: use a round container, like an old coffee jar or a plastic storage box. I got this round glass jar at Ikea because the paper towels fit perfectly in it and I like to avoid using plastic.
  • Reusable wipes: all you need is a plastic or glass storage box. You will fold the wipes in half and keep them in this container.

Liquid mixture:

You can make the baby wipes by just mixing the first 3 ingredients. If you do this, make sure you add 1 1/4 cups of water instead of 1 cup.
I like t0 add all the extra ingredients because they are great for the baby’s skin and for diaper rashes. They’re what we use on our diaper rash healing spray.

• 1 cup of water (you want to make sure you use quality filtered water or boil the water before using. Don’t use straight up tap water.)
• 1 tablespoon of castile soap
• 1 teaspoon of Vitamin E oil
• 1/4 cup of witch hazel (if you don’t have this, use 1 1/4 cups of water for the mixture)
• 1 teaspoon of olive oil
• 6 drops of Roman Chamomile essential oil (buy on Amazon).  This is optional and should not be used on babies under 3 months. You can also use any other essential oil you prefer.

Directions:

First, put the paper towel or cloth wipes in the container where you plan on storing them.

If you’re using paper towels, you will need to cut the roll in half first. Just like this:

If you’re using cloth wipes, fold them in half and stack them on top of each other inside the container.

Now you have to make the liquid mixture. I like to use a 2 cup measuring cup to mix all the ingredients.

Add the water and witch hazel first, so it’s easy to measure the quantities. Then add all the remaining ingredients.

Make sure you stir the mixture a few times so all the ingredients are well combined. It will look like this:

Once it’s ready pour the entire mixture on the wipes. I like to do this slowly to make sure I don’t miss a spot.

After you’ve poured the liquid mixture, put the lid on your container and flip it over to make sure   it gets on all the wipes/paper towels.

Let it sit for 5-10 minutes.

If you’re using the paper towel roll, make sure you pull out the cardboard part from the middle.

Then pull out a paper towel from the middle so they’re easy to dispense.

If you’re using a plastic jar, you can make a hole on the top of the lid to dispense the wipes through the hole. If you’re using a glass jar, like mine, then you’ll just have to open and close the lid every time.

Keep in mind these wipes contain water and no preservatives so you want to use them right away. One batch lasts me about a week with no issues. As long as you’re not making a bunch of these and storing them for weeks/months, it’ll be fine.

Once you make these baby wipes you’ll realize how easy it is to make them and they’ll become part of your regular rotation. It takes about 3 minutes to prepare them and you can just make a new batch when you run out.  I also keep a stash of Water Wipes just in case I really don’t have time to make these homemade baby wipes.

Even if you only make them half the time, you will still save money. Let’s face it, $400 a year is better spent on a family outing or toys for your child than for something to clean their bottom!