Baby wipes just come with the territory, don’t they? If you have a baby, you have baby wipes. It’s not really something you can get by without. You don’t wake up one day and say, “You know, baby wipes are a hassle. Think I’ll quit using them.” It just ain’t gonna happen.
So, now that we’ve established your “need”, how’s about we get creative?
Cloth diaperers the world around know that once you start cloth diapering, you’ll soon be cloth wiping as well. There are tons of sites selling absolutely adorable cloth wipes, but honey, when you get right down to it, wipes really have but one purpose, cute or not…need I say more?
So, this little tutorial is all about fast, functional, & frugal.
If you make your own cloth diapers, oftentimes you end up with scraps that are perfect for making wipes. Here’s a scrap of organic cotton flannel that I could easily get 2 wipes out of.
A good guage for the size of your wipes is to simply lay an outstretched hand on the fabric:
I like to make my wipes 2 ply. (T-shirts make this an easy task.) Simply lay your hand out there to guage size and then cut fabric into squares based on your hand size. (this is not rocket science…don’t worry about measuring exactly)
Now sew up the edges. This can be done a couple of different ways. I own a serger, so I usually serge my wipes (not caring one bit if the thread in the machine matches the wipe color…remember what these are used for…)
That’s all there is to it. It really is that simple. And that cheap.
What if you don’t have a sewing machine, you say? My first cloth wipes were baby washcloths. You can usually find these for cheap at thrift stores. No need to pay for new…remember…yeah, ok, you’re gettin’ the idea.
Got too many receiving blankets around the house? Cut them up and make them useful.
Buy up some of those cheap (not too scratchy) washcloths that come in the huge packs at your local discount store. They make great wipes!
Repurpose, repurpose, repurpose! Pretty soon you’ll be seeing baby wipes everywhere!
And hey, all you cloth diapering mamas! Don’t forget today is the FINAL DAY to enter to win a cloth diapering package from Angie’s Essentials! Go to my Diaper Giveaway Post and enter to win!
Do you use them dampened or dry?? If damp, do you store them in a soap solution or wet them as needed? About how many do you use per day? Do you wash them right away or save them all till the end of the week?
I guess I need the remedial course.
ooooh. how fun! I must admit that I don’t sew–that’s the one homemaking thing that I do not do.
But I’m going to pass your post onto my younger sister who is expecting her first baby any day now and she is a whiz on the sewing machine and has her own surger (she got all the sewing genes in our family)
I cloth diapered all 5 of my kids and used cloth wipes too. I kept them in one of those box wipe warmers on my changing table. Very handy. My water wipes solution changed over the years from very elaborate (several ingredients) to just a squirt of baby soap and water toward the end. If the water was going to be in there for more than 2 days, it would need a drop or two of vinegar or tea tree oil or something else with anti-fungal, anti-bacterial properties. Plus, I used the wipes for more than just wiping baby bottoms and faces–very handy little spill picker-uppers!
Being that we’ve cloth diapered for 8+ years I have sooo sooo many gerber washclothes that I use for wipes. But with 5 kids now I hardly use them! I just cant keep up with the making of cloth wipe water or wetting them LOl. Do you run inot this problem as well?
If you ever wanna make disposable ones, here’s a link for a recipe I learned: http://knifties.blogspot.com/2008/12/baby-wipes.html
Hi, my sister just sent me a link to your site. Thanks for sharing the idea about making your own wipes. As soon as I get my serger going again I’ve wanted to make some nursing pads, now I’ll have to put baby wipes on the list. We have plenty of old tee shirts.
This give-away got me on my blog again. THANK YOU! It’s been so long since I’ve posted anything. And people will be expecting to see pictures of our baby who is due in 8 days.
http://danandliz.wordpress.com/babys-room/
I think that I would choose the medium size regular diaper.
Those look nice. I did cloth for awhile with two of my kids and I admit I used cloth wipes but, I don’t sew. Not a good plan. Basicly they frayed a lot with each wash however they did work. I agree if you’re using cloth diapers it’s just as easy to have fabric wipes b/c then they all go in the same pale for washing.
Thanks for sharing.
Mama K,
Thanks for the link!
Amy
J,
No need to excuse yourself…dads sometimes have to take care of such things too, huh?
The wipes go in w/ the cloth diapering laundry. I use a dry pail (meaning no soaking water) method and then on wash day, I throw them in the machine (diapers, wipes, & covers) and run this cycle:
hot rinse
hot long wash cycle w/ 1 Tbsp soap
cold rinse
Then to the dryer or line. And NO FABRIC SOFTENER (fabric softener repels rather than absorbs water…not a good thing
)
Sorry no links at this point…but glad you asked!
Amy
Excuse me for perhaps being the male intruder but I can’t get by the basic question: how do you clean these romanticized cloth wipe thingies??? Just throw them in the washing machine? There must be more to this way of taking care of business. Post quick link of how these cloth wipes work from a practical standpoint and cleaning them.
J
I wanted to stop by your blog after meeting you on your forum. I just spent some time reading your precious Emily’s story. I am moved to tears… what a beautiful testimony of a mother’s genuine love. Thank you for sharing your heart, God is so good to bring brave mama’s like you to touch the hearts of others who are hurting. I know you miss her very much. She is beautiful.
God bless you.
~Erin
Taking Heart