A blogging friend of mine over at Dirty Diaper Laundry wrote a joke: “How can you tell if a mom cloth diapers? Don’t worry, she’ll tell you.” If you cloth diaper, or know someone that does, you know how spot-on that joke is! Us crunchy-mom’s can sometimes get a bad rap for being too forthcoming with our opinions sometimes. ( Let’s be honest, I’m pretty sure we all have at least one mommy friend or relative that is like this-crunchy or not! ) Anyway, my goal with this brief intro to cloth diapers is not to force my opinion on you, but more-so, to show you how easy it actually is! I plan to take my direction from you, the reader, though. I’d like to do a few posts on the different types of cloth diapers, but I thought I’d start slowly. How about we start with cloth wipes.
Wait, baby wipes can be reusable too? You bet your pretty little face they can! Let’s do a little math: Depending on when your child potty trains, you’ll change about 6,000 diapers (at minimum) over their lifetime. Now, if you consider every diaper change averages at least 2 wipes, that’s at least 12,000 wipes per child. (This obviously isn’t taking into account wipes used for messy hands and/or faces, or when your husband gets super grossed out and uses 5 wipes for a job that could easily be done in 2, but I digress) So, if you assume 12,000 wipes, and you use your wholesale warehouse discount wipes you’ll spend at least $500 just in wipes alone over the course of your child’s diapering. Who doesn’t want to save $500? Oh yeah, it’s also one more item you’ll be keeping out of our landfills! Here’s an easy way how.
There are a few different ways to acquire cloth wipes. You can buy specific cloth wipes from your favorite natural parenting store. You can make your own if your crafty and know how to sew , or remember those multi-packs of receiving blankets you were gifted at your shower? Or all those cute sets of baby washcloths that are bright and colorful, but never seem to ever get used? Well, grab some scissors, cut up the receiving blankets into washcloth sized squares. Viola! You have a baby wipe! Now, some people get super fancy and fold them in a certain way so the cloth wipes will pop up out of the wipes warmer, or your old disposable wipes container. Me? I’m too lazy for that! I just stack them up in a pile on the changing table.
I use a glass spray bottle ($3.95 at Zoolikins-Scottsdale and soon in Chandler!), with my homemade wipes solution (see below), and simply spray each wipe before using. It’s seriously that easy. Ok, but what do you do with the poo? Simple. If your baby is exclusively breasfted, no formula or solid food yet, simply toss the wipes in the washer. Breastmilk, like any other bodily fluid, is water soluble. It goes away in the wash, never a trace is left. If your baby is not exclusively breastfed, and we’re talking about the nastiness that comes with toddlers, then you get a bit more creative. I’ve found the “scooping” method of changing diapers works best. So, when your changing the diaper, whether it’s cloth or a disposable, wipe as much as you can off the baby with the diaper itself. Then, spray your reusable wipe, wipe baby down and throw it in the bag until wash day. Done. Since there are no special fabrics, you can use any detergent when washing your cloth wipes-it doesn’t have to be a special “cloth-diaper safe” detergent. Wash them when you wash your towels and you’re not even needing to do an extra load of laundry, and now you’ve saved yourself at least $450! (I’m rounding down because of the supplies I’m going to suggest below).
There are a multitude of ways to make cloth wipe solution, but this one is my favorite:
- Equal parts distilled water and witch hazel (I use about a 1/2 cup of each)
- A few drops of Tea Tree Oil ( Realistically you can use any oil, I’ve also used Coconut or Jojoba, but I prefer Tea Tree for it’s anti-fungal properties and ability to fight infections)
That’s it. Mix it all together in your spray bottle and use at each diaper change. For an added benefit, .I also spray unrefined, virgin coconut oil on the bum at each diaper change. It’s great at keeping the skin soft and is also a great rash preventative! I would also recommend buying a wet bag. A wet bag is a must-have for cloth diapers, but it’s also a great place to store dirty wipes. It’s a waterproof bag that is also heat sealed to prevent leaks and odors. Store all your dirty wipes in there and then on wash day, just toss the whole thing (opened) into the washer! Guess what, wet bags are reusable too! Side note: Wet bags are also awesome for traveling with wet swimsuits!
I’d love to know who my fellow “crunchy mama’s” are! How many of you have tried making your own cloth wipes or use cloth diapers?
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This post is sponsored by:
The Brett Saks Foundation, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, hopes to make our Arizona communities safer for bicyclists by teaching adults and children about road safety and mutual respect between drivers and cyclists in fun and engaging ways. We are “Shifting Gears to Saves Lives,” as more than 600 cyclists are lost each year to car-bike accidents. Learn more at gearupaz.org.
