Making Your Own Cloth Wipes

Most of my readers know that I cloth diaper. It is an addiction for me, I have admitted. I have been on the twitter chats, and one thing people often ask about is what about wipes? Do you make your own cloth wipes? Use disposables? Can you wash your cloth wipes with your diapers? Well, I am here to tell you how easy it is to make your own cloth wipes.

First, decide on what type of wipe you plan to use. The simplest is baby wash cloths, most of us moms have a bunch and never use them all. You can also buy flannel at any fabric store, cut into squares and sew the edges down.
If you want something a little nicer, or different material, there are always people on Diaper Swappers and Etsy that sell pre-made cloth wipes. That's where I got mine. I use a wipe made from flannel and sherpa.

If you want your wipe to "pop up" like a disposable wipe, you need an old wipes container. Lay 2 wipes down on a flat surface, over lapping as below.

Next fold one side over.

Repeat the prosses until you have a stack of wipes to fill your wipes container. 

Now just feed the top wipe through the opening and you are done!

Then you have 2 options, wet or dry storage. Both have pros to them. If you are unsure how quick you will go through a batch, and have concerns with the wipes sitting wet, you can store them dry. When it is time to change your baby, just wet the wipe with tap water, or spray the wipe with a pre-made solution, and you are good to go!

For wet storage, you can use a home made wipes solution, or buy a pre-made one. I make my own, after all, we are trying to save money, right?

All you need are a few ingredients:

• Water
• Baby Wash
• Tea Tree Oil
• Lavender Oil (Optional)
• Olive Oil (Optional) 

I am currently out of Lavender Oil, so I am making it with out.
It is good to note, the combination of Lavender and Tea Tree Oil combats yeast infections.

I keep an old Baby Wash bottle to mix in. Add water, 2 squirts of baby wash, 7-10 drops of each oil, and 1/2 tsp of olive oil. Mix well and pour over your folded wipes.

The solution will keep well over a week. The Tea Tree Oil keeps it fresh, and prevents bacteria growth. If you have extra troubles with yeast, be sure to add the Lavender Oil to the solution.

I have been using this solution for 5 years and have never had a problem with repelling on my diapers. The oils are so diluted, and applied onto the wipes, they don't transfer to the diapers them selves in the wash.