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Home » Easy Homemade Baby Wipes

Easy Homemade Baby Wipes

by Adrienne 25 Comments Published February 21, 2014 Updated: Apr 16, 2020

This post may contain affiliate links from which I will earn a commission. Learn more in our disclosure.
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Homemade Baby Wipes - Ditch the toxins and keep your baby's tushy healthy!

Homemade Baby Wipes were one of the first "DIY" things I ever did, but mine were simpler than the recipe here. You can see Easiest Baby Wipes to see how "uber simple" I do things sometimes :). I love making DIY versions of many personal care items like my "Best" Eye Makeup Remover, Alcohol-free Hair Spray, Homemade Body Wash and Nourishing Hand and Body Cream, but when you think about it, babies are so vulnerable to toxins that it makes sense to do whatever we can to keep toxins off of their vulnerable bodies. So here's Kristen from Smithspirations to help you do just that.

There's something really cute about a baby's bum, and I'm certain that I'm not the only one who thinks so!

Those plump little bottoms show up all over advertisements, greeting cards, and online memes.

But cute as those chubby cheekers are, they are also very sensitive and deserve gentle care when it comes to diapering. 

These homemade baby wipes are a simple way to give a tiny tushy the care it deserves.

Store-bought diaper wipes are typically made with:

- questionable preservatives
- scents, and
- other ingredients, sometimes even causing horrible reactions.

Though they seem to be the most convenient option, a quick glance at the ingredients list might make you rethink that initial convenience.

Homemade wipes, on the other hand, are just as effective while being a more frugal, gentle, and natural option.

They're so easy, too!

It involves minor work on your part, but once you have the ingredients in your home (and you just might have them all already), you don't have to run to the store to buy more packaged wipes.

I've been making my own baby wipes for three years and have used various solutions to wet them. I've finally settled on this one since it is incredible easy, effective, and gentle.

I love knowing exactly what is being used to clean my baby's bottom!

You can use this solution on cloth wipes that then get washed with cloth diapers, or on paper towel wipes.

Old t-shirts or sweatshirts make great cloth wipes (no hemming required!), as do baby washcloths. My cloth wipes are made of an old t-shirt sheet set that says "Pillow Talk" with cartoon pictures of telephones.

Classy, I know.

You can also make disposable wipes by cutting a roll of thick paper towels in half with an electric carving knife, making two shorter rolls. Then take out the cardboard roll, and you're set!

This post may contain affiliate links from which I will earn a commission.

Easy Gentle Homemade Baby Wipes

Ingredients

An old baby wipes tub (or other container of choice)
Enough cloth or disposable wipes to fill the tub
3 cups water
2 Tablespoons olive oil (or other liquid oil of choice)
2 Tablespoons liquid castile soap
10 drops essential oils, optional (I like lavender for babies. See Which Essential Oils Company is Best?)

Method

1.  Fill the repurposed wipes tub with either the dry cloth wipes or one half of a dry paper towel roll.

2.  In a large measuring cup, combine the water, oil, soap, and essential oil (if using). Stir quickly to combine.

3.  Pour over the wipe.

4.  Voila! You're done!

If it seems like there's too much moisture in your wipes, you can add more dry wipes at the bottom of the tub and press down to allow the dry wipes to absorb the excess solution.

You may also find that your tub does better with only two cups of the solution, so you could cut the oil and soap back to a scant 1 1/2 tablespoons each.

You can be confident using these wipes, knowing that your baby's bum (or even the hands and faces of older little ones) are being gently cleansed without any harsh chemicals.

Do the ingredients in packaged wipes concern you?
Have you ever thought of making your own baby wipes?

 

Kristen Smith - SmithspirationsKristen Smith is a Christian, wife to her best friend and high school sweetheart, and mother to a growing brood of sweet little people. She and her family enjoy rural life in northeast Ohio. Her days are spent keeping the home, homeschooling, making real food, gardening, blogging, studying herbalism, working from home as a Lilla Rose consultant, and doing what she can to live a more natural and God-honoring life. Connect with her on her blog, Smithspirations, where she writes on topics relating to faith, family, and natural living. You can also find her on Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest.

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About Adrienne

Adrienne Urban is the Founder and Owner of Whole New Mom. She has a background in research, journalism, insurance, employee benefits, financial markets, frugal living, and nutrition. Seeking a better life for herself and her family, she uses research and consults with many physicians and other practitioners to find solutions to the variety of issues they have dealt with including life-threatening food allergies and thyroid and adrenal concerns. WholeNewMom.com is the result of her experiences and knowledge gained throughout the process. Posts are reviewed and verified by the Whole New Mom team.

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    Recipe Rating




     

  1. silk

    June 22, 2016 at 4:15 am

    I love this idea! can’t wait to try it!thanks for posting!

    Reply
    • Adrienne

      June 22, 2016 at 11:02 am

      Thanks! Hope it goes well for you!

      Reply
  2. Tara

    March 31, 2015 at 3:10 pm

    I used this to make my last batch of cloth wipes. Once used, I just toss the dirty ones in an old huggies wipe container until ready to wash. However, I am finding that the wipes (organic flannel from bumgenius) turn blue after awhile ... any idea to why? These are all chemical free ingredients.

    Reply
    • Kristen @ Smithspirations

      April 02, 2015 at 8:47 pm

      Hmm... I'm not entirely sure on that one, Tara! My first thought would be possible mold. Does it look like that could be happening?

      Reply
  3. Lisa Fetty

    April 30, 2014 at 7:17 pm

    My question is...what do you do with the dirty wipes when they've been used and are very soiled?

    Reply
    • Kristen @ Smithspirations

      April 30, 2014 at 11:00 pm

      I use cloth diapers, Lisa, so they go right in the wash with my diapers. If I did disposables, I'd probably opt to wash these separately from regular laundry every couple of days or just use paper towels as mentioned in the post.

      Does that answer your question?

      Reply
  4. Joy Boudreau

    April 13, 2014 at 6:54 pm

    Take a 3 quart Rubbermaid or the like container, cut a roll of quality paper towels (stronger) in half - and put 1/2 half in the container. Pour your solution over the roll - or pour the solution in first and let it soak up. In about 10 minutes remove the cardboard center and pull the wipes from the middle. Works like a charm. I used 2 1/2 cup of warm water, a tiny bit of my non toxic all purpose cleaner, Melaleuca Oil in a water soluble form and a cap of a nontoxic bath oil (with Melaleuca Oil in it). Great cleaning, nurturing the skin and germ killing peace of mind. 🙂 Inexpensive, too. (You can cut a star in the lid of the container for pull through.)

    Reply
    • Kristen @ Smithspirations

      April 30, 2014 at 10:58 pm

      Sounds like we do pretty similar things, Joy! I like to use the cloth wipes since I cloth diaper, but if I did disposables this would be my pick.

      When I did this a few times, I could never get the paper towels cut in half very well without making a terrible mess. I'd have shredded paper all over the place. Then I read about using an electric knife to get right through them without a problem. I thought that was smart!

      Reply
  5. karin

    April 12, 2014 at 11:45 am

    i have no idea where to get castile soap in my country, i don't think they're available here, any ideas on the replacement? or if i don't use it, is it still make the same function baby wipes?

    Reply
    • Kristen @ Smithspirations

      April 30, 2014 at 10:56 pm

      Hi Karin!

      You can make the most basic wipes using plain old water and nothing else. Any basic soap would work, too, you just would want it to be a pure soap that doesn't have extra colors, fragrances, or other ingredients that could irritate very sensitive baby skin.

      Also, I usually order the soap online, so you could try that, too.

      Reply
  6. Krista

    March 01, 2014 at 6:01 pm

    I have used something very similar for our wipes. I basically do the same recipe, but I omit the oil because I wash the wipes with my cloth diapers.

    Reply
    • Kristen @ Smithspirations

      March 17, 2014 at 3:47 pm

      Hi Krista! I also do cloth diapers and do wash these with the diapers. I've never noticed any build up of oil in the fabric, though. It's a very small amount of oil when compared with all of the water, and the soap actually makes the oil blend right into the solution so it isn't just pooled up in places. I'm just mentioning that based on my experience in case you ever want to try it, but I know how much we all look out for the well-being of our fluff! 😉

      Reply
  7. Becca @ The Earthlings Handbook

    February 26, 2014 at 4:43 pm

    We just used cloth wipes and plain water. We kept the water in a bottle with pop-up spout (intended for drinking water) and used it to moisten the wipe just before use.

    Reply
    • Kristen @ Smithspirations

      February 28, 2014 at 4:20 pm

      That works well, too, Becca. I like the extra, but gentle, oomph that these have, and the oil helps them to be very soothing. I do often use plain water during the newborn days. Anything to make things extra simple!

      Reply
  8. ecokaren

    February 23, 2014 at 9:24 am

    I make something similar when I travel with my dog to clean her paws after doing her "thing" at rest stops. Don't want her dragging mysterious gunk in my car, ya know? So to make it more antiseptic, I use Tea Tree Oil. And even if I have to leave the box in the car after the trip, I don't have to worry about germs in the wet wipes since there is water.

    Reply
    • Adrienne

      February 23, 2014 at 4:51 pm

      Great idea Karen!!

      Reply
  9. Candace @ Candida Free Candee

    February 21, 2014 at 7:57 pm

    I have been wanting to do something like this! Question from someone who does not do cloth diapers (but wish I had) where do you store the dirty cloth wipes until they are ready to be washed?

    Reply
    • Adrienne

      February 21, 2014 at 7:58 pm

      I put them in w/ the diapers. I have cloth if you are interested. LOVED it. Saved sooo much money!

      Reply
    • Kristen @ Smithspirations

      February 21, 2014 at 10:19 pm

      I also put them with the diapers, Candace. They all get washed together!
      Before I did cloth diapers I even considered starting with cloth wipes. You can buy small wet bags to store them in and wash them as a small load.

      Reply
  10. Rena

    February 21, 2014 at 5:25 pm

    I've used homemade wipe solution since my now 17 month was brought home from the hospital. My recipe is similar. What I find works well is to put the solution into a washed out foaming soap container. I pump the amount of solution I need, depending on the diaper mess, right onto the paper towel. The solution lasts forever and works great!

    Reply
    • Kristen @ Smithspirations

      February 21, 2014 at 10:18 pm

      I do the same thing with my cloth wipes when I don't have a big tub of them made up, Rena!

      Reply
  11. Robyn

    February 21, 2014 at 4:12 pm

    I buy organic cotton unscented baby wipes, wash the toxic stuff out of them well in the washing machine, dry them and keep them aside. When I need a handful, I put them in a container, and wet them with castile soap and water. That's a good idea about the paper towel, but I like the strength of the more fabric-y ones you buy in store. Why can't someone just sell them without all the toxic stuff on them? The way I do it, we have never had a diaper rash issue once.

    Reply
    • Adrienne

      February 21, 2014 at 4:13 pm

      I wish they'd sell them that way too.

      Reply
    • Kristen @ Smithspirations

      February 21, 2014 at 10:17 pm

      There are blue paper towels that a friend of mine uses in his shop that are extremely sturdy and might be a good step in between the wipes you are buying and washing and regular paper towels. They wouldn't be organic, though, if that is important to you. They would probably be in a hardware store or Home Depot/Lowe's type of place.

      Reply
    • Becca @ The Earthlings Handbook

      February 26, 2014 at 4:50 pm

      While I too wonder why anyone makes organic cotton wipes and then soaks them in anything toxic...of course "they" sell organic cotton fabric that is not soaked in anything! It's just sold as fabric, instead of as wipes. If you want disposable wipes, they don't need to be hemmed--buy a few yards of organic cotton fabric, wash it once, and cut it into squares. This would almost certainly be cheaper than buying baby wipes. Here's one source:
      https://www.dharmatrading.com/fabric/cotton/organic-cotton-fabrics.html

      Reply
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Hi there! I'm Adrienne, your Healthy Living Doesn't Have to Be Hard Guide! Here, you'll find basically everything you need to make healthy living doable--healthy & easy flexible recipes, tips for clean beauty and a natural home, essential oils, beginner gardening tips, and more. Learn more about me here.

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