Tuesday, April 26, 2011

How to get started with Cloth Wipes!

Guest Post by Emily

So you’ve made the decision to cloth diaper, but you’re still stuck using disposable wipes. You’re tired of using two different pails at diaper changes, tired of finding the remnants of wipes that accidentally got thrown in the wash, and tired of throwing away your money. Time to switch to cloth wipes! At first it can seem a little overwhelming. Just like your research on cloth diapers, you find there are many different options. Different fabrics, shapes, brands, prices, etc. Where do you start?

My first concern was price. I knew I wanted to have at least 24 to begin with, and most of the wipes I saw were at least $1 each. The thought of sinking $24+ into something I wasn’t quite sure about didn’t appeal to me. So I looked into using things I had on hand. After all, we were given tons of flannel receiving blankets and burp cloths that weren’t being used. I, however, am not crafty and do not sew. That would mean asking someone else to take the time to sew them and probably paying them to do so. I’d also have to work around their schedule and I wanted to get started right away. So, what to do?

A little more research brought about the idea of using baby washcloths. After all, they’re soft, absorbent, and made to clean a baby’s skin. Why not? I informed Jdaddy of my decision and off to the store we went. I picked up two 12-packs of Gerber Washcloths for about $6 total. Not bad. But then I had to worry about a wipes solution. Being the frugal mom I am, and not crazy about using products on baby’s sensitive skin, I decided to skip the solution and just use water. Some like to wet a few wipes each day and keep them in a container. I was afraid I’d forget about them and they’d get musty, so I chose to wet them as needed. At first I used a peri-bottle to wet the wipes, but it tended to get water everywhere. So I found a spray bottle we already had and began using it. Success!

Since we started using cloth wipes a few months ago, we’ve developed quite a nice routine. The wipes are kept in an old Pampers wipes container, using a folding method found on YouTube for the “pop-up” effect. We picked up another pack of washcloths to total 36. I also added a squirt of baby oil and a drop or two of baby wash to the spray bottle to make the wiping a bit smoother. It’s so much more convenient to just toss the wipes into the pail with the diaper and wash them all together. And even better, no more throwing money away!

About Emily: Emily is a Navy wife and WAHM to a handsome baby boy. Sh has been cloth diapering her son since he was a month old, and is a self-proclaimed fluff addict.

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