Homemade Baby Wipes

(Basic instructions are at the very BOTTOM of the this post.) While not a food recipe, when I was a mom with babies, this was one of my most requested "recipes" that my friends asked for. I no longer have baby bums to wipe, but I wanted to put this here for anyone that still might need it. You can also use these for wiping your hands when camping and such. I did a VERY detailed post about it back in 2009 that I am going to copy and paste here. Enjoy! (Don't be intimidated by the length of the post. It only takes a couple minutes to make the wipes... I was just being overly thorough to answer ALL questions as best I could.)

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October 20th, 2009-
Wow! I have received more comments, questions and compliments on my homemade baby wipes than almost any other post on my blog. Again, I must give all the credit to my friend Valerie who tipped me off on how wonderful, cheap and easy they are. I'm not normally a "do-it-yourself" kind of person, so you can believe me when I say that these wipes are quick, easy, and so worth it.

So, for my friend Elisa who said she needed the recipe, here is a pictorial explanation of how to make your own baby wipes, with all the tips and tricks I could think of.

I must confess though, for my diaper bag, I do keep one small package of Kandoo Wipes because they come in a much more convenient sized container for the diaper bag. I simply can't fit a large Rubbermaid container in my diaper bag.

First thing's first. Why bother to make them yourself? Because, store bought wipes cost ten times as much as homemade (literally). For example, you can buy a package of Huggies Wipes for around $3 for 64 wipes. $3 doesn't sound too bad, right? But!... You can buy a Mega Roll of Bounty paper towels at Sam's Club for around $1.42 a roll. There are 160 sheets on the roll, and you only use half a roll to make a batch of wipes. So for $3 worth of paper towels versus $3 of Huggies Wipes, you can get 640 wipes instead of 64. Sounds good, eh?

I personally hate touching poop, so I can use a whole handful of homemade wipes and not cringe at the cost like I did with store bought wipes.

It is also very easy to do. I can make two containers of wipes in about 5 minutes. It actually took me less than ten minutes to make the wipes this time around while setting up and taking all these pictures. So, very quick.

This is what you do to make your own (I will recap the recipe at the end of the post so you can print/copy and paste just that much of it.)

What you need: Baby wash, baby oil, Bounty paper towels, storage containers.

Next: You need to cut the paper towel roll in half. It can be very dulling on a good knife, so you might want to use a big knife you don't care about. I got mine on a garage sale, so it's perfect. (Isn't that a great Halloween picture, with the butcher knife halfway through the roll? Mwahh haha!!!)

Next: You need to remove the cardboard core from the roll. This is sometimes the hardest part, but just slide your finger down around the cardboard tube to loosen the glue on the last sheet, and then pull out of the middle. If you pull out a few stubborn sheets on the way, that's okay. Just take them off the tube and save them for the next step.

Next: Place one half of the roll in your storage container (and place any extra loose sheets that stuck to the tube on top of the roll). In this picture, I am using a Mega roll, so I can only fit one half in each of my two containers. When I use a normal sized roll of Bounty, I can fit both halves in the same container at the same time, just smashed next to each other.

Next: Mix up your water, baby wash, and baby oil solution and pour over the top of the roll (and any extra sheets).

Last: Cover the container with your lids and let sit for at least 15 minutes so the water can be evenly absorbed by all the paper towels in the container. The water will magically distribute its self evenly, making perfect wipes. Pull wipes out from the middle of the roll.

And that's all there is to it! You can see in the picture that in the container on the right I added what few wipes I had left over from the last batch to the top, just ready and waiting for the next diaper change.

I bought my storage containers at Wal-Mart, and they are 4.5 quart Seal'n Saver Rubbermaid containers. However, all you need to do is grab a single roll of paper towels while you are at the store... take it over to the food storage container isle... and see what containers they currently offer that will hold your roll once it's cut in half. That's what I did.

People will ask, "Does it have to be Bounty, or can you use cheaper towels?" Bounty towels are the best. Other cheaper brands don't seem to hold up as nicely and fall apart. I tried it and hated it (even Scott noticed, so if a guy notices the difference, it must be real!), but you can experiment yourself if you like. But I figure, since it saves you so much money from the regular wipes, you might as well splurge on the nicer towels.

I also enjoy the "Select-a-Size" Bounty towels because it gives you more flexibility in the size of wipe that you can remove from the roll.

I also didn't notice a big difference between using regular baby oil and creamy baby oil, as far as the end product was concerned. Creamy oil can be a little more difficult to find, and it doesn't mix into the water as easily as regular oil, so I had to use a whisk to really beat it into the mixture. For me, it was just easier to use regular oil.

Here is the recipe:

Recipe:

If using a regular sized roll of paper towels:

2 rolls Bounty Paper Towels, cut in half, cardboard cores removed
4 cups hot water
4 Tbl. baby wash
3 Tbl. baby oil, creamy or regular

If using a Mega roll of Bounty paper towels, or another larger sized roll:

1 roll Bounty Paper Towels Mega Roll, cut in half, cardboard core removed
3 cups hot water
3 Tbl. baby wash
2 Tbl. baby oil, creamy or regular

Cut paper towel roll(s) in half with a sharp knife. Loose final glued sheet from the cardboard roll with your finger (you may have to loosen it from both ends of the roll). Discard tube. In a large measuring cup, combine half of the ingredients (very important to make sure you only use 1/2 or else it will be WAY too much water... use the other half of the ingredients on your second container): hot water, baby wash (your favorite scent), and baby oil. Mix together (may need to use a wire whisk if using creamy baby oil).

If using a mega roll, put one half of roll in Rubbermaid container and pour mixture over. Let stand a few minutes. Cover tightly and store. Pull towels out of middle of the roll. Repeat with second half of roll and rest of ingredients.

If using regular size rolls, do the same as above, only you will need to place both halves of one roll side by side in each container. It's a squish, depending on the size of your  container, but if you buy a container that one Mega roll will fit into, then two regular rolls should squish together enough to fit too, once the cores are removed so the roll can collapse a bit.

Feel free to adjust the recipe as needed if wipes end up too wet, too dry, too soapy, etc. for your tastes.