Along with cloth nappies, switching to your reusable baby wipes is an easy way to save money with a new baby. With ten to twelve nappy changes a day and two to three wipes for each change, it adds up quickly to thousands of baby wipes in landfills. Reusable baby wipes are economical and easy to use.
The first step is to choose your baby wipes.
You can make your own or buy them. Choosing ultra soft fabric ensures that your baby's sensitive skin is not irritated. Wipes made of 100% organic cotton are now widely available. They give you the guarantee that no harmful chemicals were used to produce the cotton fabric.
You then need a natural cleaning solution. Warm water would do or you can make your own baby care solution. A simple recipe is to mix two tablespoons of organic baby wash, with two tablespoons of olive oil and two cups of water. This solution keeps for a couple of weeks. An empty bottle of organic baby shampoo makes a convenient dispenser.
Add a few squirts of the solution on your reusable baby wipes and clean your baby's bottom as usual. You can rinse the cloth lightly and store it in your nappy bucket or simply add it to your next laundry.
When you are out and about, you may find that a small plastic bottle spray is handy to store your solution. You will find them in most pharmacies in the travel section. You can also wet the wipes in advance and keep them in a small tub or Ziploc sandwich bag. Even if you continued using flushable baby wipes when you are out, you will still save a lot by using reusable wipes when your baby is at home.
About two dozen wipes are a good starter kit. They are very light so they are easy to wash and dry quickly. You might find it useful to have different types of wipes to suit different purposes.
Reusable baby wipes are not just convenient for bottoms. They are ideal for grubby hands and faces, for babies, toddlers and even grown ups. Once you start using them, you will find them useful around the house. They can even replace paper towels in the kitchen.
