From the instant the Clearblue stick read “Pregnant,” I became acutely conscious of my body and every element in my surroundings that might influence it.
“What’s in that lotion I just rubbed on my legs? What pesticides were sprayed on the nonorganic apple I ate yesterday? And what on earth goes into a Chicken McNugget?!” During those nine months I dove into research on cleaner living and began applying what I learned to our household.
One afternoon while browsing the baby-care section at Walgreens, I picked up a pack of baby wipes and scanned the ingredient list. As I read I thought, “Wow, there are a lot of unpronounceable things in these. Couldn’t I just use soap and water on a paper towel to clean my baby?”
The short answer is yes — and not only are homemade baby wipes incredibly simple to make, they’remuchcheaper than store-bought ones.
Want to give it a shot? Here’s how I DIY my baby wipes.
How to Make Your Own Baby Wipes
While I was expecting, I hunted for a reliable wipe recipe and found one on Wellness Mama. I made my first batch and tested them on myself. They felt gentle, I had no adverse reaction — in fact I still use them when toilet paper won’t do — so I felt comfortable using them on my baby.
They’ve worked great: My son is six months old and hasn’t had a diaper rash.
Here are the ingredients I use, modestly adapted from Wellness Mama’s version:
- 1 cup water
- ½ tablespoon castile liquid soap: Plant oil-based and milder than typical soap. Wellness Mama called for 1 tablespoon, but I found that too sudsy so I halved it.
- 1 tablespoon witch hazel
- 1 tablespoon aloe vera gel
- 1 roll of paper towels: I favor Bounty or Brawny (I buy via Subscribe & Save). I tried Viva and don’t recommend it — the sheets fell apart.
- (Optional) A few drops of essential oils for fragrance — but first confirm the oil is safe for infant skin.
Slice the paper towel roll in half so you have two shorter rolls. You can use a kitchen knife or a saw (my husband enjoyed that excuse to use his chopsaw).
Remove the cardboard tube and place the paper towels into the container you’ll use to store the wipes. I put a quart-sized Ziploc inside a Nellie’s Laundry Soda tin. Boil the water and let it cool until just warm, then mix in the rest of the items. Pour the mixture over the paper towels and that’s it!
I appreciate that this straightforward method doesn’t leave my kitchen looking wrecked. Cleanup is easy — just rinse the pot.
It takes roughly five minutes to make a batch, and each batch usually lasts me about four days. Because bacteria can proliferate in water over time, I generally only whip up one or two batches at a time. If you want to make larger quantities, lavender, tea tree, or lemon essential oils have antimicrobial properties and can help prolong the wipes’ usable life.
How Much Do You Save With Homemade Baby Wipes?
How much money you save depends on how diligent you were about sales and coupons previously, but I estimate this approach saves our family about $250 per year. Here’s my breakdown:
So one batch of 116 DIY wipes costs $1.02.
You could pay $3.68 for 116 Pampers wipes, or $1.02 for the same number of homemade ones.
If you use roughly 29 wipes per day, you’d spend about $93 per year making DIY wipes versus about $336 on Pampers wipes, yielding an annual saving of $243.
To reduce costs further, Wellness Mama suggests skipping paper towels altogether and keeping the cleaning solution in a spray bottle. At changing time, spray a cloth or an old T-shirt scrap. I use the spray method for wet diaper cleanups and reserve the paper-towel wipes for poopier situations.
Your turn: Have you experimented with making your own baby wipes? Share your advice and recipes below!
Disclosure: Our family has a borderline Taco Bell habit. The affiliate links in this post help fund our dollar-menu indulgences. Thanks for the support!
Jennifer Moyer is a crunchy stay-at-home mom living in south Alabama with her husband, their four-month-old son and their fur baby Lucy.
For other ways to save and DIY around the house, consider trying homemade protein bars, making homemade condiments, or switching to cloth diapers for additional long-term savings.
