Frugal Friday: How To Make Homemade Baby Wipes

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I’ve gone through a lot of baby wipes over the years. A lot. With five kids, and one who refused to give up her diapers until she was 4 years old, baby wipes have been a regular purchase in our house for nearly a decade.

Which is why I am so very disappointed that I did not try making my own until recently.

Homemade wipes are easy to make, work just as well as the store-bought ones, and can usually be made with things you’ve already got on hand. The reason I tried making them the first time was that we were completely out and I just could not drag all of the kids to the store for a refill.

The reason I keep making them is that they save us money. Here’s what you will need:

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– An empty wipe container

– A roll of decent-quality paper towels, cut in half so that it looks like a roll of toilet paper (needs to be the select-a-size type so that the wipes are the right size)

– 2 Tbsp. coconut oil

– 2 Tbsp. baby wash

– 2 ½ cups of water, boiled and then cooled

– 3-5 drops of lavender essential oil (optional)

 

1. Start by boiling the water and leaving it out to cool. If you’re in a rush, you can try to speed it along by placing it in the refrigerator.
2. Cut the paper towel roll in half, if you haven’t already. I usually use a serrated knife to get it started, then use a larger, sharper knife to finish the job.
3. Place your half roll of paper towels inside your wipe container. It will jut out the top a little, but we’ll fix that.
4. Mix the now-cooled water with your coconut oil, baby wash, and essential oil.

5. 

   Pour your mixture over the paper towels, fully saturating them. I like using a measuring cup or something with a spout for easier pouring, but anything will do.

6. Flatten the roll far enough that you can close the lid. It may look a little crooked and messy, but that’s okay.
7. Close the container lid and turn it upside down. Wait 5 minutes. I usually lay a dish cloth under the container, but I don’t think I have ever had one leak. But just in case…
8. Flip the container right-side up and open.
9. Pull out the cardboard tube in the center of the roll. This only works once it’s been completely soaked so don’t rush those 5 minutes. Once the tube is out, it should be easy to pull out the first wipe.
10. Slide the wipe through the container’s opening and close the lid.

 

And there you go! You now have some amazing homemade wipes that will gently clean your baby and save some money, too.

Have you tried making your own wipes? What worked best for you? Let me know in the comments!

 

[Disclaimer: I am a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for me to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites. This post contains affiliate links, which means that if you click on one of the product links, I’ll receive a commission, at no additional cost to you. All opinions are my own and I never recommend anything I haven’t used myself and loved.]