A few years ago, I got really into making pasta. I didn’t (and still don’t) have a pasta maker, so for me the process involved making the dough by hand, and then rolling it out on my counter, and then cutting it into shape with a knife. It took a bit of work, but what came out was some of the best, tastiest pasta I’ve ever had in my life. This is it, I told myself, now I’m a homemade pasta guy. As a matter of fact, it tasted so good, I ate fresh pasta for the next four nights. And that’s when it hit me – homemade pasta is really easy to make, and it’s really, really good – but I’m not sure it’s two hours of work when you just want a bowl of spaghetti good.
The same is true of baby wipes. Baby wipes are one of those things that might seem like an unnecessary indulgence – right up until you find yourself with a messy baby, in a messy house, and without any of the sleep that might have left you feeling up to the challenge. Don’t get me wrong, the world would probably be a much better place if we made everything from scratch all the time, but it’s important to pick your battles – and while we’re all working to make rent or mortgage payments, and trying to snatch a bit of sleep when you can, and stressing about keeping your new little baby alive, maybe that’s not the best time to take on a new and labour-intensive DIY project.
But maybe it is! If you do have a supportive partner, and a baby who sleeps through the night, and the time and resources to satisfy your burning desire to D-I-Y, this sounds like a fantastic project:
D-I-Y Baby Wipes
You will need:
- 2 cups distilled water (or at very least, water that has been boiled & let to cool)
- 2 tbsp oil (either almond or olive) – this helps it go on smoothly
- 1 tbsp unscented castile soap – this is for cleaning
You may also want:
- 2 tbsp pure aloe vera – this is for soothing
- 1 tsp witch hazel extract – this is for disinfecting, and has antiseptic, anti-inflammatory, anti-bacterial and anti-fungal properties.
Simply combine the ingredients and mix well.
If you are going the route of reusable wipes, store the mixture in a sealed bottle or spray bottle, and then just pour it onto clean cloths as needed. When you’re done using the wipes, wash them in your washing machine on the hot or disinfect cycle (just like reusable diapers).
If you want to DIY disposable wipes: cut a roll of paper towels in half (so that you’ve got two half-sized rolls of paper towel). Put one of them into a sealable container that is only slightly bigger than the roll, and pour the liquid into the container. Seal it, and turn it over (so the liquid entirely saturates the roll). After about 5 minutes, right the container, open the lid, and remove the cardboard tube in the middle of the roll – it should come out easily now that it’s saturated with liquid. Now you can just pull wipes as needed from the middle of the roll! Note: wipes done this way tend to get dry or musty after about 3 days, so please plan accordingly.
D-F-Y Baby Wipes
If the above sounds like too much work (and like I said above, there is no shame in picking your battles – all of those fancy personalities who have made great careers out of showing how easy it is to do things yourself have, like, a lot of off-camera staff that we never see), just grab the best Done For You wipes that you can find. We really like the Free And Clear wipes from Seventh Generation. They’re plant-based, hypoallergenic, free of alcohol, parabens, and fragrances, and maybe best of all – they’re Done For You!