Homemade Baby Wipes

After Lilah received a chemical burn from the Pampers Dry Max Diapers a little over a month ago, and then reading what disposable diapers are made of, we have decided to start using cloth diapers. We have a few boxes of disposables to use up, thanks to a little email I sent to Pampers, but we have already started using cloth at home. I totally wish I started this earlier. Along with cloth diapers, we have been using cloth wipes.

I toyed with making my own wipes when Jonathan was a baby, using paper towels. But I never fell in love with them. They always seemed too wet, and didn't clean well.

These wipes, I have fallen in love with. Well, as much as you can love something that wipes your kids butt.

For the fabric, I purchased some homemade cloth wipes from a vendor at a mom to mom sale. Love these. But at $1 a piece, I decided to make my own. I cut up a flannel receiving blanket of Lilah's. After a few washes, the sides are not fraying as much, and these have been working perfect. They are so soft. What would take 5-6 disposable wipes, only dirties 2 cloth wipes.

I stack the cloth wipes in a wipes container and they fit perfect.

Next I make the wipe solution. There are many different versions that you can make, but this is one that I have tried and loved. And it is made from ingredients that we always have on hand.

1 1/2 cups of boiled water
1 tbs white vinegar (keeps bacteria from growing)
1 tbs baby body wash (we use California Baby Calming)
1 tbs Coconut Oil

Mix all the ingredients until coconut oil dissolves and let cool to room temperature.

After the wipe mixture cools, pour over the container of wipes until they are soaked through.

Now your wipes are ready to go!

* You can also put the solution in a spray or squirt bottle and wet each wipe as you use them. For us, I want them ready to go so I keep them wet. I have never had a problem with them getting moldy as the vinegar is a disinfectant and keeps it from growing, we also use them up every few days.

I keep a little bucket in the bathroom, and toss them in there along with our diaper inserts. Evert few days they get washed in HOT water. I will start keeping them in a wet bag as soon as I can get one.

Have you ever made homemade wipes? What works best for you?

Out Little Firecracker

My how this little thing fills our life with light!

Fresh Baked

Mmm. . . this picture makes me hungry.
We have been making our own bread for about 3 months now. I wanted a bread maker for a few months before that, but they are expensive, take up room, and I wasn't sure how much I would use it. To test our my craving to make bread, I picked up a breadmaker at a resale shop, for $6.99. It is one of the wide ones that can make a 1lb or 2lb loaf. Ton of different setting on it. It even had the original receipt and instruction book with it. Purchased from Target for $169.99, for $6.99, a great deal!

As I looked through the manual preparing to make my first loaf, I noticed that the previous owner had added notes, adjustments that she/he made to the recipes. I have made almost all of the recipes in the original manual, with the recommended adjustments. She even had a separate recipe in there for English Muffin bread, one of our favs!

I would be happy with this breadmaker had I been the one to pay $169.99. I LOVE it. One of the best investments we have made. Since making my first load, we have not purchased a single loaf of bread from the store. As a matter of fact, the only bread product we have purchased has baan 2 packages of hotdog buns (I have even made those, just did not have time).

I make all of our "normal loafs", loafs that we bake in the bread machine, use for sandwiches and lunches.

Mike makes all of our "special breads". At first I wasn't sure how he would feel about us making our breads, but he has really taken to the idea, and joined in the process. Mike will make french baguetts occassionally, and french baguettes with garlic (the larger loaf in the picture), and other fancy little loafs. The 3 in the picture are my fav. He made those today. the mini loaf of bread I am using to make the kids sandwiches, Jonathan is going to love it. The other small one I am using for a sandwich tomorrow, and I can't wait.

This saves us a lot of money, is more nutritious than store bought breads, and we have fun doing it.