Wednesday, November 23, 2011

Home made baby wipes for pennies!

Kitty's favourite thing to do in the morning is wait til I change his diaper, happily play around, kiss me, scream joyfully at the pugs...and then take an epic poo. Never in the dirty diaper, no, always in the new, clean diaper. Wipes can be expensive, even for a thrifty mama like myself. Especially if you have a poo monster like I do. Babies have super sensitive skin as well, and let's face it, some of the baby products out there are super harsh to their delicate backsides.

Awwww, Kitty and his Mama...

The other day, out of sheer accident, I happily discovered that disposable wipes, well, they can be washed. Usually when I do laundry, I open the washer with one eye open, squinting, hoping the laundry fairy came and magically did my wash, or at the very minimum, left me some money for my being such a domestic goddess. Instead, I found...some baby wipes. I muttered some profanities (Kitty was sleeping, so thankfully he didn't learn any dirty sailor words that day), but to my surprise, the wipes hadn't degenerate into a million pieces like tissue or paper, but rather, they stayed intact. I spent the rest of the day pondering over my happy discovery. So if I throw the used wipes in the washer, they come out ready to be used again? Awesome. So far here's what I thought they could be used for:
  • Tissue to blow one's nose or wipe snotty child's nose
  • Tool to clean up naughty pug mess left in corner (we were just outside!)
  • Eye glasses cleaning wipe (since *someone* can't leave my glasses alone)
  • A new wipe for Kitty...
Used, washed wipes, compliments of the laundry fairy

So that inspired me to figure out how to make my own diaper wipe spray. Water will work, but I wanted something that I could bring with in the diaper bag, and something with a little smell to it. So for mere pennies, I created this recipe.

All the supplies you will need to make your own wipe solution

  • 2 cups water
  • 2 Tablespoons Baby Oil
  • 2 Tablespoons Baby Shampoo or Body Wash
  • 10 drops of Lavender Essential Oil*
*The Lavender isn't needed but smells great, it calming and is a natural way to help kill any bacteria

What it looks like all mixed together. Not the most inspiring colour, but it smells WONDERFUL!

 I use Burt's Bees, but you can use whatever you've got or prefer. I know this stuff works well with Kitty's super sensitive skin, so it should be just fine for his picky behind. All you need is either a wipe tub that is empty to put this in, or a spray bottle which you can get at any retailer like Walgreens, Walmart, Target or the Dollar Tree.

If you don't believe in the laundry fairy, or just don't want to use disposable wipes, I recommend cloth wipes. I have been using wipes from Trade from Scratch. She has some of the BEST prices, as well as a fantastic quality of craft-woman-ship. She is also offering a special discount for you lovely fans! Enter the code LuckyDuck at checkout for 10% off your order.

Wipes from Trade from Scratch-How cute are these? You know you want to buy some!


*As a disclaimer-I'm not a washing machine guru. I can't *tell* you to wash your disposiable wipes. If you do so, do at your own risk. Just as with the baby spray, albiet more natural or homemade, doesn't mean baby (or anyone) should ingest it. Just basic common sense I feel compelled to say. Like the cofee cup labeled, contents *may* be hot. All it takes is one person to complain that I ruined their washing machine...But I know you Lucky Duck fans are smart cookies and know all the stuff I just blabbed on and on about.*

How every which way you look at it, sometimes the most random things turn out to be fantastic surprises. What re-purposing ideas do you have? Pin It

1 comment:

  1. I use my peri bottle from the hospital for wetting our wipes. We also just use a drop or two of natural baby wash. We got a few as gifts that smelled a little too strong for my tastes, so we use a drop or two in a bottle of water, shake it up, and there you have it!

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