Are you tired of your baby getting diaper rash all the time? Diaper rash creams get expensive plus many are filled with ingredients you don’t want on your precious babies skin.
Baby wipes give my little ones diaper rash, and I’m not alone. Many of my friends and other parents I’ve talked to have the same problem.
Making your own wipes is easy (and dare I say fun)! Try this homemade baby wipes recipe and see an improvement in your little ones behind.
What you’ll Need:
– A gallon jug
– Reusable baby wipes or baby wash cloths or a roll of paper towels
– Castile Soap or baby shampoo (I like Burt’s Bees)
– Lavender Essential Oil (optional)
– Water
– A container to hold your wipes
It’s oh so simple
First fill the gallon jug with water (if it wasn’t already filled). Add several squirts of castile soap or Baby Shampoo and 8-10 drops of lavender essential oil (optional) and shake. I like to add the lavender because works great on skin irritation.
Pour the wipe solution over your baby wipes (more on the wipes themselves below). I store mine in a wipe warmer so my baby always has warm wipes, especially in cold months. You can use a one of the plastic disposable wipe containers or any other waterproof container with a lid that would fit your wipes. Give the wipes 10 minutes or so to absorb the water to see if you need to add more. If they are too wet you can wring them out.
Reusable Baby Wipes
You can use baby wash cloths for your wipes or make your own out of squares of fabric sewn together much like a pillow. I use cloth diapers so I launder the wipes with the cloth diapers. Otherwise you can wash them alone in a hot cycle in the washing machine.
Once your baby starts eating table food things will get a little tricky. I went to the disposable method using paper towels instead of reusable wipes when wiping poop cause it got too gross for me. The purpose of a wipe is to wipe off poop and if I have to wipe the poop off of the wipe, then that’s just craziness to me.
Disposable Baby Wipes with Paper Towels
So…. the solution is to take a roll of paper towels and cut them in half so you have two smaller rolls afterward. I use a big knife to do this – please be careful. Once the roll has been cut in half you can pull out the cardboard roll in the middle and you have disposable homemade wipes that tear off one sheet at a time. Pretty cool huh?
A Plug for Cloth Diapers
If you are up for the challenge I also recommend cloth diapers. They are not for everyone – but you will also avoid all the yucky ingredients in diapers like bleach and petroleum. And they can save you lots of money! I use cloth diapers most of the time, but still use disposables overnight and on outings.
My favorite brand of cloth diapers is Kawaii. They are most like a disposable diaper, have held up well, have cute prints and run about $5 a diaper when you buy a bundle. They have paid for themselves quickly plus they don’t have a big learning curve like some other cloth diapers.
Leave me a comment below to tell me how the wipes worked out for you and your little one.
I would love to hear from you 🙂
Hi There! I'm Shannon - I help women regain their health from the inside out so they can lead healthy, happy lives - full of energy and effortlessly maintain an ideal weight. 
Hi, Shannon! I come from a background of mainly using cloth diappers – this was the norm in Brazil in the 80s, probably because of the cost factor. Do you know of any other brands that you would suggest other than Kawaii? These are not available where I live. Thanks a lot for the advice and keep them coming!
Daniel
There are a lot of other great brands. Kawaii is the brand I use the most but I have also used Sunbaby diapers (they tend to run small though) and Fuzzibunz are also another good solution but a lot more expensive.
Thanks for stopping by Daniel 🙂
Although I don’t have children as yet I am pleased I came across your website today. I want to be prepared for when I met the right lady. You have shared some really insightful information for up and coming dads.
Excellent site, I have bookmarked your page for future reference.
Ethan
Thanks for stopping by Ethan 🙂
Interesting article! The directions are easy to follow and were pleasant to read. Always nice to learn new, non-toxic ways to care for the kids! I like Do you have any other brands you recommend for cloth diapers? Also, do you have any “safe” natural brands of diapers I could buy?
Kawaii is my favorite cloth diaper brand. For a safer disposable I would recommend Earth’s Best. All the best
Shannon
Hi Shannon
Great article. I sometimes find so unreal that parents do not thing about those thing, I see them using chemical to clean the skin of their baby. My 3 months old gorgeous baby almost never had such a problem because we always used organic wipes. Friends and family got us a huge store of them, but we do wash them and use them again. The lavender idea is Brilliant!
The half cut toilet paper as well, for emergency times.
We are the cloth one when the matter will get more solid.
Amazing post, thank you so much for caring
So glad to hear you’ve had success with a natural wipe. I thought it was the diapers that cause the rash but in my experience the wipes are the most irritating to babies bottom. Thanks for sharing what has worked for you.
Hi! Thank you for this clarifying article! 🙂
To be honest – as a man – I really dislike the smell of levander. Would you be so kind to give me some other pieces of advice about other essential oils which smell nice, dont irritiate skin and I can substitue the leander with? 🙂
Thank you for your answer in advance! 🙂
Adam
Adam Lavender is the only oil I would recommend. Otherwise it is fine to skip the oil altogether. You could add some vitamin E or aloe vera to the mixture as well, but I would not recommend any other essential oils.
Thanks for asking 🙂
Hi Shannon,
I try to find alternative methods for baby wipes because diaper rash is a huge problem I don’t seem to get rid of.
I tried different brands but nothing will do.
I am glad I found your website and your recipe for home made baby wipes looks very easy to prepare.
One thing that I am not sure about is the use of lavender essential oil.
I studied aromatherapy and It’s not recommended to use essential oils under 3 years and especially not for babies.
8 to 10 drops is a lot too! It can be quite toxic when you put more than 3 drops… I would love to have your opinion on this.
I will follow your recipe without adding the lavender oil though.
Thanks for sharing!
Angélique
Angelique
My doctor actually recommends using Lavender on my babies skin to calm fussy times. Typically 1 drop per teaspoon of carrier oil. This mixture is a gallon with 8-10 drops. She also recommends using lavender in a diffuser.
Personally I am not a licensed aromatherapist, Although I have done quite a bit of research in essential oils. I’m by no means an expert but error on the side of caution with my kids.
Lavender is the only essential oil I would recommend on babies, it is very gentle. I personally use it on my children and have seen firsthand the calming effect it can have on their skin and their temperament. I’m only sharing my experiences as a mother.
If someone has hesitation or concern about using essential oils on their baby – they should always error on the side of caution and consult their babies physician first.
I’m sure others would have the same question. Glad you brought it up 🙂
Now this is going to be useful for me in the future. Thank you for writing this. I think i might bookmark your website even though i have no children at the minute. Keep up the good work, that was honestly a really well structured article
Keep up the good work!
Glad you stopped by Matthew 🙂
Hi there Shannon,
What a smart idea! The commercial baby wipes although they are very convenient, they can also be very expensive for the long term. My brother would love this recipe for his third born. (So you can imagine how many baby wipes they have spent for the last few years).
One question though – What exactly is a wipe warmer? Is it electronic? I live in the tropics so I don’t know anything about this kind of product.
Thank you.
Cathy
I agree – it also saves money! If you are in the tropics you probably don’t need a wipe warmer. It is essentially a wipe container that you plug in and it has a heated lid to keep the wipes warm. When you use store bought wipes they dry out in a wipe warmer, the great thing about homemade ones, if they are too dry you can just add more wipe solution! Thanks for stopping by.
Shannon
Hey Shannon,
This is a timely article, my sister just got married and she’s planning on having a baby and as an elder brother, I have no advice to give her about babies.
Every time someone talks about babies, I have nothing to talk about and it can get very embarrassing as it shows how ignorant I am.
Babies are delicate and I totally didn’t know that they can get rashes easily. Do we need to bathe the baby few times a day in order to keep him healthy too?
Riaz
Before having children of their own, most of us don’t know many of these things.
Babies only needed to be bathed every few days. If they get very dry skin, the water can dry their skin out further. They are little and don’t get dirty like we do. Sponge baths can be given in between baths.
Now you’ll have something to talk about next time the conversation turns to babies! 🙂
Shannon
Hello, Shannon!
You’re doing an excellent job posting creative information about giving the best care for our little babies.
The baby’s skin is very sensitive, so we need to be prepared with natural alternatives to the baby wipes we buy from a store and I appreciate a lot the work you’re doing.
Thank you for referring to Kawaii cloth diapers, which are soft against babies skin and free from unwanted chemicals.
Cristina
What a great way to save money and care for baby naturally. This is a great idea. I will be sure to share with my daughter.
When my kids were babies it was unusually to hear of anyone using cloth diapers. We only used them as burp cloths. But I like that they are getting popular now. It is much cheaper in the long run.
Wendy
I have used cloth diapers as burp cloths too! They are so much more absorbent 🙂 The long term savings with cloth diapers is substancial, especially if you use them on more than one child.
Thanks for stopping by
Shannon
Hello Shannon,
What great advice. I am always on the lookout for ways to decrease and eliminate rashes for my son. I’ll definitely create some of my own wipes and see how effective this method can be. I’ll let you know how well it works.
I appreciate your article,
Alex
Alex
Thanks for your comment – looking forward to hearing how they help your son 🙂
Shannon
Great idea on making your own wipes. I use cloth diapers myself but i use the disposable wipes. I alway hate using them as even when i buy the more expensive ones they just seem like they have so many chemicals in them. I haven’t switched to the reusable wipes because to be honest the cloth nappies are messy enough as it is. I think i will try to make the homemade wipes out of the papertowel roll. thanks.
Depending upon what stage your baby is at (aka eating table food or not), can make a big difference. The paper towel method works best when once table food is a regular part of babies diet. I continue to use cloth wipes but just for pee diapers.
Thanks for stopping by and let us know how they turned out for you 🙂
Shannon
Hi Shannon,
I really wish more parents would use reusable baby wipes, they are so easy to use and not as gross as people would think! I’ve been using them with my 2 year-old son for around 18 months now and it’s very rarely that they end up very poopey. I do use disposable diapers though, so I always wipe most of the poop with his diaper first, and then use the cloth wipes to get the rest of the poop off his bum. I make my own solution simply using water from the tap and then add 4 drops of lavender essential oil, and 2 drops of roman chamomile essential oil. Both of these oils are great for calming skin irritation and have a soothing effect.
Where do you purchase a wipe warmer from? Last winter I always just sat the cloth on top of the radiator for 15 seconds prior to using it but I like the sound of a wipe warmer!
Caroline
Caroline
That’s a great idea to warm your wipes on the radiator! I purchased my wipe warmer at a yard sale for a few dollars. They are often an item on a baby registry that never gets used, they dry out the disposable wipes. Personally I would just add some more water but I know other people that just throw them out. Hopefully you can find one second hand pretty easily or Amazon has a good selection.
Thanks for stopping by Caroline!
Shannon