Frugal Living with Baby: Homemade Baby Wipes
Eleven years ago when my first child was born—and like many first time parents—my husband and I didn’t have a lot of money to spare. And as you all know, babies can sure be expensive. Between bottles and formula, baby clothes, doctor visits, and diapers, new parents can spend a small fortune in just a matter of weeks.
I was already breastfeeding, so we thankfully didn’t have to face the awesome expense of buying formula or bottles. But I was hard-pressed to find other areas to save money. In my attempt to trim our expenses, I even tried cloth diapers for a while, but I just couldn’t get the hang of it; so I switched back to generic brand diapers.
But one day, as I was changing my firstborn’s very messy diaper, I started figuring the cost of that particular diaper change: one diaper at 25 cents, and seven baby wipes at 4 cents each (it was a very messy diaper) total…oh my goodness, 53 cents for a single diaper change! And not only that, but I realized that I had spent more on the wipes than I had on the diaper itself. I was more than shocked—and determined that there had to be some way to cut those costs.
So I did a little research and found in the back of an old church cookbook a recipe for homemade baby wipes. At the cost of less than one cent per wipe, homemade baby wipes would cost over 75% less than their store-bought equivalent. That was definitely something I was interested in.
Homemade Baby Wipes
Ingredients:
- 1 half-roll* of white Viva or Bounty paper towels (the select-a-size kind is ideal.) Don’t use printed/patterned paper towels as the ink will stain clothes.
- 2-3 cups water (Use more water if you are using a “Big Roll” of paper towels; use less if using a regular roll.)
- 1 tablespoon baby oil
- 1 tablespoon baby shampoo or baby bath
Directions:
- Combine the water with the oil and shampoo in a medium to large bowl. Stir gently.
- Place the half-roll of paper towels in the bowl. Once the water soaks up about halfway, turn the roll over and let it sit for a few minutes until the roll is completely saturated.
- Tear off the individual sheets and place them in an airtight container. Another option for storage is to leave the roll intact, and simply place the entire roll in an airtight container, removing the sheets as needed.
*To get a half-roll, cut a roll of paper towels in half so that you end up with two rolls about the size of bath tissue. A large, serrated bread knife works well for this.
And so, although I was a little skeptical of the efficacy of homemade wipes, I tried it…and I was instantly sold! The wipes worked as well as—if not better than—store bought wipes, and they smelled better, too. Not only that, but my husband loved the fact that the wipes got out food stains on clothing remarkably well (a fact he put to use rather frequently).
I ended up using homemade wipes for all three of my children, and I’ve been known to make a batch or two of wipes even after my kids were out of diapers, simply so I could have good, inexpensive wipes on hand around the house for messy faces and hands.
I also started giving a homemade baby wipes as baby shower gifts. Along with the ingredients and the recipe for the wipes, I’d make up a fresh match for the new mom to try.
So, if you’re a mom with a child in diapers, consider giving these wipes a try. Not only are these homemade baby wipes convenient, inexpensive, and earth-friendly (since you reuse the same plastic container), they work great! What more could you ask for?
For more Frugal Friday tips, visit Biblical Womanhood.
AUTHOR | Joy Miller
Joy, one of the original 3 Moms at Happy to be at Home, is the wife of a music minister and spends her days homeschooling her three children (ages 6, 9, and 11), teaching piano lessons from her home, and trying to improve her cooking skills. You can read more about Joy on her personal blog, Five J's.
I want to try that! Can I stack the wipes in my plastic store-bought wipes tubs? Is that airtight enough? And if I’m REALLY ready to go out on a limb, will the same recipe work with cloth wipes… like if I cut up an old t-shirt?
Do you know if bubble bath would work? What about massage oil? I don’t have kids but I like wipes for sack lunches or just to have around in the car, so I was wondering if the stuff I have on hand would work or if I actually have to have the baby oil or baby shampoo/baby bath.
So they’re soft on the bottom and clean dirty bottoms well? I spend SO much on wipes, unless I find a great sale.
I love this idea! I just discovered Viva paper towels when I was visiting my sister and brother in law! They would make ideal baby wipes! I’m getting some next time I’m at the store!
[...] idea on a few other blogs, it took several reads to turn the lightbulb on. Finally, after reading Joy’s suggestion, I gave it a [...]
[...] presents Frugal Living with Baby: Homemade Baby Wipes posted at Happy to be at [...]
I love that idea….I am putting a link to this on my own site….That is the best!
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I have passed your article along to the mothers I know. I’m intrigued!
I was so intrigued I just made a batch of your wipes to try as makeup removing wipes, we’ll see how they work. I’m curious that you are brand specific about the paper towels in your instructions. Does that really matter? I use 7th Generation paper towels to be a little more environmentally friendly. Probably not as soft as some of the others (probably more expensive too), but I think the trade-off is probably worth it.
I’ve been making my own wipes for a few years now, and it’s amazing to spend $12 a year on wipes instead of $12 a month (or more!). I highly recommend Viva towels, even over Bounty, because they are SO thick. I actually have one more time saver, too: cut the paper towels into THIRDS and pull out the cardboard roll. That way they fit perfectly upright in a wipe box, and you can pull out one wipe at a time from the center. No unrolling/tearing during your prep. I use about 1 1/4-1 1/2 cups water — boil it first in the teapot for extra sanitizing — and mix in my soap, then simply pour over the roll right in the wipes box. It all gets absorbed within a few minutes. If I have problems with moldy wipes near the end of the box, I add a splash of white vinegar to the mix, and that seems to do the trick. That also can help treat yeast infections.
I cut 2-3 rolls at a time with my big meat cleaver and store them in a bag, so making wipes takes about 3 minutes per batch, usually while I’m preparing a meal in the kitchen (so I can boil the water). I sharpen all my knives at the same time, which is a nice routine to have.
I give them as baby shower gifts too! It’s one of the best easy ways to save $ on baby products.
I also recently switched to using Shaklee’s H2, which is pricey for the bottle but super-concentrated so you just need a squirt per load. I started questioning the safety of leaving baby soap and oil on baby’s bum, and decided to switch to something more natural. I have also heard using castille soap is a great natural alternative, and only a little is needed.
Amy, I am sure this would work with an old T-shirt too.