I’ve done my fair share of cloth diaper changes over the years. Like any concerned mom I opted for baby wipes I thought were safe and healthy for little ones. It turns out many baby wipes aren’t what they seem. So instead I came up with these DIY baby wipes with natural ingredients (plus they’re much cheaper!).
What’s Wrong With Diaper Wipes?
Ever checked the ingredients on your baby wipes? Yeah, I hadn’t either. Terms like “Fresh Scent,” “natural”,” and “sensitive skin” made me think I was choosing a healthy option. Instead many of these wipes are hiding ingredients like artificial fragrances (yep, even the unscented wipes). Then there are the harsh preservatives and parabens that can cause diaper rash on baby’s skin.
Even my favorite Huggies Cucumber and Green Tea wipes weren’t much better. At the time their ingredients were linked with issues including cancer risk, allergies, and developmental problems. I used these wipes for years, figuring that if they were made for a baby’s bum, they must be safe. Apparently not!
Since then many brands, including the big players have come a long way in cleaning up their ingredient lists. But there are still plenty of baby wipes out there with sketchy ingredients.
Non-Toxic Baby Wipes
After finding out what was actually in baby wipes I searched for healthier alternatives. There are some good ones, especially with the growing demand for better, healthier products. A lot of these options are more expensive than the typical baby wipes though.
If you’re too busy to make your own baby wipes, thankfully there’s a growing list of good options! Here are some different brands that meet my healthy mama standards.
- Made Of: Soothing Organic Baby Wipes
- Clearly Herbal Baby Wipes
- Baby Cozy Coconut Nourish Wipes
- Water Wipes (99.9% water)
- Attitude Eco Wipes
Make Homemade Baby Wipes
I stumbled on some recipes for homemade baby wipes, but they suggested baby oil, baby shampoo, and baby lotion. Baby oil may sound gentle, but it’s mineral oil, a byproduct of the gasoline industry. Baby wash and the other ingredients in these products have their own health concerns.
I figured if you could make your own with those ingredients, you could make a healthy version too!
Homemade Baby Wipes Recipe
After much trial and error (mainly error), I finally have a great baby wipes solution recipe. After using it on several kids for years, I haven’t had any issues with skin irritation.
A side benefit to my wipe making experiment is that homemade wipes are much cheaper. When I buy ingredients in bulk, the wipes end up costing way less. This saved us a ton when I had several in diapers. Healthier and cheaper- I’ll take it!
There are several ways to make your own homemade baby wipes. When I first started I used a plastic storage container and paper towels. Later on, I switched to cloth wipes for a reusable wipes version. The homemade wipes solution works with either option. It just depends on what you have and what you want to use.
I’ve included directions for the healthy (but less eco-friendly) version below too in case you want disposable wipes.
Reusable DIY Baby Wipes
There are several different reusable wipe options – no sewing required! You can cut up old receiving blankets and t-shirts into 9×9 (or larger) squares. Old baby washcloths work too. Fold them into an old baby wipes container and pour the wipes mixture onto them. You can also spray it on each wipe with a spray bottle before using.
If you want to buy premade fabric wipes, there are lots of options on Amazon and online. These organic flannel wipes are super soft.
Double Duty Wipes
This has been one of my most fun homemade discoveries. These wipes are definitely kid approved. My kids loved smelling them whenever I pulled them out to clean the baby. And then they’d try to steal one and use it to clean things. Guess I’ve instilled this a little too well. We’ve discovered these wipes also clean tile, counters, leather, and flooring. They leave a residue on stainless steel though.
I also make a lavender essential oil or tea tree oil version. These are great for all-purpose disinfecting when we’re traveling and as reusable makeup removal wipes for me.
This tutorial takes very little time and is a great alternative to store-bought wipes.
Homemade Baby Wipe Ingredients and Materials
I use either distilled water or water that’s been boiled and then cooled in these. Tap water will work, but it can quickly grow microbes. If you use your wipes within several days then boiled and cooled regular water can work.
A plastic container works well to store the wipes. My preferred option was the red Rubbermaid round container, but you can also use an old plastic coffee container or gallon ice cream bucket. When I first made these I used paper towels and the round, plastic containers fit them best. Since then we’ve switched away from using plastic.
If you’re using reusable cloth wipes, then a repurposed diaper wipes container or silicone bag does the job. These are nice for storing a few wipes at a time in the diaper bag for quick clean-up jobs. And if you’re using the spray bottle and cloth wipes option, then you can just keep the wipes in a basket on the changing table.
Natural Homemade Baby Wipes
Yield
Equipment
- 1 16-oz glass spray bottle (optional)
- 12×12 Silicone bag (optional, for cloth wipe storage)
Notes
- If your child has very sensitive skin, you may need to leave out the essential oils.
- You can also replace some of the water with soothing calendula or chamomile hydrosol.
Are you willing to try homemade baby wipes? What scents will you use? Leave a comment and let me know!
I like the cut up receiving blankets option. I’ve tried paper towel homemade wipes and they’d like to tear the skin off that tender bottom D= I never get how anyone can use those, but people use Huggies wipes and they’re just as rough, so maybe most baby bottoms are tougher than mine were.
I’ve been making my own wipes for my 4mo old baby girl for the last month by just using water (which I boiled first), coconut oil and castile soap 🙂 It works great! She hasn’t had a single diaper rash and it cleans sticky diaper messes up like magic! No smell, but works great 🙂
I use a spray from 1 TB olive oil, 1 TB castile soap, and fill up with water til it reaches 1 quart. I have this mixture in several small spray bottles all over the house and diaper bag. We use it to spray on butts, hands, rags, etc. I cut up several T-shirts and use them for wipes. I use them dry, since I spray the mix directly on the skin. I haven’t had any problems and it’s easy to carry- unless you try to go through the airport, then you need a really small bottle.
I can’t wait to try this recipe! My only suggestion would be to make sure you are using 100% witch hazel extract as most that are on the market contain a percentage of alcohol.
I make my own wipes as well, and I love them! They never give my little girl a rash, and they smell so good! I cut a huge roll into three, and then my recipe is as follows. 1cup HOT (as hot as you can get it) water, 1-2 drops organic lavender oil, 1/2-1 tsp organic coconut oil, 1/2- 1 tsp organic natural baby wash (i use my midwives brand) Mix together and pour over wipes. These last a long time, I’ve never had them go moldy.
When my babies were little, I had cut up a large terricloth towel into 3×6″ pieces and zig-zag stitched all around the edges to prevent fraying. Then I folded them in half and put them in an old baby wipe container. Then I poured water that had been boiled (to prevent mold from growing) over the wipes and squeezed out most of the water. The small container worth usually lasted about 3 days and I could put them in the conventional laundry with a little bleach. Cheap and super effective.
Love your recipe for.the solution!
What about the paper towels breaking down since they are filled with liquid? I’d love to make this I just don’t want the wipes to be falling apart while using them.
As long as you use bounty they won’t buy the cheaper versions will dissolve
Hi Katie,
Just wondering if you ever tried making these wipes with the Costco Kirkland brand paper towels? Do you think they would work as well as Bounty?
Thanks,
Sarah
We don’t have a Costco where I live…
Hi Sarah! I make these wipes with the kirkland brand paper towels and I’ve never had an issue. They work very well 🙂
Thanks, Taylor!
I actually prefer this brand and used it on my two kids, I think it’s way better than bounty
I”m allergic to aloe vera and It seems to be an inherited allergy none of the women in my family can use it do you have any seggustions on things to substitute for it.
You can actually just leave it out without a problem…
In your “Why We Cloth Diaper” article, you say to omit the olive/almond oil for your homeade baby wipes recipe but don’t mention that anywhere here. Is this ingredient not okay for cloth diapers?
It is actually ok, but not needed and a little easier to wash without it. That small amount is actually fine…
I make cloth wipes. My formula is to fill a quart jar 3/4 of the way with hot water. Add a tablespoon (I don’t measure, so it’s close) of Dr. Bronners hemp no scent baby liquid soap, 2 tablespoons of almond oil, 4 drops tea tree oil, and 5 drops lavender oil. It works really well.
Where do you buy your witch hazel and aloe vera in bulk?
Mountain rose herbs… There’s a link in my “resources” section 🙂
Is it safe to use essential oils on babies? I have rose essential oil that says do not use on children. Why is that? What will happen of I use rose oil in place of lavender oil?
Most of the warnings are in place because kids have more sensitive skin and essential oils are highly concentrated. I’ve used rose before without a problem, but you’d have to try on your kids…
Is the rose bronners Castille soap safe to use?
I have been doing research on homemade wipes and I like the solution you have here. My main question is about the paper towels. Most paper towels have formaldahyde in them which sort of defeats the “natural” part of the homemade baby wipes. Have you ever tried one of the formaldahyde free paper towels and if so, did it work as well as the bounty? Thanks.
Can I use coconut oil instead I’d olive oil? I’m reading the book The Coconut oil Miracle, it seems like a good option.
Coconut Oil is a great option, but unfortunately, unless you are using a wipe warmer, it is solid at room temp (most, at least) and won’t work well in this recipe. If you have one of the refined liquid versions it will absolutely work
I cut up some microfleece which doesn’t fray and soak them in a homemade solution in one of those wipes tubs that Pampers do. I just use either – a squirt of baby wash in warm water and a drop of lavender essential oil, or simply a rooibos or chamomile tea solution…easy peasy. And very cloth nappy friendly 🙂
My questions is about using paper towels. Aren’t there harmful chemicals in paper towels? Are there ones you suggest over others?
I use Bounty for the strength. There are some chemicals, mainly used during the manufacturing process, but nowhere near as many as there are in regular wipes. Seventh Generation makes an unbleached paper towel, so that would be an option, or you could just use the mix (no oil) on cloth wipes…
What do you mean by “no oil”? Is olive oil, or are essential oils, harmful?
also I saw this calls for only a teaspoon of Castile soap…I thought for some reason it was 1-2 tablespoons? No? Did you edit this, or have I just been using WAAAY too much soap? Thanks! 🙂
Where can you get these ingredients
Sounds like a great recipe. I just want to bring one thing to your attention, the almond oil has potential to cause nut sensitivity in infants (confirmed by my dermatologist).
Luckily, this is no longer recommended. It is now thought that by avoiding allergens,myou have a greater chance of developing allergies! One should only avoid potential allergens of there is a family history of those allergies.
THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU. I just returned from the doctor’s office. My poor baby girl (20 mths) is allergic to diapers and/or wipes so horrifically that we were encouraged to potty train and only use homemade wipes. Looking at recipes out there yours is the only one that does not advocate for a Johnson and Johnson formula plus you explained in the comment thread what each ingredient does. I am going to try without the extracts and see where we can go from there. THANK YOU again my heart breaks that my baby has to be in so much pain!