Homemade Diaper Wipes

When I made the decision to use cloth diapers, I consulted my friend Carol on the ins and outs of the diaper pail, how many cycles should they be washed, and other sundry matters. She happened to mention her friend Frances who, she said, made her own wipes.

My eyebrows flew up in amazement. "Her own wipes!"
"Yeah," said Carol. "She's really hard core."

I figured that particular hard-coreness would never strike me. Wipes didn't even seem that bad for the environment, especially the brand I used: Seventh Generation, which is basically an unbleached kleenex with some eco-friendly suds soaked in.

It wasn't the eco-aspect that got me after living for two months with two kids in diapers. It was the cost. We were going through two or three packs at week, and at $5 a pack, that's nothing to sneeze at, so to speak.

So I went online and made my own formula, out of olive oil, baby shampoo and water:
1 cup water
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp baby shampoo

I put the formula into three squirt bottles--one for each diaper changing station. Best of all, I turned all my stained infant clothes, my puked on-and-inadvertently-dyed-pink-from-being-in-the-wrong-load tee shirts into nice long wipes. Now, instead of using five or six wipes per poopy situation, I use just one long soft rag. The new formula works much better than the wipes--it's more like a sponge bath than a toilet paper attack--and my kids prefer it two to nothing.

And we're saving $60 a month. Though I still use wipes in my diaper bag, and I have not yet instructed my babysitters to follow my suit. I'm not that hard core.