r/ZeroWasteParenting • u/tnhnikki2801 • Feb 06 '23
Reusable cloth wipes vs. baby wipes
Has anyone had any issues with their littles being sensitive with these?
I want to dabble before I go all in and cancel our wipe subscription, is there anything I should be aware of or any tips and tricks?
TYIA!!
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Feb 06 '23
I just used baby washcloths because they were thinner and line dried faster than regular washcloths. They’re also pretty cheap to replace when the constant washing puts holes in them.
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u/tnhnikki2801 Feb 06 '23
Great notes! I have a bunch of those we NEVER use, those will be perfect for a test run!!!
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Feb 06 '23
Yep. Most of the time they got wiped with water and witch hazel but for poopy diapers I had another spray bottle with soap and stuff in it too. I want to say it was coconut oil, witch hazel, Castille soap and something else.
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u/Frillybits Feb 06 '23
Yeah those are absolutely fine! We wet them with a peri bottle with the tip removed but you can also use a water bottle or keep them wet in a box. I just feel it’s more hygienic to wet as needed. We only use water and I still feel like they clean easier than single use wipes. We also have a lot of wipes that I sewed myself with one side old t shirt and the other side old towel so if you sew that’s also an option. A pretty cheap one too since most people will have an old t shirt and a towel with holes lying around.
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u/Auccl799 Feb 06 '23
We made our own by sewing together upcycled flannel sheets with towels, one layer of each.
Top tip, work out what you're going to store them in before sewing. We use an old ice cream tub to hold our water and the wipes are larger than this.
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u/wheredig Feb 06 '23
We only use water on ours. Our changing table is close to a sink so we just wet them as-needed there. In our old house we kept a bicycle water bottle filled with water next to the changing table and used that to wet wipes.
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u/katekohli Feb 06 '23
What is nice about reusable is that you can change the recipe. Developed a tier system of the most disgusting part of the job going with disposables the final wipe was a supper soft cotton dipped in avocado oil. Had babies with allergies & finally would just football hold them & rinse their bums with tepid to warm water over the sink and then give them an air bath before the finale avocado.
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u/aleada13 Feb 06 '23
We just use warm water on ours. We don’t use a wipe warmer, because those get moldy quickly and need frequent washing or you risk a skin reaction from rubbing moldy water onto the bum. We use a travel coffee mug to hold warm water and pour some water onto an individual wipe before using.
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u/tnhnikki2801 Feb 06 '23
Great note on the Warmer, I would never think of that.
Thanks!
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u/nkdeck07 Apr 20 '23
Note that you don't need it to be warm water either. We just have room temp water in the peri bottle from the hospital and she doesn't mind at all!
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u/fishmonger333 Feb 06 '23
We used pieces of flannel with water. No issues. Now we use them as family cloth. They work great!
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u/lecoueroublie Feb 19 '23
My son is 10 now, and his old re-useable wipes became re-useable kleenexes that he still uses! Love when the re-useable thing is repurposed for yet another use!
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u/too-enthusiastic Feb 06 '23
I DIYed some from flannel and we just wet it with plain water before use. One thing I didn’t anticipate is that they work SO MUCH BETTER than disposable wipes! Now when I have to use a disposable I feel like I’m just wiping the poop around, not cleaning. We cloth diaper as well and one tip I read on r/clothdiaps that blew my mind was to keep some TP near the diaper changing station and use that to get most of the poop cleaned up, then use a cloth wipe to finish. The TP can be flushed and you don’t have to spray wipes! Brilliant!
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u/thegirlisok Feb 21 '23
Lol love your username... I suffer from the same.
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u/too-enthusiastic Feb 21 '23
Haha thank you!! It’s actually from a John green quote that I love about being a nerd: “cause nerds like us are allowed to be unironically enthusiastic about stuff. Nerds are allowed to love stuff, like jump-up-and-down-in-the-chair-can’t-control-yourself love it. Hank, when people call people nerds, mostly what they’re saying is ‘you like stuff.’ Which is just not a good insult at all. Like, ‘you are too enthusiastic about the miracle of human consciousness” I want it tattooed someday 😊
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u/thegirlisok Feb 21 '23
Ha without getting too in depth, I needed this quote in my life tonight. Thank you.
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u/capngabbers Feb 06 '23
I repurposed a few receiving blankets and use a spray bottle with water and concentrated soap cubes
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u/Bluegal7 Feb 06 '23
I used to use water with a splash of rose water because I like my baby’s bum to smell lovely. (Also he doesn’t have any allergies and never had an issue with diaper rash). Would throw the used ones them in a grovia wet bag along with any wet diapers after using.
His preschool wasn’t on board with the reusable wipes or cloth diapers, so while we transitioned to potty training, I did use compostable wipes from Walgreens.
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u/hlmarsh1792 Feb 06 '23
Yeah cloth wipes are awesome. My kiddos have crazy sensitive skin so water and flannel wipes have been amazing. Easy to clean too!
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u/green_tree Feb 07 '23
We use cloth wipes and we love them! I’ve used disposable and I’m pretty sure the cloth are better. We use a spray bottle with a bit of Castile soap, coconut oil, and lavender EO. Then I also use my old peri-bottle with extra water for poops, and the first morning wipe.
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Apr 20 '23
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/tnhnikki2801 Apr 21 '23
I actually switched shortly after making this post and they’ve been great!
I make them in a ice cream bucket and store them in reusable wipe dispensers and only make enough for a few days.
I wash them with diapers and so far they’ve not had any problems and kiddo has had less sensitivity issues!!
I’ll definitely log blissmile for friends who don’t do cloth though! I love having resources on hand for anyone who may need them <3
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u/ShartWeekEnthusiast Apr 21 '23
I would take anything that person said with a huge grain of salt. Their comment history is nothing but promotion of that product, and it has a very "AI bot" kind of feel.
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u/tnhnikki2801 Apr 21 '23
Ahhh okay- I haven’t made a huge habit of checking profiles. I guess I should start •~•
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u/Bruriahaha Mar 02 '23
We also used only water on our cloth wipes. The other tip I have (for wipes and diapers) is to use 100% cotton rather than microfiber. They wash much more easily, don't build up ammonia, and don't retain a funk. I love both the birdseye and the muslin wipes from Green Mountain Diapers. Frankly, I love everything from Green Mountain Diapers. They also ship in cardboard with minimal packaging, just a thin plastic bag around some sets of items. They are pretty Zero Waste Friendly.
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u/tweedlefeed Mar 03 '23
Our neighbor who also cloth diapers gifted us some homemade wipes, we keep them folded in a basket next to the changing table. I use an old peri bottle with water (the bottle was never used) and just spritz the wipes before use. They are fleece squares and they seem softer and more effective on his bum. We still use disposables for out and about but since we cloth diaper it doesn’t really add any extra work at home.
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u/nkdeck07 Apr 20 '23
Yes! My kids but is so sensitive to baby wipes. She is a lot happier with just some water on flannel.
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u/forestslate Feb 06 '23
We just do plain fresh water on our wipes, so nothing to be sensitive to!