Being a cloth diaper enthusiast is a thing. Can you believe it? It’s true, and seven months into motherhood I find myself deeply appreciating my “fluff stash” (slang term for your collection of cloth.. stay with me here…) Regardless of your level of enthusiasm, there are many reasons to appreciate cloth diapers. They are more environmentally responsible, cloth diapered babies are exposed to less chemicals and cloth are overwhelmingly more cost effective than disposables. Plus you can use cloth diapers with more than one child, and you can fall in love with the cute colours & prints (guilty.)
That being said, we are not a family of cloth diaper purists. My daughter was very skinny when she was born, and wouldn’t fit nicely into the one-sized diapers sized extra small until nearly 2 months old. Up until then we used a selection of eco-friendly disposables and hand-me-down Pampers and Huggies from friends with older babies.
But when our family made the switch full time to cloth (we still use disposables when we are away from home for a long time, and for overnights) we also switched to reusable organic cotton cloth wipes for the at-home diaper changes. Most store bought wipes are loaded with chemicals, fragrances and preservatives and they can be costly too. I was on the hunt for a natural solution to use with my wipes for baby’s bottom. So, with that…
DIY Homemade, Natural, Wet Wipes Solution for Cloth Wipes.
- 1 tablespoon apricot oil
- 1 tablespoon Aloe Vera Juice (refrigerate after opening)
- 1 tablespoon Dr Bronner’s Liquid Castile Soap “baby unscented”
- 5 drops tea tree oil
- 4 drop lavender oil
- 1 cup distilled or boiled water
Measure into a spray bottle and shake lightly to combine. Spritz the cloth (or baby’s bottom) with every use. To wash the wipes, throw them into the laundry with your cloth diapers. Doubling this recipe fills my all purpose spray bottle perfectly. Everything else to make the solution was purchased via well.ca. (Get $10 off with this promo)
The Lavender and Tea tree oils are cleansing, soothing and antibacterial. Tea tree is anti-fungal and healing as well. I have found that using this solution really helps at preventing diaper rash.
What about when you just NEED disposable options? (Modern convenience. I get it.)
For Disposable Wipes I use Aleva Naturals Bamboo Baby Wipes. Eco-friendly, made with unbleached bamboo and natural and organic oils, these wipes are naturally anti-bacterial and 100% biodegradable. Good for littles with eczema or sensitive skin. For convenience (and style) I put a few in my Nest Designs reusable wipes-pouch and slip that into my diaper bag.
For Disposable diapers (multi-diaper trips) I choose Naty by Nature Babycare. They are committed to developing Eco friendly baby products that are Naturally Breathable, Chlorine and Fragrance Free, GM Free, Corn Based, using Natural and Renewable Materials. On occasion (it happens!) we use Pampers baby dry.
Sound Off! What does your diaper routine look like? What works best for you?
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