Cloth Wipes for Beginners

After using disposable wipes since Emerson was born, I have finally made the transition to cloth wipes.  I had intended to use cloth wipes a lot sooner, but being a new mom is overwhelming, and I keep getting wipes for free after coupons, so I kept putting it off.  Well today, everything officially changed!


 Here's how I did it.

  I took a receiving blanket the hospital gave us when we took E home, and laid it out.

I folded it in half, fourths, & finally eighths.  After folding it I cut it in to strips, and then smaller sections.

 I did it while watching The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills on Hulu, and I think it took less that 5 minutes.

 

The final product yielded 16 wipes.

I decided to use a combination of baby wash cloths and the receiving blanket.  I have to be honest and confess that I have no idea how long this supply will last, but I have another blanket that I can cut to use.


I then had to make the wipe solution.  After reading many opinions online, I decided on dry storage, instead of wet. I took a water bottle the hospital gave me to recover (ahem) post childbirth to hold the solution, while storing the wipes in an old disposable tub.

Below are the materials I used to make the solution.

Emerson's Hiney Wash (This is a patented term):

2 T of Witch Hazel
2 T of Olive Oil
2 drops of Lavender Essential Oil
Water

Finished Product

 
I store the solution inside the tub on top of the wipes, just to streamline things a bit.  When it comes time to use them, I just hold the wipe over the tub, squirt a little solution on the wash cloth and use it.  It's actually easier because I only have to open the cloth diaper pail, instead of the cloth diaper pail and the trash.  Super easy, super cheap, and they smell great!