Wipe solution

So, we started cloth diapering our baby when he was 6 weeks old. By that point his cord stump had fallen off (it took a long time and fell off around 4.5 weeks), and I was feeling pretty darned guilty for using disposable diapers. I wasn't sure how I'd like cloth diapering, but I was determined to do it since I hate the environmental impact of disposable diapers.

I. Loved. It.

He didn't smell like urine all the time. (I don't know why, but in disposable diapers he always smelled like pee. Always.) He was happier - in disposables, he started this pathetic, unhappy mewling the minute he peed. The diaper rash that we'd been dealing with since he was a week old miraculously vanished within about a week.

In short, making the switch to cloth diapers was one of the best decisions that I've made as a mother. It's easy, it's cheaper than using disposables, and most importantly to me, it's good for my baby and good for the planet.

I also realized within a few days of starting to use cloth diapers that I might as well use cloth wipes, too, since I was going to be doing diaper laundry. I wasn't sure what to use as wipe solution, or even how to go about using cloth wipes. For all the great tutorials on cloth diapers out there, there sure seems to be a dearth of information on cloth wipes!

Finally, the point of this post:

I decided to make my own wipe solution using a gentle aloe lotion that we'd been using on the baby's skin already. I figured that since we'd been putting it on his skin straight, it couldn't hurt him to use it for his wipes. I diluted it about 10:1 with water, and put the solution into a cheap spray bottle from the grocery store. The lotion is cloth diaper safe, since it is made mostly of water and aloe, and has no petroleum products.

Now, we keep little cloth wipes (I use super cheap baby washcloths) on the changing table, and just store the spray bottle beside them. It is incredibly easy, and I'm sure that it has saved us some money, too. I hope this helps those of you looking for information on how to make your own wipe solution for use with cloth wipes!