Making your own baby wipes at home is so easy, and you probably already have all the items you need. It just takes some paper towels, baby-safe soap, and an oil. We spoke with Dr. Sara Siddiqui, MD, pediatrician at NYU Langone’s Hassenfeld Children’s Hospital, on how to go about making your own baby wipes, and she gave us a few tips on exactly what to do, including not using baby wipes at all until your little one is about 2-3 months old, because their skin is still forming. During this time, Dr. Siddiqui told POPSUGAR: “I usually recommend using plain paper towels and wetting them with warm water to wipe the diaper area and other areas initially during this period, so that the baby’s skin does not react to some of the alcohols commonly found in commercial baby wipes.”
Once your baby is over 3 months, though, you can use baby wipes, including ones you’ve made at home. Dr. Siddiqui mentioned that it’s important to make sure that the substances (in this case, oil and soap) won’t react with your baby’s skin. So make sure you either do a small test beforehand or use a soap you’ve already been using. Dr. Siddiqui also recommended not using anything heavily scented and suggested running your plan past your pediatrician beforehand, just in case!
We put together this quick and easy way to make your own baby wipes, and you can find the instructions when you keep reading. Keep in mind that these baby wipes will get moldy after a week or two, so you’ll have to use them quickly and keep an eye on them.
Related: Being a Mom of 2 Means I’m Letting Go of My Superwoman Complex
What You’ll Need
- Plastic container
- Paper towels
- 1 tablespoon baby oil
- 2 tablespoons baby-safe soap
- 1-2 cups boiling water
Directions
- I used an old ice cream container for this, and the first thing I did was decorate it so it didn’t look like an old ice cream container! You can also use a Tupperware container you have handy or any other plastic container you have laying around that needs put to use. Once decorated, set the plastic container aside.
- Prepare your paper towels next. You have a couple options for how you can do this. I chose to rip my paper towels individually, so I could stack them in my container. You can also leave them on the roll and cut the roll in half, so you’re storing them that way. If you’re using a cylindrical container to keep the wipes in, this method will work really well.
- On your stove, boil 1-2 cups of water with 1 tablespoon of baby oil and 2 tablespoons of baby-safe soap. Don’t worry if the measurements aren’t exact, you just need to make sure you’re using boiling water, an oil, and a cleanser. If you want to use a natural substance, Dr. Siddiqui also recommended coconut oil as long as your baby is at least 4 weeks old. Don’t leave this ingredient out, though, because baby’s skin needs the moisture. For the soap, choose whatever you typically use on your baby, so you know there won’t be any skin reactions. And by boiling all of this together, you’re sanitizing your liquids to prepare them for being used on the wipes. I’ve seen some people add essential oils to their homemade baby wipes, but I recommend checking with your pediatrician before doing so.
- Put your paper towels into your plastic container and pour in your liquid to soak the towels.
- Let the towels soak up the liquid, and seal the container. Because these baby wipes are homemade, make sure to use them within a couple weeks or they will get moldy. I wrote the date on the top, so I know what day I made them and when to get rid of them if there are any left.
