I’m a pretty frugal person. We’ve taken lots of steps to live happily on less so that I can be home raising our children. We don’t do cable. We rarely eat out. We don’t have any debt aside from our mortgage. We utilize our library and fresh free produce and Manager’s Specials. I’ve even stalked the local grocery stocker and asked for a discount. So why, I ask you, had I never thought to make my own baby wipes?
Even though I’d seen the baby wipes idea on a few other blogs, it took several reads to turn the lightbulb on. Finally, after reading Joy’s suggestion, I gave it a try.
I won’t go into how to make them; Joy does a nice job of that. But I will tell you what they cost (for me).
Here’s the breakdown.
1 roll = 88 sheets x 2 (because I cut the roll in 1/2) = 176 sheets
Official "wipes tearer"
176 sheets = 80 cents (withOUT a coupon because my 5 year old daughter, who was in charge of holding coupons, somehow couldn’t think what she did with the coupons at checkout time… never mind that I had THREE MORE of the SAME COUPON with me in my organizer… didn’t even think of that, grrrr)
1 T. baby oil and 1 T. baby shampoo = didn’t take the time to figure it, but it has to be PENNIES, right???
176 wipes fill TWO + (but not quite three) of my store-bought wipes tubs.
So one full tub of wipes cost me maybe 43 cents, without the darn coupon! Pretty good deal for those of us unfortunate enough to live more than four hours from the nearest CVS, huh?
Thanks, Joy! Why didn’t I try that sooner?
Check out more Frugal Friday at Biblical Womanhood.
*** Update: I should have let you know that I’ve already tried them out on many a varied 
messy situation, and they work wonderfully. They smell great, too. Like giving baby a bath with each new diaper!
Now have you tried them out on a messy baby bum yet? I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised how well they work, too!
I have been meaning to try making my own wipes for over a year now… maybe this will be the push I need to actually take on the project! : ) Thanks for sharing!
I tried those but we have so little selection for quality paper towels I ended up going to cloth wipes with cloth diapers. This idea is so much better and cheaper than commercial wipes though. Great site and I just signed up for your feeds.
I started cloth diapering when my son was 10 months old. check out the post on it. http://www.organizingconnection.com/Read/TheOrganizingBlog/tabid/71/EntryID/135/Default.aspx
The thing I found is you do not need those fancy expensive AIO. A simple cover and some prefolds are perfect. Key is to use disposibles at night as we do not want to mess with their sleeping schedule LOL. I still use my cloth wipes on him then because I have to wash diapers anyway. I only have 4 prefolds and 4 aIO (that I got secondhand) check your craigslist or put an add out and you will be surprised how many good used ones you can find. It is definately worth it, even if you are not having any more. You can always resell them.
Glad to know how these work! Thanks.
Awesome…and fun for your daughter as well!
I started wondering about the safety of leaving baby oil (mineral oil, a questionable ingredient) and soap on baby’s bottom. I now use Shaklee’s H2, which is pricey for a bottle, but it’s superconcentrated so I only need one squirt per batch. Plus it’s all natural. I add a splash of vinegar to take care of the mold problem (also treats yeast infections if that’s an issue).
Oh, one more thing! I only use Viva paper towel because they’re SO very thick. My friend who makes hers with Bounty felt mine and exclaimed, “Oh my goodness, they feel like REAL wipes!”
Because they’re so thick, I can get away with cutting the roll into THIRDS, which saves time because it’s the perfect size to stand upright in the wipes box. You just take the cardboard insert out and pull the wipes from the center. That way you can just pour your soap solution over the roll in the wipe box and you’re done. No fussing or tearing (since I don’t have older kids to do it for me!). I use about 1 1/4 cups of water per batch and boil it first for sanitizing purposes.
My routine is to cut 2-3 rolls up at a time, and I sharpen my knives (generally recommended to do that before and after cutting cardboard) at the same time.
Hi there,
I found this post through another link. I am VERY interested in doing this, but you mentioned checking “Joy’s” post. Her link is no longer active. Can you give a how to break down?
thanks so much!
Oops! I need to redo that post. Cut your paper towel roll in 1/2. Stick it in the following solution: 2 cups water, 2 T. baby oil, 2 T. baby wash. Then I tear the towels off the roll and stuff them in an old wipes tub. Hope that helps!
I am a pediatric ICU RN and we’ve been using this formula for years for babies with terribly broken down skin from diaper rashes (even the sensitive baby wapes on the market are painful for them). Over the last 15 years I think they work even better than store bought. We just get a large plastic bag and put in the water, and then just squirt in the baby oil and baby wash, zip the bag and mix it all up then put in the disposable bath cloths. Simple!