apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

I use the following

- 2 TB pure aloe vera
- 1 TB grapeseed oil
- 1 TB Dr. Bronner's liquid castille soap
- 72 ounces distilled water
- 12 drops tea tree oil (the anitbacterial)
- 12 drops lavender oil (or other scent)

Pour into rubbermade plastic juice container/jug with lid and spout dedicated to the purpose, and shake well to combine.

Pour over folded fabric wipes (one side sherpa/one side cotton velour, purchased online from WAHMs) in Prince Lionheart diaperwipe warmer.

I would caution using the receiving blankets -- they strike me as too thin to make a good wipe (the cloth wipes I have are really great with poop, and make it far less yucky), and the edges will get thready if not properly finished.

Thanks, monika1! That looks like a good "recipe", too.

We've been using cloth wipes since our son was born because he's allergic to all the regular ones (even "sensitive" and "fragrance-free").

We've just been using baby washcloths-- the really thin gerber ones you can get cheap at Wally World or Tarjay. People gave us about 4 packs and we bought a few more with some gift cards, so we probably have 50-60 total.

His changing table is right near the bathroom, so when he needs changing we've always just grabbed a washcloth from the stack, carried him into the bathroom, wet it down, and then plopped him on the changing table and cleaned up the poo, then tossed it into the diaper pail. No recipe needed. I've heard of using a squirt bottle of distilled water, but we don't have the counter space, though it's a good idea.

I've used cloth wipes for 5 years on 3 different children.

1 peri bottle of plain distilled water
assorted homemade flannel and knit terry cloth wipes.

Ta-dah. Nary a diaper rash to be seen.

Our changing table is in the bathroom right next to the sink. We've used wet washclothes (cheapo baby ones) since he was born eight weeks ago.

Is there any advantage to using a solution over water? Does it depend on the age of the child, type of poop, irritation, etc.?

Monica, one thing to note on your recipe. There was a report in the New England Journal of Medicine concerning lavender and tee tree oil this Spring that is worth thinking about.

Here's a summary: "A new study suggests that repeated topical use of products containing lavender oil and/or tea tree oil may cause prepubertal gynecomastia, a rare condition that results in enlarged breast tissue in boys prior to puberty.... The laboratory experiments showed that pure lavender and tea tree oils can mimic the actions of estrogens and inhibit the effects of androgens. These results don’t prove that the oils caused the prepubertal gynecomastia in the three boys, but they do provide a possible explanation for Bloch’s findings..." The study is based on only three case studies, so take that for what its worth.

Burton -

Thanks for mentioning that study - it lead to some alarming headlines when it was released. As you say, it was based on a case study of only 3 boys -- a small and unrepresentative sample that was based on observation alone (i.e., did not test a hypothesis). As well, from what I recall, the mother massaged lavendar oil over the torso and back on a daily basis -- quite a lot of oil! The recipe that I gave has very little pure lavender oil and tea tree oil. And in any case, the lavender is there just for scent, so you could either use something else or eliminate it entirely. You could also use another antibacterial, such as grapefruit (as in the posted recipe) if you are uncomfortable. The corner of the world in which I currently reside (the Southeast corner of France/southwest tip of Switzerland) makes considerable use of lavender -- in soap, creams, detergents, fabric softeners, linen sprays... -- and have done so for a very long time without having identified a similar effect.

Personally, it has made me careful in choosing creams and other products for my children; it is getting increasingly difficult and confusing, what with avoiding the almond oil (a conern with nut allergies), the toxic or untested chemicals in standard products, and now lavender and tea tree oil...

Actually, what this report highlighted for me is how few products have been properly tested in light of the new uses that are being made of them; using products in the traditional way is probably the safest.

We have also used just plain warm water, and I have to say, that the wash cleans better and gentler. Besides being more convenient than having to run to the washroom every time you change a diaper to wet a cloth (which we are doing now because we ran out of supplies), it cleans more thouroughly and easily. Especially with the oil (and there is a dash of mild soap in it too). The key ingredient to success are the wipes. They are soft, very thick, gentle; the sherpa grips umm, poop, like nothing else, so that one wipe will do ya. At 8" x8" they are perfectly hand-sized. When the wipes are warm, they clean like nothing else. I have turned a lot of people who otherwise do not cloth diaper onto this system.

I have thought about switching and making homemade wipes as well so this has been good info. I remember reading something that said to use a wipes warmer to hold homemade wipe, but the warmer we have (any have never used) says not to add water. Anyone?

K,

I use a wipes warmer for my cloth wipes.

I mix water and a bit o' Johnson's baby wash in a sports water bottle. Then I place my wipes in the warmer and squirt the solution over and around the wipes to ensure proper soak-age.

I normally use hot water when making the solution in case I need to use the wipes before the warmer can get them up to temperature.

Anyway, never had a problem doing it this way.

you know what is even easier to use and gentler on your baby's tush than wipes recipes? plain water!
we've been using this method on our cloth wipes for 14 months with no problems.
yea for easy peasy!

(the other stuff is nice if you're into scents, etc., but I think it's all pretty unnecessary.)