Once a Month DIY: Homemade Diaper Wipes

Today starts my brand new Once a Month DIY Projects. Now, I’ve never really been the type of person to do it myself. I much prefer someone else doing it for me, or just buying things that are ready for me. I have a patience problem. A commitment problem. An energy problem. Lots of problems. My biggest problem though is that I’m a dreamer. I will come up with awesome ideas and plans, I will buy the materials and be motivated to accomplish it…for about a day. And then reality hits. I have to do this? Oh jeese…that looks hard. I’d rather [insert any other activity here].

And then the materials sit. And then the guilt ensues. I wasted my money on that! Why did I buy that? I should have known I wasn’t going to do that.

But alas! Things are changing around here. The dreamer that I am is slowly…ever so slowly, turning into the doer. It’s probably because I’m really just out of alternatives at this point. I’ve got to get creative because I’m living in a place I’m not familiar with at all. Heck, I don’t even speak the language yet! It’s hard to find the things I want or need. It’s hard to do a lot of things.

And so, I’ve decided that once a month I will share my DIY projects.

"Projects" is a loose term. Some of them aren’t projects at all. More like….ways of doing things. So it’s not much, but it’s a start.

This first one is a project though!

Once a Month DIY: Homemade Diaper Wipes

Diaper wipes can get downright pricey! We seem to go through a lot. Our potty trained toddler uses them, our diapered toddler uses them. Sometimes the kids will sneak and just plain ol destroy them (Why? Why do they do that?!) so that they aren’t usable at all. Pricey.

So I got out my handy dandy google machine and learned how to make my own wipes.

Here’s the list of things we use:

-Roll of paper towels

-Baby Oil

-Water

-Baby soap (whatever kind you so desire)

-Sharp knife (to cut the paper towel roll in half)

-Container to put them in

It’s so simple it’s mind boggling. I also love that there is soap on them- it just seems to make cleaning up diaper messes so much easier!

Here what to do:

For half a roll of paper towels (that’s what fits into our container. Plus, it’s easier to have half a piece of paper towel than a whole one) I use:

·         1/2 cup of water

·         1-2 tbls of baby soap (I like mine a little more soapy because I feel like it cleans better)

·         1 tbls of baby oil

• Mix it all together.

• Put the entire half of the paper towel roll into your container (I often use a round tupperware container that fits it perfectly).

• Pour the water mixture over the paper towels and let it sit for about 10 minutes.

• Turn the paper towel roll over and let sit another 10 min.

• Remove the cardboard from the middle and pull up the paper towel from the center.

• Viola! Ready to use!

 

(This is the container that I regularly use)

What I LOVE about making my own is that I know what’s in them, they are softer, and I can use whatever scent I so desire.

When the kiddos are sick I like to use soothing vapor baby wash. I don’t know why. Maybe I believe it will help. And maybe it does help?! But it doesn’t matter. I get to choose!

Maybe someday I’ll be brave enough to use cloth diaper wipes. But for now….I’m sticking with my homemade paper towel ones!

You can put your homemade diaper wipes in a round tupperware container like I often use, in a plastic zip lock bag or an old wipes container (I also use an old wipes container. I just fold my paper towels accordion style until no more will fit into the container, and then I pour the mixture over it like that. Takes a bit longer that way, but then it makes it easier in the long run because they come out of the container quite easily).

Also, because there are no preservatives in the homemade ones, only make enough to last about a week or so (which half a roll usually does for me). The fresher, the better!!