How To Use Cloth Wipes
If you are going to cloth diaper your baby, cloth baby wipes are absolutely essential. Cloth wipes are more convenient when you are cloth diapering, are healthier for your baby, save money and cut down on landfill waste.
There are two ways to use cloth wipes, the dry method and the wet method. To use the dry method, you'll put your wipe solution (or water) in a small spray bottle. When needed, spray your baby's bottom and use a dry wipe to wipe clean. This is also the method we recommend for your diaper bag. To use the dry method, you'll need wipe solution (we recommend Kissaluvs Diaper Lotion Potion) and a stack of wipes.
To use the wet method, you'll make your own wipe solution in a small bowl, plunge your wipes into the bowl and store them in a wipe warmer. This ensures that you'll always have warm wipes ready for the next diaper change. To use this system, you'll need a wipe warmer, wipe solution concentrate and a stack of wipes.
If you are cloth diapering full-time, we recommend purchasing 2-3 dozen wipes.
Why would I want to use cloth wipes?
As moms, our first instinct is to shove a dirty wipe inside the diaper, wrap it up and toss the whole thing in the pail. When you start cloth diapering, that instinct doesn't change! I can't tell you how many times I've had to fish "wipe lint" out of my cloth diapers after accidentally washing a disposable wipe! When you use cloth wipes, you put the wipe and the cloth diaper together in the pail and, when you do laundry, you have clean wipes AND clean diapers.
When your baby is born, hospitals recommend that you use plain water to wipe your baby's skin because disposable baby wipes can be harsh on tender new skin. If your baby has a rash, disposable baby wipes can actually make the skin more irritated!
Cloth wipes are washable and reusable many times. They have many different uses too. In our house, we have a pile designated for wiping up little noses and a pile in the kitchen towel drawer for cleaning our kids up after dinner.
