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Packaged baby wipes have become a mainstay in the modern parent's life. Unfortunately, they use up valuable resources and provide a continual expense. Developing a reusable wipe system that works for you is a worthwhile goal and makes a perfect complement to using cloth diapers.
Washcloths that will be used for reusable baby wipes need to be soft, small, and durable. Baby washcloths work well. Cheaper terry washcloths, or old ones that have worn soft can also work. A tall basket or other container can hold a stack of these cloths. Having a container keeps the stack of cloths from falling over and making a mess. Plan to have 20 to 30 washcloths in your stack.
The perfect basket or other container will also have room for a bottle of water. Use distilled or purified water and clean the bottle every week or two. The perfect water bottle is a recycled shampoo or lotion bottle that has a pump top. It needs to be the right height so that the pump top is accessible without taking the bottle out of the basket. A squirt top bottle can be used, but you will have to pick it up every time, so it won't be as convenient.
Keep this basket near the place where you usually change your baby's diapers. When it comes time to wipe baby, simply take the top cloth, wet it with a pump or two of water, and wipe the baby. Rinse in the toilet if necessary (rarely), and drop it into the diaper pail. The cloth wipes can be washed right along with the diapers.
For the real recycler, good baby washcloths can be made from men's over-the-calf tube socks that are worn out in the heel, toe, and ribbing. Simply lay the sock out flat. Cut off the foot portion above the worn heel. Then cut off the ribbing. Cut up the side of the remaining piece of sock to make a flat section almost exactly the same size and shape as a commercially made baby washcloth. It will be soft terry knit on the inside, too. (This section of a sock is rarely stained or worn.) The piece of sock can be zigzag stitched around the outside, or serged if you have a serger. It will not unravel much, however, even if you don't stitch around the outside.
If you would like to use a liquid similar to the moisture in wet wipes, you can blend soap (or baby wash) and oil into the water you are using in the pump bottle. The soap needs to be a mild liquid soap. The oil can be baby oil or a cosmetic quality plant oil, such as almond or jojoba oil. Use no more than a tablespoon of each for each pint of purified water. A drop of certain essential oils can aid in killing germs. Tea tree oil, rosemary oil, and others are germicidal, but can be irritating to skin. Don't use more than a drop or two to a pint of water and discontinue use if any irritation develops. Shake the bottle gently before using.
Some people like to cut a roll of hefty paper towels in half, remove the cardboard roll, and place half in a cylinder shaped baby wipe container with some of the above solution. They thread the innermost towel through the slot in the top of the wipe container, and use in the same way as storebought wipes. This may save a few cents over store brands, but cutting through a roll of paper towels is not easy, and the wipes are not reusable. Give it a try, however, if the concept appeals to you.
For traveling, a few cloth wipes can be placed in a rectangular snap-top container with cleaning solution. Use as needed, and place in a plastic bag with the cloth diaper to take home.
In this throw-away age, it is always tempting to scrap recycling efforts if they are too much trouble. By having a simple and organized system of using cloth wipes, the disposable wipes become less of a temptation.
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