Baby wipes...naturally

A great way to save money and make sure you are not using harsh chemicals on your baby's bottom is to make your own baby wipes. First, find your "wipe" - this can be a paper towel that is thick, soft and absorbent, or baby washcloths or a cut-up receiving blanket. You might need to experiment with a few different things until you find what you like best. Second, get a container. You can use an original wipe holder, a tupperware, or even a ziplock baggie. Cut or fold paper towels, washcloths or cloth scraps to fit container or baggie. Next, boil 2 cups of filtered water and add in a tablespoon of coconut oil. You can add in a few drops of essentials oils, like Tea Tree or Lavender. Stir well. Finally, pour mixture over the papertowels/cloths in container, making sure all sheets are wet. You might need to to increase your mixture amount depending on how large your container is, or how many sheets you have. Make sure sheets have cooled off before using on baby! Easy to make any time, and easy to travel with. With the fabrics, you can launder and reuse.

When diapering baby, this mixture is very gentle, but effective. The oil leaves a light emollient on the skin to soften and protect from wetness without over drying or irritating like some wipes do. It also prevents poop from sticking to the skin and makes for an easy clean-up!

Next time you are at the store, look at the ingredients in wipes. The front of the package will say something like "hypoallergenic", "alcohol-free", and  "all natural" - but look at the back. Do you know what ALL those ingredients are? If not, do you want to use it on your baby?

If your baby is prone to diaper rash, there are several culprits. It could be a reaction to a new food, the diaper type or the wipes. Nolan got a diaper rash when we started him on solids, and still gets a little red when he eats carrots or sweet potatoes. When he is a little red, I actually use a bit of Nipple Butter from Earth Mama Angle Baby or Hand Salve from Burt's Bees and that clears it up immediatly. I do NOT  use it all the time, just when he is a bit red. Diaper type - I will be discussing later, but I am a huge fan of cloth diapers and will explain why in a future blog. And finally, wipes can be the problem. A baby's bottom has very sensitive skin that can be irritated by chemicals. Add in some pee and a cheap diaper, and you will probably get a rash. For disposables, I ONLY use Huggies Pure and Natural. All others have given Nolan a diaper-rash, but every baby is different.

Another thought: too much diaper rash cream all the time can prevent the skin from "breathing". Slathering on the cream blocks the urine from touching the skin, but it also blocks oxygen, which the skin needs to generate new cell growth. Petroleum jelly is not good for the environment. And there are many studies that discourage the use of petroleum jelly and zinc on the skin for it's toxicity. As I mentioned above, coconut or olive oil is natural and soothing to the skin. If you visit http://www.earthmamaangelbaby.com/, you can get the Bottom Balm, which is a good option.

Despite all of our attempts to stay natural, Nolan did get a diaper rash once, and it was a bad one! We tried everything, but eventually we ended up getting a prescription topical cream, and the rash was gone in a day. Don't get too discouraged if you have to take that route - but try to prevent the rash in the first place by diapering/cleaning naturally.