Thursday, September 24, 2009

FLUFF BUTT: Cloth Wipes 101

This guest post comesLink from Emi at The Cloth Diaper Report!
She's an awesome mom (and blogger!)
who has now been CDing for over 16 months!
Her blog is wonderful,
with great information,
and AWESOME reviews and giveaways!


Cloth Wipes 101

I will be the first to openly admit that I did not use cloth wipes when I first started cloth diapering. It was probably almost 3 months of cloth diapering before I started using cloth wipes and 6 months before I found my favorite method/routine with it. Why? Like many moms who venture into the waters of cloth diapering it is all VERY overwhelming in the beginning and you add a newborn and a deployed husband to the mix and I just thought it would be more work. I kick myself in the butt now, because it may have made life a pinch easier.

If you are just starting to cloth diaper this may not make sense at first, because all you can think about is more laundry. But cloth wipes are thrown in the same diaper pail/bag as the diapers and go in the wash at the same time. So you won't be running any extra loads. The only extra step is taking them out of the laundry and folding them in half (if you choose). I still keep some limited disposable wipes on hand for different purposes, but use cloth wipes with diapering 98% of the time.

Some reasons to consider cloth wipes:

1. Save money.
Okay, so let's say you purchase 24 high quality Bamboo Terry wipes totaling $36. Disposable wipes over 3 years (for diapering alone) can cost an average of $500 (depending on brand). That is a savings of $444 for buying NICE wipes. You can also find cotton wipes for pretty cheap or make your own for pennies to the dollar. Spend $44 on nice wipes solution materials or formulas over the years and you'll still be saving $400.

2. Less trash.
The last thing you want is to be lugging more smelly trash to the garage during the week. Using cloth diapers and wipes were a lifesaver after I was in a car accident and could not take the trash out or drive to the store. I could get my laundry in the washer though!

3. Convenient.
No last minute trips to the supermarket to buy wipes when you realize you've used the last one. And we all know that you never have a coupon or find a sale when you really need them!

4. Better for Baby.
Control what goes on your baby's bottom when you make or purchase your own wipes solution. Disposable wipes often contain alcohol and other drying chemicals. Some mamas use just water, but I choose to have some cleansing elements in my wipes solution. And cloth wipes are super soft! My favorites are bamboo terry and velour.

For more information on Cloth Wipes, Cloth Diapering and Family Friendly products visit my blog at www.theclothdiaperreport.com

IF THERE ARE ANY QUESTIONS ON CLOTH WIPES,
FEEL FREE TO LEAVE THEM IN THE COMMENTS,
FOR EMI TO ANSWER!


5 comments:

Sara said...

How many cloth wipes do you recommend buying to start up?

Anonymous said...

I started with 12 and now have 40. Half are homemade wipes I made though. I think that 12 to start and if you decide to use cloth wipes 24-30 is a good stash of wipes. Think one wipe per diaper plus a couple extras.

DontSayHurry said...

I've been cloth diapering for almost 5 months now and love it. I've been lingering over the thought of using cloth wipes for some time now... I already have some (washcloths), but both hubby and I are hooked to Pampers sensitive wipes... I might give it a go next week, see how I like it.

Jennifer said...

I started with a dozen plain flannel wipes. Worked great. I use Kissaluvs diaper lotion potion, it smells AWESOME and has moisturizing and antimicrobial oils in it. I tried some bamboo terry wipes, but they get beat up in the dryer with aplix dipes... live and learn. I just bought a dozen decorative flannel wipes from a WAHM, they are so cute! My big boy (3) loves them too. Who knew changing diapers could be so fun??

* 7 * said...

well I'll tell ya, if you enjoy the 'sensitive' wipes, then cloth is just a step ABOVE them! They're great for those tender tushies!
All cloth All the time!!