Wipes

[Adairmike]

I've heard that you should not use wipes on a newborn, that their skin is too sensitive. I'd like to know what others have found that works the best when changing diapers (washcloths, cotton balls, etc.). Thanks!

[mom@home]

I have heard a whole range of opinions on this subject matter and the bottom line seems to be that unless you have the rare baby with super-sensitive skin, using wipes is fine. I have a 3 year-old and a 5 month-old and I just made sure that the wipes that I used for the first several months were alcohol-free and fragrance-free and neither one of my girls had any trouble at all in using them. My personal favorite brand is the Huggies Natural Care Wipes. Maybe there is a medical opinion out there concerning this matter? Good luck!

[Geebee]

LAST EDITED ON Jul-31-01 AT 04:44PM (Mountain)[p]I do agree with the above post - I like Huggies Natural Care Wipes and used them from birth.

However, when my child had (has) a diaper rash, even those wipes could be irritating. In this case, I used those little flat cotton cosmetic squares (also come in round shapes) with water. They can be found in the cosmetic section at drugstores and places like Target. I recommend having these on hand before you have your baby in case he/she is sensitive to wipes or has a rash. (I have one friend whose newborn was sensitive to wipes, so it could happen.) They were very helpful, and much better than washclothes (ugh, the cleaning). And they don't come apart like regular cotton balls.

My daughter is almost 18 months old, and I still use these if she has a diaper rash that is irritated by wipes.

I hope that helps!

[elaine]

I simply used wet paper towels. I found that tearing them into smaller pieces made sense, since I needed many clean swipes rather than more area per swipe, if that makes sense.

[E&E]

I have heard conflicting medical advise on this too. We decided to use Bounty on our daughter until she was about 6 weeks old. Once I used Huggies Nature Care instead and she got her 1 & only diaper rash. I'm sure it had NOTHING to do w/ the wipes, but of course my post-pregnancy hormonal self TOTALLY blamed it on me for using wipes! HA! After that we started using Huggies Supreme Care Unscented wipes - which I LOVE and still use on her. I really think that as long as you use the unscented/perfume/dye free ones - you are fine.

[Adairmike]

Thanks for all of the input!

[joelbra]

We just used those all cotton make-up removal circular pads, sold in drug stores and the supermarket, along with warm water. I can't see how the wipes could be any better. Using those and some cream called "Egyptian Magic" we got at the health food store, our son has not had a single diaper rash in his 2 months with us. My feeling is why use chemicals if he doesn't need them -- they can't help.

[TLC1994]

I just started using the Huggies Natural Care (no alcohol/no fragrance) last week and my 4-week old daughter has had 2 diaper rashes since! She got the first one, so we stopped with the wipes and just used washcloths & put some ointment on. It cleared up in a day or so. Then I went back to the wipes and it's back again! So maybe your daughter did have a reaction to the Huggie wipes - who knows.

Anyway, I didn't have any problems with the Pampers unscented wipes or even the local store brand (Top Care unscented) but I just picked up the Huggies wipes because I had a coupon and thought I should try a different brand just for variety. I won't do that again!

Side point - I also dislike the Huggies size 1diapers (at least so far). My daughter wet through them 3 or 4 times before I ran out and bought more Pampers. The elastic around her legs is just too big - you can see right in. I haven't had any leaking with the Pampers yet (I know, I know, it's only been 4 weeks!).

[momtotyler]

We started out using the Huggies wipes too and then tried the Kirkland Ultra wipes from Costco. They are GREAT! Softer than Huggies or Pampers and just the right amount of moisture. They are unscented and are very inexpensive.

A big box comes with two wipe containers and I think 4 refill packs for about $12 and there are a lot more wipes in each package then Huggies. They are a little smaller than the Huggies wipes but I prefer the smaller size anyway.

The only drawback is that the wipes tend to discolor when exposed to air (turn a yellowish color) and I can't remember if it is that way with Huggies wipes.

[mrsvandergrijn]

For wipes---make your own! Buy a gallon of distilled water----to that add 4 TBSP of Dr Bronners Baby Mild Aloe Vera Castile Soap, 12 drops Lavendar essential oil and 24 drops of Tea Tree Oil. Pour the solution over washcloths. I use this solution with organic cotton wipes that I bought from Ecobaby. (You can probably guess that I use cloth diapers too--MotherEase!) My son is just turning two (and is potty training) and has had diaper rash only once---for a day!
For travel, I use the Huggies Natural Care and like these too.

[mjit]

I also make my own wipes. Just fold a roll of Bounty (it's the softest) off the paper roll, and cut the sheets in half (I started with a knife, too messy. Now I use scissors). Stack the sheets in a Tupperware container that will hold them.

I mix 2 and one half cups of boiling water with 2 tablespoons of Johnson's Head to Toe Baby Wash. I don't use any other stuff in the mixture, and with boiling the water I've never had to worry about mildew (and I live in hot, muggy Florida). It takes about 2 hours for the solution to soak all the way through the towels. After you make a batch, you can see if you want to adjust the measurements to your preferences, like using more water for a wetter wipe...you could also use your own favorite baby soap. It really isn't a lot of work, either. It takes me about 5 minutes to make them up, then you just have to wait for them to soak through.

I tried switching to store wipes once, and my poor boy's bottom got all red after a day or so...made up a batch of homemade wipes, and it cleared up within hours. Hes got the clearest little bottom I've ever seen! Even if you decide you don't like making wipes, it's worth a try...

mj

[jenfed]

About how many sheets does that make..I'd like to try it.

[tilly2321]

How do you like the Motherease diapers?? Do you use the homemade wipe solution in a spray bottle and then spray on the wipes or do you just pour the mixture over the wipes and save them? How do you clean your cloth diapers? Diaper service or home use?
Thanks!
Elaine

[KathyO]

I have the Motherease as well, and they are the single best purchase I have made. I got the Sandy's, and blow-outs are a thing of the past. They seem to have infinite holding capacity, so they go through the night with no problems. They're so easy to use that my husband picked up on them effortlessly as well. I can't say enough about them. Their website (www.motherease.com) has a bulletin board with lots of tips and tricks re cleaning and so on, and the company's founder answers questions on fit and use.

I keep a dry pail; when a diaper is dirty, I rinse it off (although, with the recycled soft paper liners I use, I can usually just peel out the liner and don't even need to rinse) then spray it with a mixture of liquid detergent and water and throw it in the pail. Once every three days or so, I throw them in the wash, hot water, with an extra rinse. Then the drier. It's easy. My daughter never gets diaper rash either. I ran the numbers - they seem like a big outlay, but in the end they'll be less than a third of the cost of disposables... and for our second child they'll be practically free.

I know your question wasn't addressed to me, but I couldn't (as usual) resist putting in a plug for Mother-ease. Love'em.

KathyO

[tilly2321]

Thanks for the info on the Sandy's! It is so helpful to know that they are good diapers. I ordered a sample of that diaper and then will hopefully switch to the one size. Do you use the airflow cover as well and does it work for you at night? I am so excited to try these when my little one arrives in May!

[KathyO]

I find that the Airflow and Rikki covers fit slightly differently, so I suggest you consider ordering a mix in each size (2 of each, or 2 of one and 1 of the other, etc.) The Rikki fit far better when my daughter was at the low end of the diapers'/covers' weight range, and now that she's near the 20-lb mark, the Airflow fits better.

Another suggestion you can do with as you wish - buy a few packages of disposables for that first hectic few weeks. For one, with disposables it's easier to fold the waistband away from the cord stump, until it heals. And for two, it gives you a chance to settle a few routines (feeding, changing, bathing, napping) in the rest of your life before you add diaper washing to the list. It's not that the washing is hard - it's just easier to not try and learn to do everything at once!

Best,

KathyO

[katydid2002]

You can't go wrong with plain water and Viva paper towels. They are the softest!

[stampmom]

I also used just plain water and paper towels when my son was a newborn. For convenience, I kept one of those "pump-style" coffee carafes filled with hot water on my changing table. The water cools off almost immediately once you wet the paper towel, but obviously you want to be careful not to burn the baby.

However, after getting over my "new Mom paranoia," I found the unscented wipes to be a lot easier to use and more convenient, and never had a problem with skin irritation.

Dawn
Mommy to Adam 6/98
Jeremy(?) expected 7/02

[lmintzer]

We couldn't use wipes on our baby for the first 2 months. His skin was just too sensitive. We found THE BEST solution. We bought these large, cotton squares called "O-B Sponges" that are only available at certain drug stores and medical supply stores. They are large, absorbant, and don't shed like cotton balls. We filled a small plastic bowl with warm water for each diaper change, but if I had it to do over again, I would have bought a wipes warmer and filled it with water and the squares so they would be ready to use for each diaper change.

You can also buy another version of these called "Soft Bottom Cloths" online at the pumpstation.com (a breastfeeding center in Santa Monica, CA--wonderful, wonderful place).

Lisa
& Jack, age 1

[m2tandk]

Used wipes from day 1, never had a problem!

kelly

[Andrews Mom]

I agree. Kleenex Viva are the softest! We used them with plain water for the first two weeks, then switched to Pampers wipes. So far so good.