Cloth wipes?

[doberbrat]

ok, never knew there WERE cloth wipes but after reading about htem on here, I'm tempted to give them a try. I dont feel like disposable wipes really get dd clean unless I use 3 (and not even then sometimes). She's 7w old so we're changing constantly. I'm tired of hanging her butt under the faucet to wash it.

How does it work? you buy them, put them in the container and pour teh soloution on (or keep it in the bottle by the table) but then what? do you toss the wipe in a special container? are there special washing techniques? I'm thinking we could wipe w/a kleenex first to cut down on the solids on the cloth and then go from there.

Oh, and she's going to daycare... what happens then? Do daycares use cloth or is that not even a consideration?

[mudder17]

Everyone actually has their own method, but basically there are two types of us--those who use wipes warmers and those who store them dry, but have a bottle of solution handy.

For those who use a wipes warmer, most will put the wipes in the warmer and you either pour the solution over it, or you might put half the wipes, pour some of the solution, put the rest of the wipes and pour more solution over the wipes. Using distilled or filtered water for your solution will help it stay "fresh" longer.

I just store my wipes dry, so I don't need to worry about changing the solution every so often, and I also don't have to worry about tryin to run an extension cord so I can plug in a wipes warmer! Also, I use the wipes for a variety of purposes, including wipes for myself, wipes for feeding, wipes for her hands, wipes for spills, etc. So I like just storing them dry and then wetting them with the solution, the bathtub or sink or the minishower/bidet.

When Kaya was a newborn, I just used a peri bottle to fill up with warm tap water, and I'd liberally squirt a corner of the wipe, wipe up her poop, squirt another corner, and so on. When she was around 8 weeks, we discovered she didn't care if we didn't warm the water up. Maybe around 4 months, I started using wipes solution. I have used both Baby Bits and Honey Chunks (sensitive skin version) and I prefer Honey Chunks, but mostly because I like the scent of the sensitive skin version. For the wipes solution, I used to use the peri bottle, but I finally decided to use an old dishwashing soap bottle because you could make more (one chunk actually makes quite a bit of solution) and because the top was easier to open and close tightly (so Kaya can't yet unsnap it open (or she doesn't care enough)). I have used both filtered water and just plain tap water and it doesn't seem to make a difference, maybe because the wipes aren't soaking in the solution? Anyway, I now fill the bottle with hot tap water and will toss in a chunk and let it dissolve.

During changing time I'll squirt the solution on the wipe and proceed as described above.

Eileen

http://www.mothering.com/discussions/images/smilies/candle.gif for Leah
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[nitaghei]

I just keep a stack of dry wipes, and a spray bottle of plain water, and wet the wipes as needed.

We've been doing cloth dipes and wipes at daycare (two different centers) since DS was 13 months old, when we went to CD'g full time. I could have done it sooner, but just didn't get my act together. I use only pockets or AIOs with aplix for daycare dipes. Anything else is too complicated and results in user error. In our old daycare, I provided a pail (a Sterlite can) and a plastic container with pre-moistened wipes (plain water, the suggested solutions are all too harsh for my DS). I took back the used dipes every day, or every other day, and brought in clean dipes every day. I usually left a stack of dry wipes, and added as needed. At this daycare, I'm just using a Happy Tushies bag for the dirty dipes, and I bring them back every day, because I don't have a car anymore and this is the most compact solution.

I do think it is unreasonable to expect daycare to use prefolds or fitteds/covers - that is more work. But an aplix pocket does not take any more effort than a disposable, and has a very short learning curve. I would definitely talk with daycare before starting. At our current daycare, I presented the CDs as a fait accompli, and asked them to accomodate us. As in "We use CDs, and would doing it this way work?" Not "Can you use CDs on my DS?"

Also, check your state regulations carefully. Our first daycare director tried to tell me they couldn't CD because of state regs - which was not the case. All that was required was a closed container for dipes, disposable or otherwise. FWIW, especially at the first daycare, DS's caregivers loved his CDs and thought they were soooooo cute. And that was when we had plain FBs and Babyblankets!!

Nita (fleece is my friend)
mom to Neel, January 2003
dog mom to a PWD and a cocker (at the Rainbow Bridge)

[KrisM]

I prepare my wipes 4 or 5 at a time. As a newborn, I did 10 or so. I just toss them in the sink, run water over them, squeeze them, fold them in half and stick them in a container. It sounds like more work than it is :). I haven't had a problem with musty smells with plain water. I don't make enough to last more than 1.5 days though.

Are you BFing? If so, the poop really will all come out in the wash. We use CDs and just toss the used wipes in the same container. If you use sposies, I'd get a small container with a lid and toss them in there. I'd wash every 3 days or so - hot water with a bit of detergent and a rinse should do it. Hot dry.