I have written before about making your own baby wipes and at the time, I only included one very basic recipe for the wipe solution. So today, I’m going to give you several other recipes and you can choose the one that best fits your needs.

If you’re going to make your own wipes, you have several options when it comes to using the solution. You can simply pour the solution over the cloth wipes or paper towels (wash cloths, cut up receiving blankets, and paper towels are popular choices for homemade wipes). Alternatively, you can use a squirt or spray bottle to apply the solution directly to your baby’s bottom and then wipe with a dry cloth. You can also use a bottle to apply the solution to the dry cloth first. Personally, I prefer this method. I don’t like the idea of my wipes (particularly cloth wipes) just sitting in the liquid solution and I would rather control how much I use.

Now the only question is, which solution to use. Some of these are designed for particular needs–diaper rash, fungal rash, sensitive skin, etc. The rest are suitable for every day use. Try a few and see which ones you like best.

Very Basic Solution
2 cups warm water
2 tablespoons baby bath/wash/shampoo
2 tablespoons baby oil

Herbal Solution
2 cups warm brewed herbal tea (chamomille works well)
3 tablespoons olive oil or mineral oil
2-3 drops lavender oil (optional)

Soft Solution
2 cups warm water
2 tablespoons baby bath/wash/shampoo
2 tablespoons baby lotion

Apricot Solution
2 cups warm water
1 tablespoon baby bath/wash/shampoo
2 tablespoons apricot oil

Lavender Solution
2 cups warm water
1 tablespoon baby bath/wash/shampoo
1 tablespoon olive oil
5 drops lavender oil

Calendula Oil Solution (soothing for dry or irritated skin)
2 cups very warm water
1/4 cup calendula baby oil
2 tablespoons gentle baby bath/wash/shampoo

Fungal Rash Solution (this recipe works very well on a yeast diaper rash)
1 cup cool water
1 tablespoon white vinegar
4-5 drops tea tree oil
2 tablespoons aloe vera gel (fresh from the plant works best)

Diaper Rash Solution (this is gentle and effective on a basic non-fungal diaper rash)
1 cup cool water
1/4 cup fresh aloe vera gel
Use a blender to mix ingredients together and keep solution refrigerated

Diaper Rash Solution 2 (also effective on non-fungal rashes)
2 cups warm water
2 tablespoons baby bath/wash/shampoo
2 tablespoons olive oil or mineral oil
2 tablespoons baking soda

Sensitive Solution (ideal for babies with very sensitive skin)
2 cups warm water
4 tablespoons mineral oil

I received an email this morning from Kristen letting me know about the latest baby wipe deal at Amazon. She also wanted to know if I thought it was really a good deal or if she could do better. Well, Kristen, the answer is yes, it’s a good deal but yes, you could do better I’ll explain why but first, here are the details of the baby wipe deal at Amazon.

• Amazon has a case of 720 Pampers wipes for $19.19.
• If you are an Amazon Mom member (and if you’re not, why not??), you’ll automatically save 15% off your purchase.
• Then, if you choose “Subscribe and Save” at check out, you’ll save an additional 15%. The catch here is that you are subscribing to automatic delivery of this product. However, you can cancel your subscription right after ordering without penalty.
• Finally, use the coupon code, MOMWIPES, to save an additional 10%. This brings your final total to $11.51 or about 1.5 cents per wipe.
• This is a really good price for disposable baby wipes. Generic wipes aren’t that cheap and homemade disposable wipes aren’t any cheaper. So yes, this is a good deal.

Now, can you do better? Yes! First of all, you can, of course, make your own reusable wipes for much less.  I realize this is not a practical solution for everyone but it’s worth a mention. Secondly, if you wait for the right coupon deals, you can get your wipes for much less–sometimes even free. Just a few months ago, both Huggies and Pampers put out coupons for $2.00 off one box of wipes. At Walmart, these wipes are generally around $2.00 anyway. I bought 20 of these coupons from a coupon clipping service for $3.00. I thereby spent $3.00 for 1,440 wipes–or about .002 cents per wipe!

Admittedly, these coupons don’t come along every day. So if you need wipes now, by all means, take advantage of the Amazon deal. Then, the next time a great coupon comes along, be sure to stock up on free or nearly free baby wipes.

My husband was putting something away in our storage closet the other day and he said, “Honey, do you know we have diapers in here?” The reason this seemed odd to him is because we are currently potty training our youngest. I think he thought I had bought them months (or even years) ago and had simply forgotten about them.

Silly man. He should know me well enough by now to realize that I am stockpiling for our future baby(ies). No, we are not pregnant but we plan to have at least one more baby in the relatively near future. So if I can get diapers dirt cheap now, why would I wait? Here’s an example:

A couple of months ago, I found a case of Huggies diapers (144 count in a size 3) on the clearance rack of my local Kroger. They were marked down to $7.99. Why? Because the box was pretty beat up. The diapers inside were still wrapped in plastic and seemed unscathed by the damage done to the box. To make the deal even sweeter, I had a coupon for $3.00 off Huggies bringing my grand total to $4.99 for a case of 144 diapers. How could I pass that up?

Then there are the wipes. Periodically, Huggies and Pampers will each put out coupons for $2.00 off a box of wipes. At Walmart, those wipes can usually be purchased for right around $2.00 making them FREE! I won’t stock up on wipes until I am pregnant because wipes will eventually dry out or even get moldy (yuck!). But if you already are pregnant, this is a great item to stock up on.

Here is a list of items that are great for stockpiling, even before your baby is born!

• Diapers — Buy them when you find great deals on them, particularly in a size 2, 3, or 4 (people will probably give you a lot of size 1 diapers when your baby is born). Also, be sure to request diaper samples and add them to the stockpile.
• Formula — If you plan to formula feed or even just supplement with formula, now is the time to start looking for deals. Recently, Ready-to-Feed Similac was going for less than a dollar because of a high dollar coupon put out by the manufacturer. That is too good to pass up, just watch the expiration dates. Also, samples will start arriving in the mail (with little to no effort on your part). These samples are usually full size cans of formula and can be added to your stockpile.
• Wipes — Again, watch for free or almost free wipes and stock up at least six months worth.
• Baby Bottles — I frequently see baby bottles in the clearance section of stores like Target and Walmart. Request manufacturer coupons for bottles and keep them on hand for those clearance sales. You will find that you can get your baby bottles (even brands like Avent) for pennies sometimes!
• Clothes — Clothing can be tricky because of sizes and genders. However, I always watch for clearance sales on gender-neutral clothing basics like onesies, t-shirts, and pajamas. At the end of the season, you can find amazing prices on these items. If you are already pregnant, you can pretty safely estimate what size your baby will be during his first year of life and buy appropriate clothing at the end of the season.
• Baby Gear — Every now and then a manufacturer will discontinue an item. This is NOT the same as a recall. They simply quit making a particular style of an item. When this happens, you can sometimes find closeout prices on the item. Such finds are rare but they do happen. When I was pregnant with my son I found a purple bouncer for $14 (it was originally $49). I knew I was having a boy but who cares? He didn’t mind having a purple bouncer!

Diapering is one baby expense that can be as cheap or as expensive as you want to make it. Some parents choose to diaper their baby only in Seventh Generation or Pampers while other parents make their own cloth diapers out of old t-shirts and dish towels. No matter which end of the spectrum you fall on, my guess is you wouldn’t mind saving a little money. So here are some diapering deals for your penny-pinching pleasure:

216 Huggies Wipes for $6.99 at toysrus.com

Bum Genius All-In-One Diapers $9.95 each! at cottonbabies.com

Huggies Diapers and Pull-Ups $6.99 at Walgreens (use a manufacturer’s coupon for even more savings!)

Compared to other baby expenses, wipes may not seem like such a big deal. When you add up how many you actually use, though, the cost for this “convenience” is really rather high. Check out the chart below to find out just how much you are spending and just how much you could be saving on baby wipes.

As you can see, you won’t save a whole lot by making your own disposable wipes and you will end up expending more energy. That being said, it’s important to note that even if you are not saving money by making disposable wipes, you are controlling the chemicals that go on your baby’s sensitive skin.

In my opinion, though, the best option is to make your own reusable wipes. They are cheap, gentle on your baby’s skin, and are small enough that you can toss them in with another load of laundry and they take up very little room.

If homemade baby wipes just aren’t for you, check out my couponing information and learn how to get your store-bought baby wipes for free or nearly free.

No matter which homemade baby wipe you prefer, they can all use the following basic cleansing solution recipe (click here for 10 more baby wipe solution recipes!):

Ingredients

2 cups water

2 tablespoons baby bath/wash/shampoo

1-2 tablespoons baby oil*

*Note: if you find that the baby oil is leaving a film or a residue in the water when you wash the wipes, consider using apricot oil or lavendar oil instead of a mineral based oil.

Directions

Bring water to a boil in a clean saucepan. Remove water from heat. Add baby wash and oil to the water while still hot and mix well. Allow mixture to cool some before pouring it onto your wipes (to prevent plastic containers from melting!). Alternatively, you can pour the mixture into a spray bottle and spray it onto a soft cloth or directly onto your baby’s bottom.

Finally, don’t underestimate the cleansing power of plain old water. Cleaning your baby’s bottom with water is as pure and natural as it gets. You can wet a few wipes before each diaper change or wet a day’s worth in a container.

Disposable Baby Wipes #1

What You Will Need

1. Package of cotton squares (available on the cosmetic aisles of most stores)
2. Prepared cleansing solution or water (see above)
3. Empty baby wipe box or other square or rectangular box with lid

Instructions

1. Stack cotton squares in the baby wipe box.
2. Pour the cleansing solution over the squares.

Disposable Baby Wipes #2

What You Will Need

1. Roll of good quality paper towels
2. Prepared cleansing solution or water (see above)
3. Empty baby wipe cylinder or other similarly shaped container with lid

Instructions

1. Cut the roll of paper towels in half so that you now have two short rolls. An electric carving knife or hacksaw works best but any serrated knife will do.
2. Pull cardboard tube out of the middle of one roll.
3. Place the now-flexible roll into the cylinder and pull the innermost sheet up from the middle.
4. Pour the cleansing solution over the paper towels.

Reusable Baby Wipes (Super Frugal!)

What You Will Need

1. Approximately 50 squares or rectangles cut from old receiving blankets, t-shirts, cloth diapers, thin towels, etc. or just use old baby washcloths or diaper liners.
2. Prepared cleansing solution or water (see above)
3. Empty baby wipe box or other square or rectangular box with lid

Instructions

1. Stack fabric in the baby wipe box.
2. Pour the cleansing solution over the cloth wipes.