DIY Baby Wipes for Doomsday

Once upon a time, many, many moons ago, I had an abundance of rags and a severe shortage of cash, as well as a baby in diapers.  It was a good time to DIY baby wipes.  I don't remember the recipe I used, but it had a good soapy, clean fragrance to it and did the job well.

The COVID crisis saw a run on paper products of all kinds.  I don't recall an issue with baby wipes or diapers, but with all kinds of supply line problems, one never knows when a problem could arise.  While my personal plan for dealing with dirty baby bottoms is to use the old-fashioned warm, wet washcloth, which then gets bleached and washed, I think it's important to have other options available when a crisis takes a different turn than the one we anticipated and prepared for.  We need to be flexible and able to adapt, and that means keeping an open mind.  I mean, really, who thought a pandemic could spur a shortage in coins throughout the country or make freezers disappear overnight?

Here are a couple of reasons a family prepared with washclothes and the means to wash them might consider being able to DIY disposable baby wipes:

• No water for washing
• Inability to take a shower (three regular-size baby wipes work surprisingly well as a shower substitute--give it a try one day to prove it to yourself)
• Illness in the family--no time or energy for doing laundry
• Slowing the spread of disease--would it be better to dispose of the waste than to wash the washcloths?
• Traveling--don't want to pack dirty laundry while on the road

The recipe options below include an all-natural one as well as one that's more conventional and uses more readily available ingredients with a longer shelf life.  For both, use either some cut-up rags or a roll of heavy-duty paper towels, cut in half with the inner cardboard tube removed.  Place them in a plastic tub with a tight-fitting lid.

Baby Wipes (all-natural ingredients)
1 3/4 cups boiled water, cooled
1 tablespoon aloe vera
1 tablespoon witch hazel
1 tablespoon liquid castile soap
1 teaspoon olive oil, optional
10 drops grapefruit seed extract or 2 capsules of vitamin E oil, optional
A few drops of essential oils like lavender or orange, optional

Combine all the ingredients in the plastic tub.  Add the rags or paper towels and replace lid.  Let absorb 5-10 minutes and then invert the container to distribute solution better.  Use like other baby wipes.

Baby Wipes (conventional ingredients)
2 cups boiled water, cooled
2 tablespoons baby shampoo
1 tablespoon baby oil

Combine all the ingredients in the plastic tub.  Add the rags or paper towels and replace lid.  Let absorb 5-10 minutes and then invert the container to distribute solution better.  Use like other baby wipes.

14 december 2020