So...cheeky wipes/reusable wipes.

[AudreyBradshaw]

I'm umming and aahing about buying the cheeky wipes kit. I want it, which is my main reason. But I'm thinking about carbon footprint etc, I'll likely be doing a wash every day anyway and can bung them in at the same time, I'll never 'run out' of wipes this way and they're good for sensitive skin. I've got gyppy skin and so has dh, so in terms of playing on the cautious side cloth wipes seem the best option.

I was originally going to make/sew my own, but after some mild faffing, I've realised I'd probably end up spending £45 on the right tupperware, terry towelling/microfibre cloth, then fixating over the essential oils, then buying a wipe bucket etc, so I may as well just spend £40 and buy the proper kit. Or should I?

Has anyone got them and use them religiously? Do you think they are wonderful? Can I create my own for cheaper etc?

In short, im obsessing, last week it was about changing mats My dh said "whatever you want babe, whatever we use, it's for clearing up shit" and my dsis can only nod and feign interest so long. I need some input from people in the know.

I'm only 24+4 so it's not like it's urgent and imminent, but next step is hospital bag and I'm not ready to commit to that yet!

[Imnotaslimjim]

I've just made a set for a friend. You can upcycle any t shirt, it doesn't have to be microfibre. I used an old flannel shirt. So its entirely possible if you're able to sew a straight line. I can talk you through it if you like? I got a travel bag with bottles in for shampoo etc from the poundshop which come with a spray bottle and there is plenty of recipes for wipe fluid online, you just pick an oil with antibacterial properties and away you go.

[cookiefiend]

You could make your own, but it would be a faff. Some people use face cloths. But I say if you have the money- buy them. We love ours, they are soooooo much better at cleaning bottoms than disposable wipes. Better for the environment and cheaper in the long run.

But a decent wipes bag (the one that comes with the set is shitty) I like planet wise wipe bags which come in nice colours and a wet bag for putting the used ones in (you can get cheapo ones for less than £2 on Amazon or lovely ones elsewhere. And then you can use them out and about.

If you have a few weeks follow their facebook page- they do a different deal each month (x amount off or free extra wipes).

Clothe nappies are also easy and a saving in the long run. In my opinion clothe nappies do the same job as disposables (each with different pros and cons) but cloth wipes do a far superior job to disposables.

[cookiefiend]

Sorry not sure why there is an e on the end of cloth above!

[HRMumness]

We use washable wipes (and nappies too). Never bothered to make my own, unless you have plenty of time on your hand just easier to buy them from cheeky wipes or generic bundles off ebay. Just bought some cheeky wipes (coloured) for faces and hands and plain white ones for bottoms. Don't use microfibre on bottoms, cotton or bamboo is better for those ones. We did have some pop-in coloured wipes but they disintegrated into nothing after 3.5 years of solid use (and London hard water).

We use the small plastic containers they have in IKEA, they come in packs of 3 I believe and are super cheap. Fit 10 nicely in each box. We keep the face / hand ones dry and wet as we go and the nappy wipes already prepped up. We make a batch of 20 which lasts a few days.

We have a few wash bags to store them in when they are dirty, again you can pick up zipped bags fairly cheaply via ebay.

Hope that helps and good luck with the impending arrival.

[GwendolynMoon]

I used cheeky wipes with my DS and plan to use them again (currently 33 weeks). I used them 'religiously' at home but generally had water wipes to use when out and about. Found the cheeky wipes particularly good for the early stages when you are at home quite a bit and changing nappies frequently. And I bought the whole 'system'...oils etc. No doubt you can sort your own out more cheaply but I just found it easier to buy cheeky wipes and felt it was worth it. Recommended to a few friends as well and they all loved them too.

[ItsMagicYouKnow]

Another user here.

If you're going to use cloth nappies, there's no need to buy the whole kit. For starters, any dirty wipes go straight in the nappy bucket, so no need for the "mucky" box.

I started off by soaking them and keeping them in the box, but I found they became fusty quickly (July baby). Nowadays, I keep a stack of dry wipes and have a solution (I use "Baby Bits, but you can look up homemade cleansing solutions such as camomile tea for example, and adapt it to baby's needs) in a pump bottle. I then wet when required (a few at a time for pooey bottoms)!

We use Cheeky Wipes (also the microfibre ones for hands and face). Have tried them all, the bamboo are fine, as are the terry ones, and they're better at getting poo off. The minky ones are lovely and soft though.

We also use Imse Vimse wipes, and some wipes we got with the Baby Bits. All good.

I use the Cheeky Wipes "mucky" oil to wipe out the nappy bucket with. The "fresh" oil will no doubt be used for other household purposes.

Planet Wise make good wet bags, as do Tickle Tots and Milovia. It will depend on whether you plan on using them with washable nappies/out and about. We use Water Wipes these days when out and about because we have fewer nappy changes.

HTH!

[LuckySantangelo1]

Cheeky wipes are ace! Use them all the time at home & disposables when out and about. I thought the set was good value for money. They often have offers on; I got a load of free bamboo wipes when I ore deem mine which area good for hands and face.

[43percentburnt]

We made them from bamboo cotton material. We use them instead of disposable wipes when changing nappies. The material cost about £13 plus pinking shears to cut them with. I used a sewing machine to edge them. It took about 2 hours, I'm not quick at sewing! I made about 20/25 of them, they are not the straightest but we're used on ds and are now being used on twins and work perfectly.

I make up a spray - 6 drops lavender plus 2 teatree and 2 camomile with a dash of baby wash in a spray bottle with water. Used to add a drop of olive oil or baby oil but no need. We don't pre soak as we also found them to be musty smelling.

As we use cloth nappies it made sense - must have saved us hundreds on the wipes alone and far better for the environment.

We use pop in coloured wipes for hands and faces.

[plimsolls]

They've been recommended to me by lots of people so I bought the starter pack of Cheeky Wipes last time they had a good deal on. I got 40 wipes, three boxes, two sets of oils and the wet bags for £40 I think.

I also bought the coconut oil from them although it leaked all over everything in transit which was annoying: the tub is not sealed so I guess it liquified in the heat and oozed out. Just a word of warning!

I've not had my baby yet so not yet started using them. Thanks to PPs for all the useful tips!

[scrumptiouscrumpets]

I bought the cheeky wipes kit and I wouldn't recommend buying the whole kit, though I love the wipes themselves and find them very efficient. Wouldn't go back to using disposables.

The container for the mucky wipes is not waterproof, which is an absolutely terrible idea! I splashed disgusting water full of poo onto my carpet before realising.

Besides, I think the plastic absorbs the essential oils and starts to smell musty really quickly. I now use a glass container with a plastic lid for the clean wipes and they no longer smell musty as quickly as they used to.
The kit also contains a bag to put inside the container for the used wipes, in theory you put the used wipes inside the bag and then transfer the whole thing into the washing machine. I found that the bag kept slipping down inside the container and I had to fiddle about with the stupid thing to try and get the dirty wipe into it - and as I said, the water you soak the wipes in gets really disgusting and you don't want to get it on your hands!

So I'd say, if you can sew, make your own and save some money. If you like the idea of lovely colourful wipes, then get them, but don't buy any of the other accessories, they're not worth the money imho.

[AudreyBradshaw]

Thank you everyone! I think I'm going to go for it with the wipes. They appear to be having a free offer on face wipes at the moment so it seems fortuitous to order them and aquint my Dh with them sooner than later. And then if I need extra bum wipers I've found some on amazon! And I've found some cheaper tupperware boxes with clippy lids online too! So I'm well pleased! Just need to order them now!

So thank you all very much for the input, its much appreciated!