Talk to me about reusable wipes

[flowerfairy]

Have just started using my reusable nappies for my dd. 7 years ago i used them with my ds and just used normal wipes. Have been using cotton wool so far for nappy changing, unless out and about. Want to use reusable ones now. What are they made of? Can i reproduce my own? (am on very tight budget this time). Do you wet them when you're ready to use them? DO you just add water or somethihng else too? Do you just add to your nappy bucket after use and wash with the nappies? TIA

Cut up old towel or fleece. Add warm water. Bobs your uncle.
Mind you, I used for wees not poos.
Saved a fortune. Always amazed by friends using wipes for everything.

A big fleece blanket, cut up into any size you want works perfectly and are softer than flannel or towel on the skin.
In the house I make up a solution of water, a teaspoon of baby oil and a drop of an essential oil, put into a tupperware with the wipes and they are there ready to use anytime.

In my change bag I have a stash of dry, clean wipes and a squirty bottle of water or water and chamomile tea or similar and just spray each wipe to wet it as and when I need them. I used to keep the wipes wet in a wet bag ready to use but they'd leak and/or dry out before I used them so now just take a spray bottle out instead.

Once used they just go into the nappy bucket and are washed with the nappies. Thats why its good to cut up a blanket because then you can have loads of wipes, if you buy them you tend to get about ten in a pack and you'll need loads of packs otherwise you would need to wash them all the time. If you have loads they can just go through whenever you are washing the nappies because there are still lots dry and clean.

I got a pack of 50 top and tail wipes from Mothercare, they are just small muslin squares and are perfect for nappy changing. I just use them with warm water then put them in the washing machine (in a mesh bag so they don't get lost). I think they are much better than cotton wool, you don't end up with fluffy bits stuck to the baby's bum, and you save loads of money.

Once LO has weaned you may want to get hold of some terry towelling ones. Fleece are nice and soft, but when it comes to, um...stickier stuff then you just cannot beat towelling for its ability to grab and hold and not smear like fleece and disposable wipes. Old facecloths or towels work fab, or you can buy some nice wipes with towelling on one side and fleece on the other. Clean up with the towelling and then a nice soft polish off with the fleece.

Or try Cheeky Wipes. www.cheekywipes.com/. Brilliant. Have been using since DH was born and he has hardly ever had nappy rash. Also great when weaning.

I bought a metre of fleece from ebay and chopped it up, keep them in a basket next to the sink in bathroom and just wet them each nappy change. I have some cheeky wipes i got as a gift and they are great for stuck on poo but they are just like a cut up towel tbh, i wouldnt buy them myself as they are waay too expensive.

I have some I bought from babykind that were £5 for 10. I also made my own terry/fleece ones by buying a sainsburys basics towel, cutting into rectangles, then sewing them together with some fleece the same size. Even though they are a bit tatty round the edges, they work really well.

I got fancy ones with flannely fabric one side and fleece on the other. I keep a bowl of water under the changing table to wet them ready for use then chuck them in the nappy bucket and wash with the nappies.

I don't use them out and about but a friend of mine does. She wets them with cold camomile tea and puts them in a sealable sandwich tub.

@ LovingKent using cheeky wipes on her DH...

I use the pale blue fleece that IKEA sell for £1(?) cut up into rectangles and a homemade solution similar to AussieRules, spray bottle out of the house as well, but as we've just started weaning I can see that the fleece doesn't always do the trick for those weird and wonderful poops..

I have a combination of the blue ikea fleece, cheeky wipes, and ikea flannels. I just bought the cheeky wipes on their own in a pack of 25, which makes them not much more than the ikea flannels. The whole cheeky wipes kit would be very expensive. I prefer the size of the cheeky wipes but I think most people prefer something larger.

At first I kept them wet in a plastic box with a few drops of lavender oil but as DS got older I used fewer and fewer wipes I found they went smelly before I got through them so I just wet as required.

If you are on a budget fleece is great as you will get dozens out of a cheap blanket but you will need some towelling ones as well. Buying a fleece blanket works out cheaper than buying fleece by the metre for some reason.

I have similar to the cheeky wipes but here Value wipes

Fleece for most of the time, terry when poo scraping is needed! Mine are still going strong after 2 children, will just top them up for DC3.

Love my cheeky wipes, been using them for 10 days now, DD 20 days old. I just pop them in nappy bucket in a string bag and wash with nappies every other day, they go back in the tupperware box damp, and i top up with boiled water and a few drops of the essential oil mix, lavender and camomile. Smell nice and also keep nappy bucket smelling nice. DD's bum fine. Still use disposable wipes when out and about.

Thanks all for your great ideas and links. HAve used a couple of those free towels you get with your bounty bags cut up into about 15cm squares and zig-zagged the edges. Next time i go to town will get a bit of fleece or cheap blanket to cut up too. They're working fine so far. i keep them dry in an old wipe dispenser box and wet when i need them.

I use old clothes too, though cut up terries or towels are best for poo removal.

Be sure to wash them inside a mesh bag in the washing machine so they don't get in to the filter. I've killed a machine that way....