Water Wipes OR Cotton wool??????????

[MumToBe2015R]

First time mum, so unsure of what is best. So far all family say water and Cotton wool. But to be fair they didn't have water wipes in there time when they had us

Any suggestions/experiences??

Reusable wipes with chamomile tea here too. Like cheeky wipes but made my own.

Wow so many replies!! Didn't expect this. Thank you ladies! theboov yes I have skin issues (eczema, psoriasis) & hayfever.

Probably won't stock up just in case how baby reacts. But will get some water wipes & cotton wool to start & see how I go.

Thank you once again

Water and nappy liners pat dry then olive oil the bum to stop poo sticking - my midwife recommended this and it was brilliant for my daughter's sensitive skin. Used wet wipes when out and about.

Sorry - did not make clear the nappy liners are used wet with water for cleaning

With those issues MumToBe2015R I'd be using water at home and something like water wipes when out. WaterWipes weren't around when mine were little and as we had every allergy alert going I took cotton wool out with me for ages, and just wet it with a dab from my own water bottle.

It's really not a hassle, and if it prevents skin shit turning into skin nightmare it's a small amount of effort.

After that, when out, I used outrageously expensive anti-allergenic wipes on my PFB. There wasn't a choice of Tesco pure back in them days. My less P SB got fabric wipes and water.

I used water and cotton wool with my DD for about 4 weeks and then changed to water wipes. Baby Nr2 will be straight to water wipes I think

Huggies baby wipes. Whichever type of cotton wool you use bits get left behind which is unhygienic- particularly if you have a girl.

Baby wipes. (and bepanthen).

During a hospital stay (for dd and I, 6 months old at this point- me ill, not her) I was (rather forcefully, and I was feeling weak and emotionally fragile so gave in) strongly discouraged from doing this.

I was told by the nurses that she'd be much better with cotton wool and water. So swapped, and she got nappy rash for the first and only time. I changed back!

I intend to use water wipes in hospital but really like the idea of reusable wipes. I have loads of towels which can be cut up

Can ask those who made their own, how did you store them? How many did you have? And what volume of tea to wipes did you use? tia

We use small flannels with warm water. You can get warm water from any tap anywhere, for free! And you can then wash the wipes in any machine. We don't even use cloth nappies - it's that easy to keep on top of the wipes.

Huggies have only removed Methylisothiazolinone from their formulations after Watchdog addressed the issue. It had a 10% allergy rate when the average for preservatives is 1 to 2. They still have a lengthy list of chemicals that have question marks over them. We use Huggies, because they clean up skirting boards and spills amazingly well, but we don't use them on baby skin.

Water wipes go mouldy really fast, unfortunately. And the grapefruit seed oil or whatever it is actually makes my DD's skin flare, too. Apparently that isn't uncommon.

Cotton wool tugs at skin and leaves fibres behind, though. It's a tricky one. Hence our using flannels - you can get them fairly cheaply in bulk from Cheeky Wipes, or you can cut normal flannels to size.

I really don't get why you would keep them wet, to be honest, in chilly water you have to add tea tree to to stop mould. Why not wet a fresh dry one with warm water for every use? You can use room temp. in a real pinch, if need be.

I have a sensitive skin condition as does DD and can't use cotton wool & water, only
Pampers Sensitive wipes. DD 10 months and never had nappy rash. Whatever you use I'd recommend using a tissue to dry the baby after wiping (before putting on any barrier cream) as nappy rash likes warm & damp.

Yeah, I always dry off with a muslin, for that reason.

Both mine are intolerant of paraffin and petrochemicals, so can't use Bepanthen etc. We have to use Neal's Yard, which is sunflower oil and beeswax as a barrier, and carrier for the zinc. I resent it somewhat as I don't regard them as an ethical company, but their products don't make my kids' skins flare, so I suck it up.

You need to see what works for you and your baby so maybe try a few different things at the beginning. We've used wipes from day 1 and never had any problems. I live in Germany and they have some nice wipes here with almond oil and sage extract which are quite dry but oily to the touch(not wet like most wipes). They don't do the job so well after a poonami, in which case I use Pampers Sensitive Newborn or similar and then go over the skin with the oil wipes to dry it off a bit. I only use cream if she's starting to look a bit red (very rare). I have avoided using the Pampers wipes on a regular basis just because they have alcohol in them and also leave the skin damp.

It really does depend on your baby though. My SIL had lots of problems with my nephews and could only ever use camomile tea or water boiled up with sage leaves. She absolutely ticked me off (to put it politely!) for using wipes on DD like I was some kind of evil mother! It's the luck of the draw though I think!

Another vote for Cheeky Wipes here.

I dry too with soft flannels. Think it makes a big difference. Both me and my DH have really sensitive skin so not risking anything on the baby!

Baby wipes from the start with all 3 dc never had a problem, you'd probably spend just as much on cotton wool as you would for wipes plus it's a lot less faffing about. The aldi sensitive 1s are good and cheap.

I used cotton wool and water with DC1 and DC2. By DC3, I'd discovered Water Wipes and wished I'd known about them all along! Much less faffing. I wouldn't use the chemical ones though, not even the sensitive skin ones, just the actual Water Wipes - never had any problems with them.

Lookslikeimstuckhere I've been looking at cheeky wipes and it seems to be about £40 for everything you need. First timer here so wondering how much money you actually save? I have no idea how many packets of wipes you would get through in 2 years! lol

£40 is a bargain. Most people use say 1 pack of wipes a week so even at £1 that's only 40 weeks worth ie less than a year.

We still use ours and youngest is 4. We take out wet to use at picnics/ wipe faces/ wipe hands

What Art said. And water wipes will be more like £2 a pack even on miltibuy.

Depends how much you think you need really!

You could make do with two Tupperware tubs, a pack of wipes and the essential oils. I got the proper tubs which are easier to open but not essential.

When are you due? They often have deals on where you can save 25%.

We just bought the flannel wipes, and then use warm water on them freshly per use. Nappy bags do fine to transport dirty ones home to wash. You don't need any clobber except the actual flannel wipes - the rest is actually a bit odd, in my view. Why stick cold, clammy cloth wipes on your baby's bottom, complete with dilute essential oils, when you can use freshly-run warm water on the exact same flannel far more cheaply, with far less faff? Tupperware boxes and essential oils so you can cart soggy, icy bits of cloth about? What for? All you need is a wet flannel or three to wipe them clean, a muslin (or dry flannel) to wipe them dry, and off you go. Keeping them wet hours before they'll be used is far less practical, far more expensive, and far less comfy for the baby, surely?

Sleep - we kept dry at home but wet when out so we could use in places away from sink like parks/ car/ beaches

Water wipes are great. Used them from day one with DS (now 4 months) and had no nappy rash whatsoever.