I'm still working on the homemade household products, but in the meantime I thought I'd share what I've been making and using on the kids. I currently have a 3 year old and an 8 month old, both in cloth diapers. I also use cloth wipes because a) it made sense, and b) fishing forgotten, lint-shedding disposable wipes out of your dryer is a pain. It never fails, if I have to resort to disposable wipes I will forget to throw one or two out and find them after washing everything. Even when I throw them out, they look and smell disgusting in my bathroom trash. So, of course, the next logical step was cloth wipes. I didn't buy anything for them, I just chopped up a flannel receiving blanket I was given, stitched around the edges, and stuck them in an empty wipes container. Easy peasy.
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| Yeah... I just wasn't trying too hard when I labeled this jar. |
I like to mix up a jar full of the solution and pour it over the wipes. I also only moisten a handful of the wipes at a time. On wash day, all wet wipes -used or not- get tossed in the wash with everything else. Otherwise, I find the wet wipes get musty after two or three days.
Diaper Wipes Solution
- 2 cups water
- 2 teaspoons olive oil
- 5-6 drops Tea Tree essential oil (optional)
- 2 teaspoons baby wash (optional)
Combine everything in a jar and store extras in the fridge. Be sure to shake the snot out of your jar before pouring it over the wipes. This will make sure the oil is well dispersed. I really like the solution with all four ingredients, but you could get away with just the water and oil for simplicity's sake. I disliked plain water on wipes because it seemed a bit rough when wiping the kids' bums. The oil really makes the difference. The tea tree oil is fantastic because it is antibacterial, antifungal, and it smells nice (to me anyway, some may find it to be a bit much). I have also used the solution with baby wash and really liked it, but because I am currently battling soap buildup on my cloth diapers I am leaving it out right now. For disposable diaper folks, you could easily use this solution over half a paper towel roll. This stuff is so nice, it even makes my hands feel smooth!
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| I am so in love with making pretty labels! |
When using cloth diapers, buildup is a constant concern. Even the slightest amount of detergent, fabric softener, or a host of other things could create a layer that will repel instead of absorbing urine. Not a good thing. One of the things that can cause buildup is diaper creams. My toddler is extremely sensitive to moisture and is prone to rashes, so I find myself frequently needing some sort of barrier cream. There are rash creams available that are cloth diaper friendly, but I decided to try and mix up my own. I just started using this mix, but so far it seems to help, especially when used at every change. It doesn't contain zinc oxide, so it won't clear rashes nearly as fast as the commercial stuff.
Diaper Cream
- Coconut oil
- Cornstarch (or commercial baby powder, or arrowroot starch)
- Tea tree essential oil
I have absolutely no idea how much of anything I used, I simply mixed roughly a tablespoon or two of coconut oil with enough cornstarch to make a good, thick consistency. And, since I have it on hand and it's such great stuff, I added maybe 3-4 drops of tea tree oil. Lavender essential oil would be a great addition to this, as lavender is very soothing to the skin. I transfer the cream to a small baby food jar for easy dispensing. NOTE: Coconut oil is solid below 75 degrees but quickly turns liquid when warmed above 76 degrees or so. This can affect your cream consistency, so keep in mind that the warmer the weather, the more cornstarch you'll need. If your house is really cold and the cream becomes too solid, you could try warming it and adding a bit of olive oil.
Well, there you have it, my easy homemade baby recipes. I get such a crazy satisfaction from being able to meet my needs with my own ingenuity and a few kitchen ingredients. That, and making pretty labels for the jars is just too much fun!
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