DIY Cloth Baby Wipes

By contributor Erin Long of Home & Grace

When I found out I was (surprise!) pregnant with my daughter, I hadn’t made many decisions about parenting. I thought I had a good half-decade before I needed to choose a stroller, decide what kind of birth I wanted, or actually need to know what really is necessary for a baby (do I need a swing and a bouncy seat? Why are there so many kinds of carriers?)

But without a doubt, I wanted to cloth diaper. I saw cloth diapering in action with my niece and immediately knew I wanted to do the same with my kids.

One of my happiest moments of those early days of motherhood was when I wrapped my daughter in a soft cloth diaper for the very first time. I didn’t even mind the extra loads of laundry.

But I quickly realized I had a problem.

I used, threw away, and wasted money on disposable wipes with toxic ingredients, which was the main reasons I didn’t use disposable diapers.

I had reusable cloth diapers, and I wanted reusable cloth baby wipes.

So I sewed simple flannel cloth baby wipes that I washed with the diapers and made an all natural, non-toxic cleaning solution (plain ol’ water works, too) to keep my baby’s skin clean.

My first set of cloth baby wipes made it beautifully through two children but now that I’ve got baby #3 in cloth diapers, it is time for a new set of baby wipes.

*Full disclosure: I do have disposable, non-toxic wipes for super messy diapers and when we’re away from home. Kudos to you if you do use cloth baby wipes full-time!

These baby wipes are super easy to sew. I only have very basic sewing skills so if I can do this, so can you!

You could make up a whole batch of these in an afternoon or sew a seam here and a seam there if you only have limited amounts of time (or older children around!)

You can use this same method for making family cloth and disinfectant cloth wipes. Or you can re-purpose the baby wipes once your little one is potty trained!

Here’s how to do it:

1. Get fabric: For 12 wipes you need 1 yard of flannel fabric. Flannel is absorbent and durable so it’ll do the job well. You can use one pattern for both sides of the wipes or use two patterns, one for the front and one for the back. Or do as many as you like. They’re baby wipes – go crazy and have fun if  you want!
2. Cut: Cut fabric in 9×7 rectangles. You can go bigger or smaller depending on what works for you but this is the size of a disposable wipe and it works well with the 1 yard of fabric.
3. Assemble: Put two pieces of fabric together inside out and pin if you prefer. You want the side of the fabric that will be on the inside of the wipe showing.
4. Sew: Using a 1/4 inch seam sew three sides together, leaving a short side unsewn.
5. Trim: Trim the corners. This will help the wipe to lay flat.
   
6. Turn right-side out: Turn the wipe right side out and fold both pieces of fabric in about 1/4 of an inch and iron them down.
7. Sew: Sew the last side. This stitch will show.
   
8. Sew a star or firework: Now for the fun part! It’s time to sew the pieces so they stay together and don’t turn the wipe into a balloon when you wash them. You can sew any design or shape that you want, just be sure to cover enough surface area to keep the wipe together. Here’s what I did: starting in one corner sew a line to the opposite corner and do the same with the other corners. You now have an X. Next sew lines from the top to the bottom of the wipe and then from the left side to the right so it looks like a star. Or a firework as my 4 year-old describes it. 🙂
   
9. Use and enjoy!

Wash your wipes with your cloth diapers and enjoy saving money and keeping toxins away from your baby!

Do you use cloth baby wipes? Would you like to try making your own?

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Erin Long

I’m Erin. I love new places, good food and all people. I like to be different but not stand out and I’m happiest when drinking a cup of tea with my husband, Ryan. Together we have lived in three countries: Canada (twice, on opposite sides), US (Oregon) and Hungary (not Budapest). We are out to prove that getting married and having children does not mean ‘settling down’. I thrive on adventure and bettering myself.

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