The Savings Experiment: Homemade Baby Wipes

Homemade Baby Wipes

I attempted the unthinkable - HOMEMADE Baby Wipes!  Using just a few ingredients that you probably already have on hand, you can save a TON of money by replacing those pricey store-bought baby wipes with your own - in no time!

The Recipe

1/4 c. Baby Oil (or Olive Oil)

1/4 c. Baby Shampoo or Baby Wash

2 c. Distilled Water

1 Roll of Paper Towels

1 Empty Wipes Container (or air tight container)

Mix liquids together.  Cut paper towel roll in half and remove cardboard center.  (Optional - accordion fold so that each paper towel is in half or a third).  Soak paper towels in liquid mixture and gently wring to remove excess liquid.  Transfer soaked paper towels to an old wipes container or air tight container.  Ready to use! (I found this recipe HERE)

The Results

I used some Equate baby oil that I had upstairs, a bit of Johnson's Baby Wash, and since I didn't have Distilled Water on hand, I used Spring Water instead - tap water would be fine, but you'll need to use the wipes quickly so you don't grow mold!  I mixed everything together in an old Huggies wipes case that I had, but you could use a gallon sized resealable bag, if nothing else.  I also used a roll of Price Chopper brand paper towels, because I got them for only 10c and figured I was willing to "waste" a dime on this experiment - you know, in case it all went south!

To be honest, I loved and hated this method.  I loved how easy it was to make, and loved how soft baby and I felt after each use (the baby oil is awesome), and I LOVED the amount of money that we could save.  The things I hated were the quality of paper towels that I used - next time, I'll go for the heavy duty kind like Bounty!  I would also decrease the amount of baby wash - it was a little too "sudsy" for me, and I think would be just as effective with half the amount of baby wash.  If you wanted an extra touch of something special, you could buy baby oil with aloe or lavender - or add a drop of essential oil to your mixture.  I love that you can customize it.  And, of course, I LOVE that this method is great for sensitive skin and gentle parts!  I not only used these wipes for baby bums, but for baby faces as well!!  It was great!  So, I guess I loved this method more than I hated it - and I'm really tempted to continue to use it based on the savings ... check it out:

The Cost Analysis

* Breakdown Using My Products:
Equate Baby Oil 20 fl oz - $2.42 = $0.24 for 2 oz (1/4 c)
Johnson's Head to Toe Baby Wash 15 fl oz - $2.98 = $0.40 for 2 oz (1/4 c)

Great Value Spring Water 1 gallon - $0.88 = $0.12 for 2 c.

Price Chopper Heavy Duty Paper Towels 1 roll - $0.10
Total cost for 1 Batch of 168 Wipes - $1.09  = $0.006 per wipe ($0.38 for 64 ct)

* Breakdown w/ Premium Products:

Johnson's Baby Oil 14 fl oz - $3.27 = $0.47 for 2 oz (1/4 c)

Johnson's Head to Toe Baby Wash 15 fl oz - $2.98 = $0.40 for 2 oz (1/4 c)

Great Value Distilled Water 1 gallon - $0.88 = $0.12 for 2 c.

Bounty Paper Towels 8pk - $9.00 = $1.13 per roll

Total Cost for 1 Batch of 112 Wipes = $2.12 = $0.0189 per wipe ($1.21 for 64 ct)

* Compare to:

Pampers Wipes 7pk Refill Box - $11.00 = $1.47 per pkg = $0.024 per wipe

* Final Analysis (per 64 wipes):

Alecia's Homemade Wipes - $0.38

Premium Homemade Wipes - $1.24

Pampers Wipes - $1.47

Basically, depending on the brand name of the items you start with (and if you can pair a sale or coupon with them), you can save a TON of money or at least a bit of money off of a package of regular wipes.  For me, generic baby oil is just as good, and I can usually get paper towels for fairly cheap, if not free.

Alternative Suggestions

An alternative to the paper towels would be to put the solution in a spray bottle and keep a stack of small rags to use instead.  Spray the solution on the rag, and then wipe baby - wash rag after each use!  If you have an old men's undershirt laying around, that would be perfect if cut up into 8" x 4" rectangles.  Using this method, you would only spend $0.99 for 2 1/2 cups of solution!!! Another alternative would be to use the rag and spray bottle method for those times when baby just goes "Number 1" and use the regular baby wipes for when baby goes "Number 2".  You will probably cut your use of the baby wipes in half (at least) and therefore save yourself a good chunk of money!  And tossing those "tinkle rags" in the wash won't add much extra laundry at all!

Be sure to pair your Homemade Baby Wipes
with our Homemade Baby Powder, which was a HUGE success
& can save you up to $20 per year!

Have a tip or suggestion -
there is still time and we're still taking submissions!

If you've missed any of the other experiments,
you can check them all out HERE or by clicking around on the links below.