baby getting diaper changed (DIY or homemade baby wipes)

I started making my own baby wipes about three years ago, right after my second child was born. I initially wanted to make homemade wipes to save some money, but as it turns out, I love them so much I would never go back!

They are easy to make, have zero chemicals, and, best of all, you can customize them to how you like them. For example, I like my wipes super wet. It is just easier to clean a baby bum with a super saturated wipe. I also use them to clean my toddler’s and big kid’s hands and face. I have even used them as a makeup remover for my own face. Once you start making your own wipes, you’ll never go back. And it’s an added bonus that it saves me about $40 a month with two kids in diapers. That pays for all my Dunkin’ iced coffee! 

Ready to give it a try? Here is how I make my wipes:

Ingredients:

Bounty Select-a-Size paper towels (do not bother trying to make wipes with any other brand — they will disintegrate)
Castile liquid soap (not peppermint flavor — I use the lavender)
Coconut oil
Tupperware

Directions:

1. Rip the paper towels into select-a-size sections, then cut in half to make squares. Set aside.

DIY baby wipes - Boston Moms Blog

2. Melt 1 to 1 ½ tablespoons of coconut oil in a measuring cup using about 1 cup of hot water.

3. Add 2 cups of cold water and stir in 1 tablespoon of castile soap. It is important that you stir the soap in gently after you add the water, otherwise the wipe solution will be too foamy.

4. Place the paper towels in your Tupperware and slowly pour the solution on top. Let the solution saturate all the paper towels for a few hours, and they are good to go!

I often save any extra dry unused paper towel squares in a plastic bag. You may need them if your wipes seem too wet. Just add more dry paper towels until the wipes are at the consistency you prefer.

This is just a general recipe. There was a learning curve to get my wipes how I like them, but now it takes me five minutes maximum to make my wipes. My kids never get a diaper rash, and they never complain that these wipes hurt. They are safe, gentle, effective, and they smell great. Let’s be honest — if they did not work so well, I would not be using them!

Leah Lynch
Leah was raised in Greater Boston, where she met her husband in 2006. They moved to North Carolina for a few years before deciding their hearts were still in Massachusetts. Leah is a stay-at-home mom and has three children — boy, girl, boy — born in 2011, 2014, and 2017. Her oldest son in autistic. Children with disabilities — and the families raising them — have a special place in Leah's heart. She loves "The Office," date nights, tacos, U.S. history, and the beach. She enjoys sharing her experiences of motherhood, the good and the difficult, to encourage other moms that they are not alone. Loves: Great food (mostly made by her talented husband), playing with the kids, the beach, date nights, The Pats, The Sox, The B’s, new socks and bras, and American history, and movies. Can’t stand: Cotton balls, weeds, broken crayons, and country music