Tuesday, April 16, 2013

DIY Cloth Wipes and Eco Kids


Cloth wipes are a great way to eliminate chemicals from your baby's products.  Most companies don't label what they put in their wipes, and you will know exactly what you are putting on yours.  I prefer cloth wipes because they are sturdier and softer on little bottoms as well.  If that all isn't enough, cloth wipes are much better for the environment because they are made from used materials, they are washed and reused, and when they are worn out, they are fully compostable.  

Materials:
  • 3-4 flannel recieving blankets (can be found at the thrift store for between $.25 and $.50.)
  • pinking shears
  • cardboard cut to a 7" by 7"square
  • Empty wipe container
Directions:

1. Spread the first receiving blanket on the ground or table.  Lay the cardboard pattern on the corner, and use the pinking shears to cut around the remaining two edges.
2. Continue to move the pattern up the edge of the blanket and cut squares from the blanket.
3.  It's that simple!  You can choose to serge the edges, but I don't do that anymore.  

To Fold:
1. Lay the first wipe face down.
2. Lay the second wipe face down halfway covering the first wipe.
3. Fold remaining half of the first wipe over the half of the second wipe.
4. Repeat until all of the wipes are folded in the pile.  These will pop up from a wipe container one by one!  

Wipe Solution:
You can make your own wipe soution by using water, Dr. Bronner's Soap, and organic baby oil.  (I use the two listed below).  Dr. Bronner's is too harsh for my girls' diaper areas, so I only use water and oil.
***********

Please join me for the Eco-Kids Linky!  I hope that you'll share some great family-friendly posts that are also friendly for the environment. Some ideas include:
  •  Nature Activities
  • Outdoor Activities
  • Crafts made with re-purposed or recycled materials
  • Sewing and DIY home projects
  • Science Experiments
  • Posts on environmental issues for kids or families
  • Non-toxic living
  • Homeopathic Remedies
Eco-Kids Tuesdays is co-hosted by Organic Aspirations and Like Mama~Like Daughter. This means that anything you link-up shows up on both blogs!
Feel free to link up several of your posts.

There are only a few rules:

Please follow both co-hostess' blogs, and visit some of the other posts and give them some encouragement!   Please stick to posts and photos not giveaways or items for sale.

By linking up, you are agreeing that Organic Aspirations or Like Mama~Like Daughter can feature your photos next week with a link back to your site.  

 Please link back to my site using this button:
Organic Aspirations

<a href="http://organicaspirations.blogspot.com
 /search/label/Eco%20Kids" target="_blank"><img
src="http://i1172.photobucket.com/albums/r577/Becki_Lewis/EcoKidsTuesdays.jpg" alt="Organic Aspirations" width="125" height="125" /></a>

7 comments:

  1. Oh very good idea. I use cloth wipes, with water only.. but they just it in a pile by the sink and I wet them one at a time.. your way is much handier!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I sometimes use just water too, and I don't fold mine if there's no time. I just throw them in the container and wet them. The only thing is, I never add my clean ones to the already wet ones because they will eventually mildew if they sit too long.

      Delete
  2. I am SO happy I came across your post! I am a cloth diaper mama and use cloth wipes as well. LOVE them and wouldn't go back. It can get pricy buying the cloth wipes. I have made some buying the fabric. I NEVER thought of using the receiving blankets I just stashed away! Thanks!!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I love the texture and thickness of the receiving blankets for wipes. It's really perfect.

      Delete
  3. Beck
    You are a good mama.
    This looks so easy and after not doing cloth ANYTHING for any of my 4 kids, I gotta say, I have some guilt. I've always sorta made excuses that it would be a hassle, but this truly looks simple and of course, healthier for kids and earth. thanks for inspiring!
    lots of love
    Joanna

    ReplyDelete
  4. Hope all is well in your family... no blog post for a week can mean you are having a GREAT time somewhere, even at home OR it can mean sick babies and hard stuff. Praying all is well!

    ReplyDelete
  5. thanks for the cloth wipes tutorial! I use those 'baby washcloths' for our wipe cloths, I think I got a thousand of them at my baby shower and had to put them to use somehow! Hope all is well with you and yours

    ReplyDelete