DIY: Extra-sensitive skin baby wipes

I don’t know of many young ones who get diaper rash every time a regular baby wipe is used, but darn it if we didn’t end up with just such a baby boy.

Our first plan of action was Pampers Sensitive Skin wipes. They’re a bit pricier per unit, but you do what you have to do to avoid a red butt on your kid. Sadly, those still seemed to irritate the boy’s skin.

Thankfully, before our son was even born I’d found a great post about how to make your own natural wipes. The ingredients? Baby wash, water & coconut oil.

Here’s the original post. A true lifesaver, or at least, a real butt-saver because my poor little boy probably wouldn’t have one of those if it weren’t for this solution. This was my blueprint, and through trial and error I came to a recipe for homemade baby wipes that not only cleaned effectively, but had a good balance and didn’t rash out the little boy.

It’s also a little closer to natural, if you’re into that kind of thing.

Here’s my own recipe for homemade baby wipes for extra-sensitive skin. There are a couple of affiliate links — I specify these products because these are the only baby washes we tried that did not make my son’s skin react and turn red. They are wonderful for his extra-sensitive skin.

Materials needed:

• 1 very heaping teaspoon organic, unrefined coconut oil
• 1.25 cups hot water
• 1/2 teaspoon Live Clean Soothing Relief Baby Wash or Aleva Naturals Sleep Easy Hair and Body Wash
• Bounty Select-A-Size paper towels, roll cut in half
• A clean plastic Folgers coffee container is PERFECTLY sized for this, otherwise a dollar store container similar in size/shape

Cut your Bounty roll in half. (Other brands seem to fall apart or don’t line up very well on the perforations for the perfect tear once wet.) Select-A-Size works much better for wipes because then you’re not using an enormously long wipe every time regardless of a pee or poop, and it’s much nicer to pull out of the container. So how to cut it? I use a meat cleaver like a saw. Ha! A serrated knife sounds like a good idea at first, but it gets very, very messy. So use a bigger, sharper knife that you’re not in love with.

Once cut, plunk a Bounty halved-roll into your container, leaving the cardboard tube in for now.

Run tap water until hot, then put 1.25 cups into a mason jar or other glass. Add the coconut oil. Then add the baby wash. Order doesn’t matter but I usually do it this way to save a spoon (hah). I use a mason jar that has the measurements on the side for ease.

Stir like mad until it all blends. Pour slowly, gradually, covering all of the roll. Close lid. Wait 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, turn the roll upside down and replace in the container. Pull the cardboard tube out.

The first time you do this, cut an X into the center of the lid for dispensing. Then pull the first sheet through your lid’s X and close!

And it’s ready for use! Diaper rash no more.

And hey, if you don’t want to keep explaining why you have Folger’s coffee in your baby’s change area to guests and babysitters, you can always decorate the can to make it look cute!

Is your baby’s skin extra sensitive too? Give these homemade wipes a go. I hope they make a world of difference for your little one’s skin as they have for ours.