What a money saver

Something that is an absolute necessity for baby right from the start is baby wipes. Wipes can cost anywhere from $4-$7 a package, and they go quite quickly. Not to mention that these products can contain chemicals that could irritate baby's sensitive skin, or even cause health problems.

By making your own baby wipes, you can minimize health risks, as well as diaper rash. Wipes are surprisingly easy to make, and they don't take that much time either. I have been making my own baby wipes because I like the fact that I know exactly what is going onto my baby's skin.

What you will need:

• 2 cups of warm water 
• 2 tablespoons of baby oil
• 4 tablespoons of baby lotion
• 2-3 drops of tea tree oil
• bottle for storage (I use a plastic water bottle)
• choose a size paper towels (make sure that you use a quality paper towel; I use viva--they are nice and soft)
• container to keep wipes in (I use a wipes container from some wipes that I got at my baby shower; I made sure to clean the container first)
• scissors

The process:

• Put the baby oil, lotion, and water into a pot.
• Heat the pot over low heat. (the ingredients don't have to be heated before you combine them, however, they will mix easier if they are slightly heated)
• Using a wisk, vigorously mix the oil, lotion, and water together.
• Turn the heat off.
• Using a funnel, pour the mixture from the pot into the empty bottle.
• Add 2-3 drops of tea tree oil (use an eye-dropper) to your prepared wipes solution.
• Allow the mixture to cool. (it should only be slightly warm)

• While the solution is cooling, tear 6-7 sheets from the choose a size paper towel roll.
• Cut the stack of paper towels in half width-wise.
• Place the stack into your wipes container.

• After the wipes solution has cooled, shake the mixture.
• Pour enough mixture over the cut paper towels to throughly the wipes.

• Close the lid, and let sit for 10 minutes.
• After 10 minutes open the lid of your container and flip the stack of paper towels over.
• Close the lid.

That's it. Simple as that. Make sure that you don't saturate too many wipes at once. Since these wipes don't have preservatives in them, they won't keep as long. I make only as many as I need for a day or two (7-10 choose a size sheets). For the diaper bag, I have a travel wipes case that I fill with only as many wipes as I will need.