Frugal Baby Wipes

Oh the joys of being a Grandma! I can hold 'em and spoil 'em and hand 'em back!

Honestly though, I just returned from my son's house where I was privileged to help out after the birth of their second child. Little Autumn was born on Groundhog Day and weighed in at 9 pounds, 9 ounces.

So with a newborn granddaughter, my mind naturally turned to ideas for frugal living that involve babies. Recently I found a great frugal website called Tip Hero filled with all kinds of great tips for cutting costs. While looking through all the tips, I found this "recipe" for homemade baby wipes which was submitted by a reader.

Ingredients:
1 tbsp. baby wash
1 tbsp. baby oil
1/2 roll of strong paper towels
1 3/4 - 2 cups of water

Cut the roll, including the cardboard tube, in half. Add all liquid ingredients to a plastic container (about 6 or 7 inches in diameter, and about 6 inches high - or reuse an empty baby wipes container). Put in the cut roll of paper towels, place top of the container on and turn the container upside down until the liquid absorbs. Remove the cardboard center, and pull wipes from the center.

Since you're only using a tablespoon at a time of the baby oil and baby wash, the bottles last a long time. If you wanted to, you could purchase soft terrycloth wash cloths for use at home with this solution and keep the paper towel wipes in the diaper bag. The cloth squares are washable and re-usable, a great green alternative.

One reader commented that she used a serrated edge knife or an electric knife to cut the roll of paper towels more easily since they are difficult to cut without shredding them.

Other readers suggested using the Viva brand because they are thicker and softer to use for the baby. Viva makes a "select-a-size" paper towel so you can tear off a smaller piece at a time, making them last longer.

Another reader makes her own moist towelettes by pouring a 3% solution of hydrogen peroxide over squares of cloth which she cuts from old tee shirts or other cotton type fabric. She keeps them in an opaque container in her purse. She places the used ones in another container or baggie and washes them at home so they can be used again.

I plan on passing this suggestion along to my daughter in law ans my daughter who also has children still in diapers. What other helpful baby money-saving things have you tried? I'd love to hear from you!