Function sometimes coincides with Environmentalism, yay!

   What is one simple way to help Mother Earth? Well, switch from disposable baby wipes to reusable, washable wipes of course! I thought that it would be a pain, but it is SOO easy and I love how durable, functional and gosh darn cute they are. I'm not going to post any researched stats. I can, however tell you that I use over 20 wipes a day and that's just diaper duty and there is like 70 wipes in a $4 disposable package...so you do the math. It just makes sense. When you do a couple loads of laundry a day, adding wipes to a load barely adds any bulk. I also cloth diaper, so I just add my wipes to that load. (My affection for cloth diapers is a whole other story...)
   I literally made all of my wipes out of flannel material I had on hand. I'm lucky enough to have a beautiful Bernina serger at my disposal, so it took all of ten minutes to serge up a whole batch of wipes. They are all odd shaped, single layered (I found I like them thin), easy on my baby's tushy, absorbent, and adorable. I keep dry ones in my diaper bag for diaper changes, runny noses, scrapes, and instant toy for Chloe. At home, I keep them in an airtight container, with homemade solution to use just like wet wipes.
   I know a lot of moms who use homemade solution in spray bottles and just spray their dry wipes when they need them. I do this on the go in my diaper bag, but for home use, I love having them all ready for me to grab. There are tons of recipes out there to make solution. It is basically: distilled water only (doesn't mold or get stale like plain tap water), a soap of some kind (I use lavender BABY wash- it's gentle enough for their eye balls, it's gentle enough for their hiney), an oil (I currently use a squirt of baby oil, but have also used olive oil and like that too), and an antibacterial agent ( Essential oil, EO- tea tree oil, 2 drops, you do not want to go overboard with this stuff).  I make it in a coffee mug and stir in all of the ingredients in heated water, then dump it in my container with the wipes.
    That first diaper change after I make the solution is probably the happiest for my Chloe, because the rest of the day the wipes are cold. Some moms put their wipes in a wipe warmer, but I'm just not that picky. I swear it is sooo worth switching, because cloth wipes just clean up messes better, they're better scented since you get to pick the scent or just use water, they can be used instead of dry, harsh tissue for noses, and my kid has no sensitivities to them versus chemically icky disposables!
   So my wipes are about 8" x 8" give or take an inch or two. Like I said, they are single layered, though you can make and buy double layered. Some have flannel on one side and minky, soft material on the other side. Some are made with cotton, tshirty material, but I prefer flannel. I serge my edges, but you can easily straight stitch or zigzag the edges too. I'm all about cute prints and have quite a collection of crazy prints. You can always get cheap flannel on clearance. 
   I'm not telling you to change what you use. Maybe you don't deal with laundry well or poopys, though I can't imagine a mom saying this? I'm just raving about why I love my cloth wipes. It's an easy way to save money too and these days we can all use an extra few bucks, right? Just a thought for you! Any questions, comments or suggestions welcome. I obviously have time to answer any questions you may have.