Bon Appétit: Homemade wipes

Don't eat these. I just thought I'd put that out there. This may not be an edible recipe but it is a recipe nonetheless, with teaspoons and whisks and everything! For all of you who don't have babes in diapers, these make great all-purpose wipes for hands and faces of any age.

A good friend of mine made these and used them with each of her four kids. When I first saw them I was years away from having my own baby's bum to wipe, but I said to myself, "I am totally going to make my own wipes!" I like knowing what goes into my baby's products, and with these you don't have to buy and throw out countless plastic containers.

These wipes are sturdy and hold up well when cleaning poopy messes. You have to use Bounty paper towels, just because they are the strongest. Use either the whole pieces of the ones that are perforated in half - the wipe itself will be half of whatever size sheet you choose. Another note is that my friend made them with baby oil, but I found that the scent was just too strong for me. I've substituted mineral oil and a few drops of essential oil. I use lavender but I would encourage experimenting - I'm sure scents like mint or lemon would be great too.

Here is the recipe they used, with a couple tweaks.

Homemade Wipes

Ingredients:

1 well-cleaned Kraft peanut butter jar (must be those big ones, 1 kg I think)

1 roll of Bounty paper towel

3/4 cup water

1 tbsp baby shampoo/wash

1 scant tbsp mineral oil or baby oil

2-3 drops of essential oil

Note: Use whatever products you are comfortable

with. All-natural products are clearly best, but use what you've got.

Directions:

First cut your roll of paper towel in half using a large, sharp knife. Don't use a serrated one, it chews up the edges too much (I know this from experience...). Then wiggle or twist or rip out the cardboard roll in the middle. Shove the roll into the peanut butter jar as best you can.

Now measure out the water, baby shampoo and oil into a bowl or measuring cup, and if you are using essential oil, carefully measure in a couple drops. Don't do what I did and dump a teaspoon's worth all at once - way too strong!