Once you get into the swing of using reusable nappies, there's a bit of a white elephant in the room which is the wipes. You have a wet bag or nappy bucket that you sling the nappies/boosters/liners/wraps etc in and then you have the dirty wipes to dispose of. Not to mention that you have to keep buying more of them. Many of the reason people decide to use reusable cloth nappies in the first place can also be applied to washable wipes such as finance, textile, environmental factors, chemicals etc.
It's so much easier to use cloth wipes, if you're washing nappies anyway you may as well just chuck reusable wipes in with them.
There are a few options for reusable wipes, with Thing Two and The Dude I used cheap baby flannels from the pound shop yet the quality deteriorated and water would pool on them rather than soaking into them. You can simply cut up fleece and use that but I personally have an aversion to wet fleece.
The lovely people at Cheeky Wipes sent me a fabulous full kit to try out and review for you.
In a Cheeky Wipes 'all-in one' full kit you get everything you need in one easy purchase:
- 25 - Lovely soft cloth baby Wipes, 15 cm x 15 cm choose from white cotton terry, bamboo, rainbow bamboo or microfibre, or choose our trial set to receive 5 each White cotton terry, natural bamboo, cotton flannel, microfibre, rainbow cotton or rainbow bamboo(Need help in choosing?
- 'Single-Clip' Fresh Baby Wipes container
- 'Single-Clip' Mucky Baby Wipes container - with mesh bag insert
- Cheeky Wipes Fresh Baby Wipes waterproof out and about travel bag
- Cheeky Wipes Mucky Baby Wipes waterproof out and about travel bag - with mesh bag insert
- 10 ml bottle of Fresh Baby Wipes Essential Oil Blend - choose from Lavender & Chamomile, Mandarin & teatree or Rose & Rose Geranium
- 10 ml bottle of Tea Tree & Tea Tree Lemon Mucky Baby Wipes Essential Oil Blend .
If you're new to reusable wipes they provide full and easy to follow instructions. Into the fresh wipes box you fill with water up to the designated mark, add a few drops of the fresh baby wipes oil blend and then put your wipes in, turning them over a few times until they're all wet. In the Mucky Baby Wipes container you place the mesh bag insert and a few drops of the Mucky Baby Wipes Essential Oil Blend (be careful with this, it's a bit potent!) and you're ready to go.
Both tubs have a handy single clip closure lock so you can open them one handed whilst wrestling your baby with the other (you know the score, you're holding their bum up bu their ankles whilst squealing 'Gah, poo...no not on the carpet gah!')
As the wipes are pre-soaked it really is just as easy as using disposable wipes only better. Why? Well for a start as they're thick they don't stick together, they have a bit of friction/grip so you use less. Whereas disposable wipes often smear the poo round a bit, Cheeky Wipes have a bit of friction because of the fabric so they gently and efficiently clean with less effort and less wipes. Once you've finished wiping just place the used wipes in the Cheeky Wipes Mucky Baby container. Jobs a good un.
If you're going out and about, simply transfer a few of the presoaked wipes into the 'Fresh baby wipes' waterproof out and about bag, when used place them in the mesh lined 'Muck Baby Wipes' out and about bag, the latter is mesh lined so once home just unzip the mesh bag and wash as normal.
It really is that simple and in my opinion they're much more effective and thorough at cleaning baby.
The oils provided are lovely, especially the lavender and chamomile for it's gentle and natural properties. If you'd rather make your own though you can stick to just water or even cooled chamomile tea.
Pre-soaked wipes aren't to everyone's taste despite how handy they are as you literally only have to grab and use. An alternative is to make up the mixture in a spray bottle and store the wipes dry. You can then either spray the wipe or baby's bum direct when you want to change their nappy.
If you're ridiculously lazy like me, you can forgo the mucky wipes container as I just bung everything (nappies, liners, boosters, wraps and wipes) into my giant wetbag together ready for the wash and then separate them again when they're clean and dry.
As well as being a cloth nappy user, I was drawn to Cheeky Wipes as Moomin has eczema. I'm loathe to put unnecessary chemicals on her at the best of times but having eczema makes you extra aware of exactly what you are putting on their skin. Have you ever used a baby wipe on your own skin? Have you ever looked at the ingredients in them, even the so-called 'sensitive' ones? At first it wasn't so bad with them being primarily for her bum, although I do notice a significant occurrence of redness when using disposable wipes. Once weaning times comes though, you need something for their face, hands, legs etc. There is no way I'd ever put 99% of baby wipes anywhere near Moomin's eczema covered face.
Cheeky wipes are ideal for this, once again they're gentle and much more effective than their disposable counterparts at cleaning up mucky hands and faces and without the chemicals so gentle enough even for eczema affected baby skin. I especially recommend the absolutely gorgeous minky sided wipes which are incredibly squishy and silky soft.
These are good quality wipes, they haven't frayed, remain soft and wash well too. I'm also a sucker for the multi colours too. Once you've used them you'll realise that using disposable wipes is literally like throwing money away in comparison.
These are good quality wipes, they haven't frayed, remain soft and wash well too. I'm also a sucker for the multi colours too. Once you've used them you'll realise that using disposable wipes is literally like throwing money away in comparison.
*** Cheeky Wipes provided me with one of their complete sets for the purpose of this review, however, all opinions and experiences are my own and honest.
