Sustainable Alternatives to Wet Wipes

Wet wipes for babies are one of many essential items that you’ll need as a new parent. These handy, dandy baby wipes are great for cleaning messes like nappy changes to wiping icky fingers to blotting food stains off of your bub’s clothes. Because let’s face it - while little ones are super adorable, there is never a shortage of messes. While disposal wet wipes are super convenient, they can also be a huge problem for the environment. In this blog post, we’ll discuss conventional baby wet wipes, how they may not be a sustainable choice, and eco-friendly alternatives to baby wipes.

Why wet wipes aren’t eco-friendly

Did you know that in a baby’s first year of life, they use on average 2,000 to 2,200 diapers? That’s a whole lot of diaper changes not including the number of baby wipes used! However, baby wipes can be harmful to the environment because they contain plastic fibres. Sadly, plastic doesn’t ever truly go away once we throw it out. Once we throw out a conventional baby wipe, it breaks down into microplastic, makes its way into our environment and waters, and harms our marine life, wildlife, and us humans too. 

Some baby wet wipes are advertised as flushable. However, flushable wet wipes don’t actually break down like toilet paper does. When wet wipes are flushed, they cling to pipes, catch any debris and grease, and create “balls” of waste that end up plugging our sewers. In the UK, they found that wet wipes account for 90% of the material that are clogging up the sewage system. In Canada, wet wipes are causing taxpayers at least $250 million a year because they’re creating sewer plugs.

Why you should switch to dry baby wipes

Parenting is a busy job! We get it - disposable baby wipes are convenient and easy to use. It’s hard to think that we’re adding to the waste and pollution. Besides being harmful to the environment, many baby wipes contain a cocktail of toxic chemicals and fragrances. This can irritate your baby’s skin especially if they are experiencing rashes or eczema. 

That’s why we created dry baby wipes made from 100% cotton. One of our dry baby wipes is made with 100% GOTS certified organic cotton.. With dry baby wipes, you know exactly what is going on your baby’s skin. There are no unknown, toxic chemicals, dyes, or fragrances on our baby wipes, making them great for babies with sensitive skin. To use them, you can make your DIY baby wipes solution or just simply use water. One of our Nest Designs’ employees use them and found that she was using fewer wipes per diaper change! That means, instead of using five or more wipes to clean a blowout, you might use one or two. This not only saves you money but is better for the environment since you’re putting less wet wipes into the trash. Plus, they can be easily thrown into your diaper bag. 

Alternatives to wet wipes

Our dry baby wipes are one alternative to conventional baby wipes. Other alternatives to wet wipes include:

#1: Reusable Cloth Wipes

Reusable cloth wipes create less waste and help you avoid any harmful chemicals like our dry baby wipes. To use them, you can add water or DIY a baby wipes solution. There are many brands of cloth wipes available. If you’re looking for the softest material to use on your baby’s skin, we recommend ones that are made from cotton terry or bamboo. To store your cloth wipes for diapering at home or on-the-go, you can put them in a reusable wipes container and fill them with your DIY solution. 

#2: Use Baby Washcloths

Baby washcloths like these can also be used for cloth wipes. Like reusable cloth wipes that can be purposed, baby washcloths are usually made from materials that are great for your baby’s delicate skin. Our Bubs Baby Washcloths are made from four to six layers of buttery soft bamboo blended muslin. They’re super absorbent, hypoallergenic, and naturally anti-bacterial.

#3: Wash and Go

 

Wash and go is an alternative if you’re in the convenience of your own home and looking to use less wipes in general. Simply take the diaper off, take your baby to the bathroom sink, wash them up, pat them dry, and place a new diaper on! 

Conclusion 

While wet wipes for babies are a convenient, easy-to-use solution, they can contain chemicals that can irritate your baby’s skin and harm the environment. Parenting is busy and using cloth wipes may not be for everyone. However, there are many other alternatives that would be right for your family like our dry baby wipes. These alternatives are great for the messes babies make and are gentler on your baby’s skin. 

Ready to make the switch to a non-toxic, better for your baby and the planet alternative? Shop our baby dry wipes here.