Having a baby means that you’re going to spend a lot of time changing diapers, and that’s a lot harder without the right baby wipes. If you’ve ever tried to clean up a diaper blow-out with horrible wipes, you know that it makes the job harder.
Over the past ten years, I’ve changed thousands of diapers, and I can tell you that not all wipes are created equal. Some wipes are too thin, so they fold over or crinkle up as you use them. It won’t be long before you end up with poop on your hands.
Wipes make the difference. With the bad wipes, you might need eight to ten to clean up a bad one, but with the right wipes, you can cut that amount in half.
Convinced that you need the best baby wipes yet? Let’s take a look at what you need to know.
Why Is It Hard to Pick the Best Baby Wipes?
It might seem like buying baby wipes would be easy, but most parents can tell you that not all wipes are equal.
When you walk down the store aisle, it can be mind-boggling to see all of the choices. From unscented to scented to thick wipes or those for sensitive skin, we don’t lack options.
You can’t buy based on price; some of the most expensive wipes can cause a reaction to your child. The cheapest might require you to use more than one wipe at a time, costing you more money over time.
What you don’t want is any type of irritation or rashes, and wipes can be a serious culprit. Fragrances on the bum can lead to sore spots and irritation that make your baby fussy and uncomfortable. So, picking the right wipes is a serious choice!
How Many Wipes Will My Baby Use?
You know that an average baby uses between 2,500 to 3,000 diapers in their first year of life. Considering some blow out diapers require five to ten wipes at a time, you can expect to use between 12,000 to 15,000 wipes – for one child.
No, you didn’t misread that. Your child is going to use thousands upon thousands of wipes.
I know that seems excessive, but it’s true. When your child pees, you only need one wipe per diaper. It’s an easy job. Wipe and get your baby clean. When you think about poopy diapers, it can get a bit crazy. Then remember you’ll also use these wipes to clean his hands and face when he starts to eat real food.
I can tell you that I’ve had dozens of diaper changes over the years when I used ten wipes and couldn’t believe how much poop I had to clean. It’s crazy how much poop a little body can create. Plus, newborn babies poop all day long sometimes.
The Best Baby Wipes
1. WaterWipes Unscented Baby Wipes – Best for Babies with Eczema
When your baby has eczema or sensitive skin, WaterWipes are a perfect solution. It can be hard to find wipes that don’t irritate your baby’s bottom even more. You have to stay as far away from chemicals as you can, but so many baby wipes on the market contain some form of chemicals. Plus, many natural materials will cause problems as well.
The National Eczema Association of America gave WaterWipes the Seal of Acceptance. That tells all parents with children who have eczema that these wipes are worth buying.
What makes WaterWipes so unique?
The ingredients! All these wipes contain are 99.9% of purified water and a small amount of fruit extract, which is a known natural skin conditioner. That’s it! These wipes are perfect for sensitive skin because they’re hypoallergenic and contain no harmful ingredients, such as chlorine, formaldehyde, and phthalates.
The wipes themselves are made from a blend of viscose and polyester. They’re tough enough to get the job done yet gentle and soft on your baby’s skin.
| PROS |
|---|
| Perfect for Eczema |
| All-Natural Ingredients |
| Free of Harmful Ingredients |
| CONS |
|---|
| Expensive |
| Not Fully Biodegradable |
2. Aleva Naturals Bamboo Baby Wipes – Best All-Natural Baby Wipes
Aleva Naturals is a smaller company that only sells their wipes in select stores and online, but that doesn’t mean they’re not top quality. Parents rave about these wipes that are free of harmful chemicals that could be dangerous to your baby. Aleva Naturals only uses natural ingredients to keep your baby clean.
While these wipes aren’t the cheapest, desiring natural and safe doesn’t always mean you save money. You can feel good about using these on your baby, especially if your child tends to have skin reactions to other brands.
What makes Aleva different from other brands is that they use 100% bamboo, so these wipes are incredibly durable and strong. They can handle the worst diaper changes while still being incredibly soft. Also, the brand stays far away from chemicals such as chlorine, dyes, parabens, or phenoxyethanol.
Aleva does include some impressive ingredients in their wipes, such as:
- Organic Aloe Vera
- Chamomile
- Green Tea Extract
- Lavender Oil
- Lemon Oil
- Tea Tree Oil
Last, we love that Aleva wipes are biodegradable. These wipes biodegrade in only 21 days, but other wipes can take decades! They degrade quickly because bamboo is a natural resource, and they make sure only to pick bamboo that is grown without any chemicals or pesticides.
| PROS |
|---|
| Plant-Based Ingredients |
| 100% Bamboo |
| Durable and Strong |
| Hypoallergenic |
| Biodegrades in 21 Days |
| CONS |
|---|
| Pricey |
| Strong Scent |
3. Amazon Elements Baby Wipes – The Best Budget Baby Wipes
If you think your baby is going to go through a lot of diapers, don’t forget he is going to go through triple the number of baby wipes. That means you’re going to spend a lot of money to clean up his poop. Sometimes, everything comes down to money, and if you feel as if you’re spending way too much money on wipes, take a look at Amazon Elements.
That’s right! Our beloved Amazon has its brand of affordable wipes. Now, they aren’t as thick as some of the other brands, but that’s to be expected with a budget brand. Here are some of the ingredients Amazon Elements uses in these baby wipes.
- Pharmaceutical-Grade Purified Water
- Cucumber
- Aloe Vera
- Green Tea Oil
Since these wipes are free of fragrances, alcohol, bronopol, dyes, parabens, and phthalates, they’re safe for babies and adults to use all over their bodies. You can wipe your baby’s bottom or clean her face after dinner. These wipes are pediatrician tested for safety.
When it comes to saving money, each flip-to pack comes with 80 wipes, and you can use Amazon’s auto-delivery option. That will save you an additional 5-15% on each order. Depending on the percentage of savings, you can spend as little as two cents per wipe!
| PROS |
|---|
| Soft & Sturdy |
| Affordable |
| Auto-Delivery Saves Time and Money |
| No Harsh Chemicals |
| CONS |
|---|
| Not Natural Ingredients |
4. Natracare Organic Cotton Baby Wipes – Best Organic Baby Wipes
Chances are you’ve never heard of Natracare Baby Wipes. They’re an organic brand that uses certified materials to create their wipes, which are made of cotton. Natracare uses soft, organic cotton, so these wipes are great for daily use. They won’t irritate your baby’s skin.
Natracare uses a combination of ingredients that help to nourish your baby’s skin while also getting his bottom clean. Some of those ingredients include:
- Apricot Oil
- Linden Oil
- Chamomile Oil
These oils together are chlorine-free and hydrate your skin while also soothing away any irritation or rashes. We also love that Natracare wipes are biodegradable, so you can feel better about creating extra waste. Natracare says that their wipes are compostable, but be sure not to add these wipes into the same compost that goes on your veggie garden!
If vegan products are important to you, you’ll be happy to know that Natracare doesn’t test their products on animals, nor do they use any animal ingredients.
| PROS |
|---|
| All Ingredients Are Organic |
| Soft Scent |
| Great for Sensitive Skin |
| Vegan |
| Biodegradable |
| CONS |
|---|
| Pricey |
| Thinner Than Other Brands |
5. Pampers Sensitive Baby Wipes – Best for Sensitive Skin
If you’re looking for baby wipes for sensitive skin, Pampers Sensitive Wipes avoids ingredients that often cause reactions. No parent wants to cause their baby to have a rash, and chemicals can lead to drying out the skin or irritation. Pampers made sure you don’t need to worry about that.
Dermatologists tested these gentle, mild wipes, and they don’t contain any perfumes. Perfumes commonly cause allergic reactions or rashes. While the ingredients aren’t natural, they still work great for sensitive skin.
You’ll notice that these baby wipes have a soft grip texture, so they’re still effective at cleaning a dirty bottom, even though they feel soft as possible. Pampers excluded parabens, alcohol, and phenoxyethanol, as well as the perfumes mentioned before.
| PROS |
|---|
| Affordable |
| Great for Sensitive Skin |
| Textured Grip |
| Lightly Scented |
| CONS |
|---|
| Leaves an Oily Residue |
| Not Natural |
6. Huggies Natural Care Baby Wipes – Best Unscented Baby Wipes
When your child has sensitive skin, picking unscented wipes is a smart idea because fragrances can irritate delicate skin. Huggies formulated their wipes free of any chemicals, but they still get your baby as clean as possible.
Huggies uses natural ingredients that won’t cause rashes or allergic reactions. You won’t find any parabens, fragrances, or alcohol! Huggies enriched the wipes with aloe vera and vitamin E, and you can use them on any part of your baby’s body from his head to his butt. Plus, they’re pH balanced, so they help to keep your child’s skin healthy.
| PROS |
|---|
| Cleans Effectively |
| Affordable |
| No Rashes or Reactions |
| No Harsh Chemicals |
| CONS |
|---|
| Not As Natural As Other Brands |
7. Aveeno Baby Sensitive Baby Wipes – Best All Over Wipes
Most people are familiar with Aveeno and its products. They sell these wipes and advertise them as “all over” wipes, which means they intend for them to be used on all parts of your body, not just the private parts. You can use these on your hands, feet, face, and wherever else you might have a mess.
Just like all of their products, the Aveeno Baby Wipes are fragrance-free and hypoallergenic, using a 99% naturally derived formula. When you look at the ingredients, these wipes are 99% water and a few other additives. That means the risk of having a reaction or irritation is rather low.
Also, the Aveeno wipes are pH balanced, so they help to heal and nourish your baby’s skin. At the same time, it’s paraben, phthalate, alcohol, and phenoxyethanol free.
These wipes are durable and thick created with soft fibers, so they’re perfect for easy clean-ups at home or while on the go. The packaging is easy to open and lets you pull one wipe at a time, and it’s resealable, which helps maintain moisture.
| PROS |
|---|
| Great or All-Over Use |
| Hypoallergenic |
| Fragrance-Free |
| Thick and Durable |
| CONS |
|---|
| Only 56 Wipes Per Container |
| Not As Moist As Others |
8. Kirkland Baby Wipes – Best Wipes in Bulk
Costco knows what they’re doing when they create anything, and the Kirkland Baby Wipes are a great choice if you want to buy wipes in bulk. They sell their wipes in bags that snap shut, stopping the wipes from drying out without needing a stiff tub that you can’t take with you places.
Parents rave about these wipes because they’re durable and larger than the average wipe. So, you don’t need to worry about them tearing or ripping when you have a seriously dirty job ahead.
Kirkland Baby Wipes are hypoallergenic and contain small amounts of aloe vera and vitamin E that help you nourish and soothe your skin.
| PROS |
|---|
| Large Wipes |
| Seals Well |
| No Fragrances |
| Soothes The Skin |
| CONS |
|---|
| Wipes Tend to Clump |
| Expensive |
How to Pick the Best Baby Wipes
There are dozens of different brands for baby wipes on the market, and they all want you to think that they have the perfect wipe for your baby.
The truth is there is no perfect wipe that works for all kids, but there is a brand that will be perfect for your child! Here is how you decide.
Does Your Baby Have Delicate Skin?
The first thing you should think about is whether or not your child has skin sensitivity issues. Perhaps your child has eczema or frequent skin irritation.
In those cases, you want to make sure that the wipes you select are gentle, chemical-free, and fragrance-free. Fragrances are one of the most common ingredients that will irritate your child’s skin.
Look at The Ingredients
Then, take a look at all of the ingredients. I don’t know about you, but I like to read and understand what the parts are in the products that I use on my child. The brand should use things that you can understand and that have a purpose in the wipes.
Scented vs. Unscented
Your baby doesn’t care if his bottom smells like cucumbers, lavender, or nothing. It’s only you that might care if you use scented or unscented. You should remember that scented products ten to irritate the skin more frequently.
Make Sure They’re Durable
You don’t want wipes that are so thin and flimsy that they break or rip open as you try to clean your baby’s poop explosion. At the same time, the wipes need to be soft and gentle on your baby’s skin.
Affordable
In the end, you’re going to toss these wipes out into the trash, so you don’t want to break the bank. Look for wipes that are affordable and fit within your price range.
Container Type
Wipes come in all different types of containers. You can get the tubs that dispense one at a time, and you need to refill. You can have softer bags with a flip-top or buy them in bulk in a large, resealable bag.
Disposable vs. Cloth Wipes
If you want to save money, you might want to look at disposable wipes vs. cloth wipes. Baby wipes fill our landfills across the world, accounting for around 30% of the non-biodegradable items. Even the “flushable” wipes are bad for the environment.
As more people turn to cloth diapering for environmental and financial reasons, it makes sense that cloth wipes are gaining in popularity. We won’t cover cloth wipes completely, but here are some basic pros and cons.
| PROS |
|---|
| Environmentally Friendly |
| Saves Money Over Time |
| Chemical Free |
| Great for Sensitive Skin |
| CONS |
|---|
| Pricey to Start-Up |
| Harder to Take When Out |
Is It A Good Idea to Buy in Bulk?
When you become a parent, you quickly realize that some things you need to have a stockpile of and baby wipes are one of those things. Buying in bulk is often the most economical way to buy wipes, and you don’t want to worry about running out of them.
Now, I don’t suggest that you stockpile and buy in bulk before your baby is born. You need to know what types of wipes will work best for your child. Babies with sensitive skin need to have a different brand, and what worked for one child might lead to a reaction in another.
Once you’ve tried a brand and went through a single pack without any reaction, decide if you like them enough to buy 600-800 of one brand. They need to work for your baby and get his bottom clean, or you wasted your money.
Do Baby Wipes Expire?
In general, no, they don’t expire. If you’re using wipes with added lotions or oils, they last about three months once opened or two years unopened. That allows you to stockpile when you find a good sale. Plain water wipes or wipes with fever ingredients last longer, especially if you don’t let them dry out.
That means you can buy in bulk until your heart is content!
One tip for wipes to last longer is to store them upside down in soft packages or make sure the lid is closed. You also can revive dried wipes by spraying them with water before using them.
Buying The Best Baby Wipes
You want to get your baby’s bottom as clean as possible without causing any reactions. The best baby wipes will soothe and clean your baby’s butt, getting the job done as comfortably as possible.
