Can't people manage without baby wipes?

ss321

Thu, Jun 25 2009, 7:44 am

my gosh! they are so not a necessity. (BTW. the amother in the thread I started never said she doesnt have enough money for wipes. that was THE OTHER THREAD. just to make things clear). Ive gone out many x's with my kids and forgotten wipes. even with a poopy diaper it is NOT the end of the world, you find a sink and get some tissues wet and that is IT! and I think "making" your own baby wipes is very easy, you can do it using bounty paper towels. there are "recipes" online. But if I couldnt afford the basics, wipes wouldnt be something I was worried about, you can forego wipes and nothing will happen and life is not so difficult w/o them, as I have learned after forgetting them multiple times (once on an airplane overseas. nothing happened. there is water, and there are tissues and we survived just fine. no rashes to write home abt)

dee's mommy

Thu, Jun 25 2009, 9:00 am

Early on, because of a very bad diaper rash (that looked like welts), my doctor told me to stop using the baby wipes. Come to think of it, even in the hospital, they told me to use washclothes too.

Since then, I just soak a washcloth in warm water, before I even get my baby undressed. (Then I wipe her with her cloth diaper, and then use the washcloth.)

On Shabbos, I do the same thing with her diaper (that is, using it to wipe her), and spray baby's bottom with water in a spray bottle, and wipe with a dry washcloth.

Mama Bear

Thu, Jun 25 2009, 9:16 am

I cant imagine washing off a baby under a tap. I wouldnt put poop into my kichen sink, and my bathroom sink isnt deep enough for the smallest baby to fit. bending over the tub isnt an option either. my 11 month old is so wriggly I can barely wipe him when he's on the floor, so how would I hold him up under a faucet? and how do you get the baby from getting his clothes wet? I dont get how that works. and how do you lift up a soiled child without getting everything on the way soiled with #2? The easiest way is to just wipe them off while theyre laying on a flat surface.

also, I use the wipes myself too, as does my 4 yr old.I use it for cleaning off hands and knees and household surfaces. we go through 2 packs a week minimum. It's a basic staple in my house, like toilet paper.

Tehilla

Thu, Jun 25 2009, 9:19 am

no, in the most technical sense it isn't a necessity.

on the other hand, I was just learning in a sicha from our Rebbe, who was discussing Rambam...that when we help a poor person we give them a bountiful plate of food, or a good piece of clothing. we are obligated when helping to help with dignity.

I don't think those who are poor should be completely stripped of everything any more than those who are blessed with a good, steady income should stop using wipes themselves in order to have more money to give others...

sarahla

Thu, Jun 25 2009, 9:26 am

I think pp shouldn't be judging mothers who think wipes are a must. Everybody are diff, some mothers are ok with washing their bb's tush everytime for every kids: I think its great but what if you have 1 kid each yr...how many times are you going run to the bathroom to wash every bb's tishies!!?? to me in this case I'd rather use wipes, I buy them at walmart and they are cotton organic and cost about $6-7 for 4 packs, a well worth investment considering the fact that its the only wipes that doesn't give him a tushy rash- unless he's pushing a teeth then nothing works!!
Oh I also dont think its being spoiled to use wipes and if it keeps mom's sanity in place- esp with hard financial times then its just as important as food!!! I know pp are you to prob scream at me for that last statement but im taking my chances- im sure the amother is under a lot of pressure and if buying wipes releive her a bit about it then why not donate wipes for her cause!!! (I didn't read the thread so I am just taking form what pp said here)
in any case, wipes or no wipes as long as bb's tush is clean and mommy is happy that is whats important- whatever works for you Smile

freidasima

Thu, Jun 25 2009, 9:58 am

I don't know about in golus but here in EY wipes of the cheapie kind are less expensive than using running water to wash a tush.
In the days of oldest dd there were no baby wipes and we made our own. Only with infants, newborns, did we wash them under the tap. And yes, you don't want poop in your sink - feh.
And the newborns didn't have much poop either.

Clarissa

Thu, Jun 25 2009, 10:17 am

I love wipes, but I don't overuse. If it's a mess, I use a wipe to get the actual stuff off, but also keep a pile of neatly folded little towel-rags (I made them from an old baby bath towel) nearby to wet and wipe the tush, to get it cleaner. I like that better than using several wipes per poop. I wash the little towel-rags with my laundry, they're tiny but do well as wipes, either dry or wet.

I never use a wipe for a pee-related diaper change, just for poop.

Strudel

Thu, Jun 25 2009, 10:23 am

shalhevet wrote:

There were a couple of threads yesterday about people in financial difficulties - one amother said she doesn't have enough money for wipes (among other things), and on another someone suggested donating wipes to someone with financial problems.

Since when are baby wipes a necessity for people without enough money for food? Doesn't anyone just wash off their baby under the tap anymore? Much healthier than all those chemicals, anyway. And what about those who don't use wipes on Shabbos?

I saved money by only using wipes when I went out. The rest of the time - baby soap and water.

Shalhevet- what on earth is your problem? I was the poster who suggested buying the amother things like diapers (perhaps she can do without those as well) and wipes. It was only an idea, a way I thought we could help another Jew. You have managed to now take the attention away from a family who is in great need and onto yourself.
What do you have to gain from this?

greentiger

Thu, Jun 25 2009, 10:24 am

Seraph wrote:

Baby soap and water is hard- washing a struggling kid under a sink is quite difficult, especially in the winter when you have to get them totally undressed from all their layers for their "mini bath" because if you leave any clothes on, its likely to get wet.
I used cloth wipes. A drop on an initial investment, but then used a spray bottle with water, baby soap, and baby oil, then washed them in the wash with my cloth diapers. Even when I was feeling lazy about using the cloth diapers, the cloth wipes were just so much easier than regular wipes- one generally was enough for even the messiest dirty diaper...

That's a great idea! I've been wanting to quit using wipes after Googling some of the ingredients and I just bear the thought of the mess by doing it any other way. I suppose I can use cotton buds and then its disposable.

shalhevet

Thu, Jun 25 2009, 11:44 am

Strudel wrote:

shalhevet wrote:

Yes, you got it. I want lots of attention. Good for you to have noticed. Maybe when I grow up I'll be as sensitive as you.

I never said wipes aren't useful or time saving. I just said that if someone doesn't have enough money for food, wipes could be something they did without. ss321, you didn't say the needy amother had asked for wipes, just someone suggested imamothers could buy them for her. I was surprised that people viewed them as a necessity and also surprised by some of the responses here that it is so difficult to take a child to the bathroom to wash them off.

Tehilla, I agree that if possible people needing tzedaka should be given nice and non-basic things too. The question is if there is enough money available in this case to provide for basics and extras.

bbmom

Thu, Jun 25 2009, 12:42 pm

When DD was first born I thought I'd never use wipes. They cost money, I don't especially love them and my mother didn't ever use them on any of her seven children so why should I?

I have two problems though, first there is no counter space in my bathroom, nowhere to lay DD down to get her dirty diaper off, so even though I would love to just stick her tush under the tap it's not a practical option for me. Carrying her diaperless from the bedroom with a poopy tush is just not something I want to deal with.

When I first came home from the hospital I had a couple of packages of those disposable washcloths they use in the hospital so I used those. It was sort of a pain because every time I'd get ready to change her I'd have to run to the other room to wet a couple of cloths, annoying but manageable. I ran out of those and just never replaced them. I figured they can't be that much more economical because they're disposable.

Non-disposable washcloths are not reallly an option because I don't have a washing machine so the "just wipe and throw in the wash option" isn't really an option for me. I do laundry one a week at the laundromat and even if I'd be willing to let the dirty cloths pile up for a week I would have to run a separate load for the dirty cloths which would cost me three dollars. I spend less than three dollars a week on disposable wipes.

I try not to use more than one or two wipes when I change her and I only use them for poop. If it's a really big blowout diaper I get whatever I can off with one or two wipes and then wash the rest of her in the sink.

Fox

Thu, Jun 25 2009, 12:54 pm

Just give up! You can't win!

Not too long ago there was a thread concerning household sanitation, and people were appalled at anything they considered unsanitary. We discussed the importance of washing one's hands after changing diapers, etc., and several people made suggestions like using low-cost disposable gloves and making sure diapers are securely wrapped before discarding.

So now we're discussing whether wipes are a "necessity" or not! Well, obviously humans were able to get along for quite a while without them. But are they an improvement? Probably! I've certainly used paper towels (and some brands are softer than wipes, it seems!) with a little baby oil, etc., and no one came to any harm.

I can't imagine using washclothes, though. Many washers/dryers don't heat the water enough water to kill all organisms, and you're back to the basic sanitation problem.

RachelEve14

Thu, Jun 25 2009, 1:01 pm

Fox wrote:

I can't imagine using washclothes, though. Many washers/dryers don't heat the water enough water to kill all organisms, and you're back to the basic sanitation problem.

Fox you are a very wise woman (clever as a fox Wink

) but as much as I respect and admire you, I can't let it stand. I'm not going to turn this into a "cloth or disposable" debate, but it's just not true. By this logic, when your kids threw up on their sheets, did you throw away the PJs, sheets, etc, or did you put them in the washing machine. When little babies have diaper blowouts, do you throw away the outfit or launder it? My front loader machine actually does have a 95 C cycle, but I don't use it most of the time. There is nothing unsanitary at all about using cloth diapers & wipes.

bbmom

Thu, Jun 25 2009, 1:04 pm

Fox wrote:

I can't imagine using washclothes, though. Many washers/dryers don't heat the water enough water to kill all organisms, and you're back to the basic sanitation problem.

The BIG downside of using a laundromat, you have no idea what the person before you washed in there. Sad

You can sanitize a washing machine though.

I found this link-

http://www.ehow.com/how_203833......html

Oh and by the way I priced it, it costs about the same to use paper towels as it does to use wipes. The very absorbant paper towels are actually more expensive per sheet than wipes and the less absortant cost about the same, plus you usually have to use two of the those because they don't hold up well when wet.

Not only that but for some people paper towels aren't a household necessity either. For some they are an expensive luxury.

shnitzel

Thu, Jun 25 2009, 1:11 pm

Sometimes using non disposables is more of a luxury than the disposables. I would love to cloth diaper and not use wipes but the laundromat is so expensive and inconvenient I could never manage it. I also can"t imagine walking up the stairs in the middle of the night on our creaky windy staircase to the only washroom.
There are situations that making doing laundry more expensive than buying disposable (I pay 2.25 a load and .25 for 6 min in the dryer, so I squish as much as possible but tushie things would need to be separate)