You might be tempted not to bother with washable wipes. After all, disposable wipes contribute such a small volume of waste to the environment compared with nappies, and they're so convenient. Or that's what we thought for a long time. However, after becomes complete converts ourselves we urge you to give washable wipes a try! They can save quite a considerable amount of money (with two babies in nappies we were getting through a couple of packs of disposable wipes a week, costing around £4 - £5 per week). For full-time use you would need 30 wipes (cost from £16.80) so after a few weeks you would be saving money. Think what you could spend your extra £20 per month on!

If you are using washable nappies using washable wipes really is no extra trouble. Just store, wash and dry them with the nappies. An added bonus is you don't have dirty disposable wipes sitting around in your bin for a few days! You can use your washable wipes in a number of ways. They need to be moistened before use, but what you moisten them with is up to you. That's the beauty of using washable wipes - it is up to you what substances you put on your child's delicate, absorbent skin. You may also find that if your baby is very wriggly when you are cleaning him with cold disposable wipes a few weeks of using warm wipes might help. Below are a few hints on using them.

What to use to moisten the wipes
Plain water is fine! Plain warm water is probably best for newborns as they have particularly sensitive skin. Many people notice that their babies and toddlers wriggle and try to escape when they are having their bottom wiped - try changing to a soft washable wipe dunked in warm water with a little baby wash or soap and see the difference!

You can add a tiny bit of mild baby soap to this for the stickier situations, and maybe a drop of baby oil to moisturise and make the wipe glide gently. The antiseptic properties of Tea Tree (a couple of drops) might help if your baby has a bit of a sore bottom. People often develop their own 'recipes' for a washable wipes solution, but if you do experiment (obviously) do check that what you're using is safe in the quantities you're using for babies.

Using washable wipes
1. You can mix a wipes solution for the day, dunk a handful of wipes in and store them moist and ready to use in a plastic tub with a lid. A lunchbox, ice-cream tub or similar is ideal. They can only be kept wet for a day or two, as they tend to get musty if left longer, due to not being soaked in preservatives.

2. Alternatively you can mix a quantity of wipe solution and wet your wipes with it just before you use them. You can buy or re-use spray bottles for this. Again, the solution can only be kept for a couple of days.

3. A further option is to wet your wipes in warm water and any solution just before you use them. This is not always handy but is kinder to baby, especially for little ones, as they often don't appreciate having their cosiest bits wiped with a cold wet wipe! Warm wipes may also reduce wriggling at changing time! Just use a small bowl or top to tail basin for the warm water.

We have a special offer on a washable wipes kit to get you started using them.