Merlion Audio

All The Best Sound

Viva Zinc

Paper Towels and water vs baby wipes?

My boyfriend won't let me use baby wipes because of the chemicals, he won't even let me use seventh generation wipes. He's satisfied with using water, which he keeps in a bowl by the side of the changing table until it runs out, but I change it everytime, and a viva paper towel. I have a problem with this because my 2 week old son is starting to get diaper rash around his anus, (we're using a cloth diaper service) and chaffing from having to rub hard enough to get crusted poo off his butt. My boyfriend says he'd rather him have a chaffed butt and use desitin or butt paste for the zinc oxide instead putting chemicals on his skin. I don't like rubbing his butt so it's red and chaffed to get poop off, is using just a papertowel and water safe???

I agree that baby wipes are terrible -- they give my baby a bad rash (even the "sensitive" ones).
However, you need to get fresh water-- leaving water in a dish like that is not good; definitely don't leave water over night.
Here's what I do:
I use these cotton pads: http://www.drugstore.com/qxp163197_333181_sespider/swisspers/facial_cleansing_pads.htm. I recommend these because they are thick and soft. You can actually just use any cotton pad or cotton balls for a small baby, but as the baby gets older you are going to want something bigger.
If you use paper towels, Viva are the softest. You can also do cloth wipes and wash them with the cloth diapers (baby washcloths are good, or just get some soft material and make them yourself). I use cloth for drying, but I don't use cloth diapers so I don't want to have to launder them daily so I don't use them for wiping.
I keep a thermos of warm water next to the changing table, and pour the water onto the cotton pad. I have a dish to catch any excess water. However, having a dish of water and dipping does not work well, because bacteria gets in the water from your hand, the air, or the wipe and the water in the dish gets gross really fast.
For big messes, I keep a bottle of Cetaphil soap on the changing table (the unscented kind). You might also try California Baby Diaper Area Wash. Both can be used with minimal rinsing. If you are concerned about the chemicals in either of those soaps, you can look them up here: http://www.cosmeticsdatabase.com/special/parentsguide/?gclid=CPLX2pu0_5ACFRsFagodeW9SGg&nothanks=1

Arcade pt1.wmv