Wet Wipes...A Great Invention?

One of my friends once made a comment that even though her kids are now older and do not need to constantly use wet wipes, that is one product that has since stayed with her family. Wet wipes are indeed a great invention. I wonder what parents use in olden days to clean up their kids' mess, be it on the face or bottom. They probably used the good old handkerchief. And then upgraded to tissue paper. And now, wet wipes. It cleans better than handkerchiefs or tissue paper because it is wet. It does not tear easily. And it is also disposable and comes in such handy packs. I used a lot of wet wipes on my son. It was so convenient and did a wonderful job. It was only when I hired a maid that I reduced the usage of wet wipes. That was because my maid would take my son to the bathroom to wash his bottom after his poop. When I was the sole caregiver for my son, I could not afford the time and naturally, I resorted to wet wipes. I practically used wet wipes everywhere... on my boy, on his clothes, on his toys, on the furniture, even on my dog! I would say that I have used wet wipes mindlessly, because I have never ever studied what's in them. Here are the ingredients of some common household brands : PURIFIED WATER, PROPYLENE GLYCOL, AQUA & SODIUM LAUROYL SARCOSINATE, SODIUM LACTATE, PEG-40 HYDROGENATED CASTOR OIL, PEG-45 PALM KERNEL GLYCERIDES, ALOE VERA, PPG-5 CETETH-20, CETYL PYRIDINIUM CHLORIDE, DISODIUM EDTA, MENTHOL CYCLODEXTRIN COMPLEX, LACTIC ACID, AQUA & DIMETHICONE, PHENOXYEHTANOL, METHYL-, BUTYL-, ETHYL-, PROPYL-PARABEN, FRAGRANCE. Sodium Lauroyl Sarcosinate is a detergent that is considered mild. Ceteth-20 can be potentially contaminated with ethylene oxide and 1,4 dioxane. There are five preservatives and there is artificial fragrance. PROPYLENE GLYCOL, PHENOXYETHANOL, SODIUM LACTATE, METHYLPARABEN, PEG-60 HYDROGENATED CASTOR OIL, CETYLPYRIDINIUM CHLORIDE, ETIDRONIC ACID, TETRASODIUM ETIDRONATE, JOJOBA ALCOHOL(NATURALLY OCCURRING), PPG-8-CETETH-20, WATER. This one has phenoxyethanol, a preservative, right in the top thirds of the ingredient list. Then after that methylparaben soon after. Steer clear! WATER, MINERAL OIL, C11-13 ISOPARAFFIN, POLYSORBATE-20, PHENOXYETHANOL, PROPYLENE GLYCOL, GLYCERYL STEARATE, PEG-30 STEARATE, STEARETH-10, CITRIC ACID, CETYLPYRIDINIUM CHLORIDE, TETRASODIUM EDTA, PEG-4 LAURATE, IODOPROPYNYL BUTYLCARBAMATE, FRAGRANCE. This one has mineral oil in the top thirds which can be potentially contaminated with PAHs. And this cheap mineral oil is the petro-chemical that so-called 'moisturises' your baby's bum. And phenoxyethanol follows soon. It has artificial fragrance. After examining three popular wet wipes, I think I would use them in a conservative way now. Avoid using on the face completely. If baby's bum is wet because the 'moisture' from the wet wipes transfers there, it is good to wipe that off with tissues. It is best to wash baby's bum with water if you have the chance and time. With a maid, it certainly is easier. You will save lots of wet wipes too!

PURIFIED WATER, VEGETABLE GLYCERIN, COLD PRESSED PURE SWEET ALMOND OIL, D-ALPHA-TOCOPHEROL (GMO-FREE NATURAL VIT E), PROPRIETY BLEND OF ESSENTIAL OILS, HYDROXYMEHTYLGYCINATE, POLYSORBATE, PHENOXYETHANOL

Aromababy does use phenoxyethanol as a preserving ingredient though in very small amount right at the end of the list. Beyond that, every other ingredient is fantastic. I do hope one day Aromababy will come up with totally preservative-free wet wipes. I do not have any 100% safe wet wipes to recommend. I guess all wet wipes would need some kind of preservatives but we certainly can opt for one that is the safest to use. Nowadays, I standby with me three wet square towels in small zip-log bags when I take Samuel out. I use them to wipe his face or hands if they get dirty while outdoors. They are easy to pack and I just bring them home and throw into the laundry basket for wash.