When our son was a baby, we used a great diaper wipe from a company called Tushies. It had no detergent in it whatsoever, and the major cleansing ingredients were aloe and glycerine, which are also good for the skin. We loved that we could understand every ingredient – no ten-syllable words you can only find in a chemical industry manual.
The wipe worked well. But then the company changed the formula – it became just another one of those supposedly “natural” detergent wipes. When we ran out of the old formula, we switched to a spray bottle with filtered water and Bounty paper towels for diaper changes. If we tore the paper towels into individual pieces and stacked them next to the changing table, this turned out to be no more trouble than wipes. It also worked extremely well. After cleaning up with the water and paper towels, we patted the skin with a little cornstarch, and that was it. We never had any diaper rash, not once. So we stopped using the wipes and never looked back.
But wipes come in handy for more than just diaper changes. They are great for on-the-go clean ups. Teachers at school even ask parents for donations of wipes along with other school supplies.
I recently went to the store expecting to find nothing but detergent-soaked diaper wipes. I was pleasantly surprised. Tushies seems to once again be making a simple no-detergent diaper wipe under the Tushies name. I tried TenderCare wipes (which I believe are also made by the Tushies company) – the product works well, is flushable, and best of all, has a short, simple, truly natural and safe ingredients list. No detergents. Not even any ingredients I had to scratch my head about and look up on the Internet to be sure.
Hi, I have kids with eczema and I think you’re info here can help us but I’m having difficulty understanding how to differentiate detergents from soaps when scientific names are used. I’ve spent a lot of time trying to decipher the information/websites you provided but I just don’t “get it”. Wouldn’t Sodium lauroyl isethionate be classified as a detergent since it’s Sodium something something -ate? But on a previous post about dove soap it was listed on the “okay” list. I have a million other questions and I hate to bother you but I don’t know who else to ask. Please respond to autumnleavitt@hotmail.com. Thanks in advance!
Hi Autumn,
The answer to your question can be found in the information on the blog and the site. I no longer recommend Dove anyway, though it remains open whether I will again in the future.
I wish I could do more. I am so sorry, but I am almost unable to correspond over my site these last several months. The medical appeal I mentioned in my blog will now be going to judicial review. I’m hoping I’ll be able to devote a little more time to the site in a few months. I’d also like to set up a discussion group so that people who have gone through it can answer the questions of other moms and dads. Some of the parents who have used the site are incredibly knowledgeable after going through it. Come to think of it, can anyone help Autumn?