Baby wipes are the most convenient way to clean when changing diapers and help keep your baby’s delicate skin clean, fresh, and non-irritating. Pediatric dermatology studies have shown that not all baby wipes are created equal, and the ingredients in baby wipes must be safe and gentle on the skin to reduce the risk and discomfort of diaper rash.
1. WaterWipes Baby Wipes, 99.9% Water
Each wipe, it’s about 7 cents, and the closest you’ll find is a piece of cotton soaked in water! Compared to all the green products that surround baby wipes, WaterWipes brings a breath of fresh air. The wipes themselves are made from non-woven cotton and wool fibers, then dipped in purified water and a little grapefruit seed and soapberry extract. Grapefruit seed extract is made from the seeds and pulp of grapefruit and typically contains vegetable glycerin. Soapberry extract is extracted from the soapberry tree, which is native to Georgia and Florida. When used at recommended concentrations, grapefruit seed extract has an EWG score of 1 (lowest risk) and soapberry extract has a score of 1 (lowest risk). These two ingredients help protect wipes, prevent mold and other bacteria from growing, and aid in cleaning. In our tests, these wipes were sturdy and soft, and considering the mildness of the ingredients, the cleaning effect was surprisingly effective. It is a perfect choice for babies with sensitive skin and will not cause any irritation during our 3 years of use. That’s exactly what WaterWipes is all about – providing you with highly sensitive, hypoallergenic, chemical-free diaper wipes. For wet diapers, they perform very well, cleaning well and leaving no detectable residue. For soiled diapers, we need to double the wipes to make sure our hands stay clean, but they work well without excessive rubbing. Honestly, it’s great that your hands and baby won’t smell chemicals and artificial flavors after a diaper change.
Our only real criticism is the packaging, which makes it relatively difficult to retrieve the wipes and can only be sealed with an adhesive cap. Also, since these wipes are 99.9% water, the water does settle slightly on the bottom of the package. This problem is easy to fix by simply flipping the package occasionally to allow the water to soak through the upper wipes.
2. Honest Company Sensitive Baby Wipes
When buying a larger box of wipes, such as a 288-piece pack, it’s about 7 cents each. The Honest Company is known for producing high-quality and environmentally responsible products, but they also tend to be a bit more expensive than their counterparts. These baby wipes are super soft, gentle, and contain some high-quality fruit and plant extracts to gently clean your baby’s bottom. Importantly, we found that these wipes are very sensitive and they do not cause any rashes to the infants, toddlers, or adults we tested. The wipe is sturdy and soft, and has a very good texture and size (7″ x 8″) that makes cleaning more effective. These baby wipes are not washable but biodegradable within 60 days. Like the new Aqua Pure wipes, the packaging features a convenient plastic flip closure that distributes and retains moisture well when you’re not using them. The packaging comes in several different patterns and designs, like the blue Ikat pictured, but there is also a lovely geometric pattern option, as well as a pattern with roses. It may not matter as much to you, but some parents like this. The packaging is easy to dispense with one hand, the smell is very mild and pleasant, and the dotted texture is perfect for cleaning up manure and does not leave any noticeable oil film. This may be because Honest Company has put a lot of thought into the ingredients and carefully excluded parabens, alcohol, chlorine (and even in the manufacturing process of the wiper itself, it is made from natural cellulose fibers), phthalates/BPA, formaldehyde, phenols, ammonium, and lanolin. And there are no animal tests or animal by-products (glycerin is plant-based, not of animal origin), for what it is worth. These hypoallergenic wipes only contain ingredients with an EWG (1-10) hazard level of 2 or lower, which is extremely rare!
Overall, these are truly excellent baby wipes that are well worth a spot on our list, and the ingredient list reassures parents that they are using high-quality, low-risk, hypoallergenic baby wipes on their babies.
3. Babyganics Ultra Gentle Baby Wipes
About 4-5 cents per wipe. Babyganics has a range of gentle baby products, including top-of-the-line sunscreens, baby body washes, and now baby wipes! In our tests, we found these baby wipes to be soft, sensitive, durable, and effective. In most cases, we don’t need to double down on these to clean diapers, but we do find them to be a bit small and thin. It’s nowhere near the thickness of Bloom wipes, or even Huggies or Pampers wipes. They leave a nice wet residue and don’t leave any oil film on your hands or butt, which is more than we can say about most other options. They seemed to be very gentle on even the most sensitive cheeks and butts, and we didn’t notice any increase in diaper rash or other sensitive symptoms. This is not surprising considering the high-quality, fragrance-free sensitive ingredients, including chamomile and several natural seed oils. Overall, we think these are excellent and efficient (but maybe a little smelly) baby wipes that are perfect for most families!
4. Rascal + Friends Sensitive Baby Wipes
About 2-3 cents per wipe. Rascal + Friends is a relatively new product in the baby wipes market, but as an excellent choice for sensitive baby wipes, it is rich in ingredients and quickly gained popularity. First of all, the Rascal + Friends packaging is very good: each package contains 72 individually dispensed wipes, the packaging has a plastic flip cover that is convenient to use and helps to retain moisture inside, and the packaging is perfect for baby wipes warmers. Secondly, these wipes are fragrance-free and essentially odorless, they use plant-based fabrics, contain soothing chamomile, aloe vera, and pomegranate extracts, and are 99% natural. Third, the wipes (each measuring 6.5″ x 8″) are large, sturdy, and perfectly thick, preventing breakage while also minimizing waste. Wipes clean #1 and #2 nicely and leave the bottom feeling clean and soft. The only downside we found was that they were very smooth and didn’t have any texture. No big deal, just a personal preference!
5. Pampers Sensitive Baby Wipes
About 2-3 cents per wipe. These were the go-to wipes for three of the five moms who took the hands-on test. All reviewers rave about the gentleness, softness, thickness, durability, and fragrance of these baby wipes. When you buy in the right quantity, you can’t go wrong with the price. You only need one wipes for the wet job, and you may need 2 wipes for the dirty job. That’s because you can wipe and then fold and wipe again. There aren’t many other wipes that can do this without worrying about things soaking through the wipes and getting on your hands. By the way, they are about 20% thicker than the Pampers Natural Clean variety. We also like that they are very wet, which makes it easier to clean up. Some options, such as Target Up&Up wipes, are somewhat dry and rough. Huggies sensitive papers are similar to these but aren’t as thick, so even though they’re cheaper, you’ll end up using more. Now let’s talk about the cons. First of all, any sensitive wipes are not as effective as non-sensitive wipes; For example, Pampers baby fresh wipes clean better than these wipes, but they are not sensitive and are not as effective at preventing diaper rash. Secondly, these third-best baby wipes are among the greasy wipes on the list. What we mean by this is that they leave a thin film of oil after wiping, which we assume is castor oil or some other moisturizer. Nothing terrible, but it’s worth mentioning compared to Bloom or WaterWipes. So, if you’re looking for a good-quality, thick, sensitive, and don’t have any strong odors, Pampers Sensitive is a great choice.