So, if you don’t know all that much about how our green journey started, it had to do with a really bad bum rash, on a teeny tiny newborn, with a panicked mom and nothing that seemed to help us. Until a new natural product arrived at my midwives clinic and she suggested I give it a go. I had honestly tried a plethora of creams, medicines, ointments, powders and nothing had helped, and so I was willing to give anything a shot. And it worked. Clay powder and calendula cream. That was it.

That word calendula holds a million emotions for me. It was the first thing I googled when this bleeding, blistering, bum rash started healing. How do I get my hands on more of this goodness, and can I smother it all over my newborn to keep him safe for-ev-er? And as my research into calendula grew, so did my knowledge and understanding of natural products; what they do, why they’re so effective, how much safer they are than regular store bought products… and and and.

During my exploration of how to care for this tender tush, I was advised to not use any wet wipes, often not even a towel directly on his bum. Picture the scene: There I am, a nervous 28yr old first time mom, holding my wriggling, gurgling newborn (like Rafiki does in The Lion King) under lukewarm water (with one hand) to wash his bum (with the other hand, that’s right, no cloth), and only to have pre-placed a towel in the slither of ‘sun’ on the 1m x 1m patch of grass found in the average Vancouver backyard. Straight from the bathroom, we headed outside to the towel, where we air-and-sun-dry the naked bottom. I spent many an afternoon chasing the sun with my newborns bottom, and reading magazines. This tush was the topic of most conversations between my hubby and I. Life was exciting.

Have you ever checked the ingredients in the packet of wipes you’re currently using?

FOR EG, Huggies Cucumber and Tea Tree Wipes… (don’t be fooled by the soothing sound of cucumber and tea tree).

Ingredients: Water, Potassium Laureth Phosphate, Glycerin, Polysorbate 20, DMDM Hydantoin, Tetrasodium EDTA, Methylparaben, Malic Acid, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract, Calendula Officinalis Flower Extract, Camellia Oleifera Leaf Extract, Cucumis Sativus (Cucumber) Fruit Extract, Retinyl Palmitate, Tocopheryl Acetate, Zea Mays (Corn) Oil, Phenoxyethanol, Butylparaben, Ethylparaben, Propylparaben, Isobutylparaben, Fragrance.

These wipes have a hazard rating of 7 out of 10 and ingredients have been linked to cancer, immunotoxicity, allergies, developmental problems, reproductive toxicity, organ dysfunction, endocrine disruption and cellular changes. (Source)

And so I scrapped all the wipes in the house – even the ‘sensitive’ ones (oh man, how deceived we were. I dare you to read the ingredients in ‘sensitive’ wipes). And I investigated making my own. I stumbled across Wellness Mama‘s recipe, and making ones own wipes became second nature in our house, and we used them for everything. I wrote a blog about it here.

I was a wipes making machine. I could do it in my sleep, and as long as we were stocked up on good quality paper towel/tissues, we never ran out. Ever.

And then we moved back to South Africa. And life got busier, and we now had 2 kids, and my local grocery store didn’t sell the Bounty brand of thick paper towel, and once I ran out of my original raw supplies (bought online from the States), I was stuck. I found South African ingredients that worked, but for some reason it all seemed a lot harder to continue. It wasn’t as cost effective, and wasn’t as second nature. I cringed and closed my eyes as I bought regular wipes, knowing full well how much nonsense they had in them. Until, I found, quite possibly, my ALL TIME favourite Pure Beginnings product, their Biodegradable Baby Wipes (with Organic Aloe).

I absolutely LOVE this product. We have a pack of wipes in every school bag, handbag and car. First off, they’re biodegradable, so they’re not contributing to the destruction of our earth. And secondly, they contain organic aloe and organic tea tree. They’re properly legit, and affordable! And recently, Pure Beginnings brought out the triple pack. I didn’t think it was possible to get any more excited about their wipes until I saw the triple pack.

Pure Beginnings Organic Wet Wipes:

• 64 wet wipes per pack (or 192 in the triple pack),
• Soft and gentle on delicate skin,
• 100% biodegradable plant fibre,
• Organic Aloe extract with soothing and anti-bacterial properties,
• Organic Tea Tree oil with natural anti-septic and fungicide properties as well as wonderful healing properties.

If there was one thing I’d buy new moms, it’s these. They’re SO good for bubs, they’re safe, easy to use, they smell amazing and are biodegradable. Everyone wins!

You know how some people buy a box of nappies every month before their baby arrives? Well since we cloth diaper, I’ll be buying a Pure Beginnings Triple Pack (and some wine, and some camembert… because… I can’t wait for cheese and wine again).

(…And for the record, I haven’t made my own set of wipes since using these).