Homemade Baby Wipes

Make your own safe, natural baby with this easy recipe. The smell nice and fresh, are free of scary, skin-drying chemicals, are inexpensive to make, glide easily over baby's heiny, and clean far better than plasticky disposable wipes. 

First, you are going to need some wipes. You can buy nice cloth wipes from Etsy or your favorite cloth diaper company, but cheapie baby wash cloths, or even a torn up old bath towel will work just as well. If you use cloth diapers, it only makes sense to use cloth wipes as well. If you don't, wash the wipes with regular baby clothes or bath towels on hot. They will come clean. I promise. 

For disposable wipes, use soft, thick paper towels. Saw a roll in half and pop into a Ziploc container, or just unroll a few and fan fold them into a travel wipes box. I keep a roll of paper towels or shop rags in the car for emergency wipers. 

Now, let's make the wipes solution. 

Start with 2/3 mild liquid soap. Any soap that you feel comfortable putting on your baby's private parts will do- baby wash, baby shampoo, liquid castille soap, melted, diluted Ivory soap, whatever. I wouldn't use harsh, antibacterial hand soap, dish washing detergent, or anything like that. It will be diluted, but remember how sensitive baby bits are. 

Add 1/3 oil. Again, any liquid oil will work. I like apricot seed oil best, but typically use olive oil because I have it on hand. Baby oil will work, but it can be drying. I recommend a nice, skin nourishing oil here instead. Choose something from the kitchen. Coconut oil may solidify if the room temp drops below 70, so I might not choose that one unless it's quite warm. 

Add to this solution a few drops each calendula (optional), tea tree, and lavender oils. Calendula heals minor skin irritations, like diaper rash. Tea tree oil (melaleuca) is an anti fungal. It inhibits growth of mildew, yeast and fungus in the liquid, wipes and skin folds. Lavender is calming and antimicrobial, lends a pleasing scent and prevents funky germs. 

Now, let's put it all together. I like to use a squeezy bottle for solution concentrate. I got mine from a restaurant supply shop for under a dollar, but you can also get them from the dollar store. Think ketchup and mustard. 

I use a wipes warmer for my pampered princes, but any water tight box large enough to hold your wipes is fine. This solution is liquid and will not solidify. 

Mix a squirt of concentrate in enough clean water to cover your wipes. Pour over wipes and flip once to saturate. 

Done! Wasn't that easy?

Update: I have found that for my little princess, I prefer a squeezy bottle to apply dilute solution directly onto the wipes. Add a little squirt-about 1% by volume-to a bottle of water. A spray bottle works here too. Give a little shake before each application if you like, as the oil will separate if it sits a while. 

New Mama Cookies

These cookies are nutritious for anyone, but I chose these ingredients specifically to help new mothers establish their milk supply. 

1 1/2 cups barley flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/4 tsp ground fenugreek
3/4 cup oil of your choice
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/4 cup molasses
1/4 cup water
1 tsp vanilla extract
3 cups rolled oats
2 TBS flax meal or seed
1/4 cup nuts

Stir together flour, soda, salt and fenugreek. Combine well. 

Add wet ingredients. Stir till just combined. 

Fold in oats, nuts and flax. 

Place rounded tbs full 2 inches apart on greased cookie sheets. Bake 8 minutes at 325. makes approximately 2 dozen.

Throat Syrup

This syrup is soothing to a sore throat, calms a cough, and help fight the germs that cause them. 

1/4 cup honey- raw local is best, but use store bought if that's what you have access to
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1 tbs whiskey, bourbon or rum (optional)
1 tsp ginger
dash of cayenne

Give 1 tsp twice a day, as needed. I like to give one before bed and one upon waking in the morning. 

NOT SUITABLE for babies under one year. 

pina colada pops

1 can pineapple or 2 cups chopped fresh
1 can coconut milk
Blend till smooth. If desired, add a tsp rum or rum extract. Freeze in pop molds.

Orange cream smoothie pops

1 can frozen orange juice concentrate
1 cup milk (I use almond)
1 tsp vanilla
optional: 1 TBS sugar, honey or other sweetener to taste

Blend all ingredients together. Freeze in pop molds.

Tooth Powder-a Natural Alternative to Toothpaste

Toothpaste is messy, expensive (especially natural toothpastes and those for children), and contains toxic fluoride. After finding 2 kids eating toothpaste on 3 separate occasions, and D having to saw a section of pipe to remove the clog caused by 7!! toothpaste caps, we decided to switch completely to homemade tooth powder. 

I had used tooth powder from a health food store years ago, and much preferred to toothpaste or gel, but it's hard to come by. The homemade version is so inexpensive and easy to make, there's really no reason not to. 

With 4 small children, we were going through a tube of toothpaste a week, and most of it ended up on the walls, floor and sink. This tooth powder stays in the jar, is colorless and easy to clean up. It's completely edible, so no worries if someone swallows it. 

It can be flavored with a few drop of flavoring oil from a cake decorating store, but my family prefers it unflavored. It tastes mildly salty and sweet. 

1 tbs baking soda
1 tbs sea salt 
1 tsp xylitol

Mix together. Dip dry toothbrush in and scrub away. 

Baking soda is a mild, but effective abrasive. It does the scrubbing. 

Sea salt provide minerals to rebuild enamel. 

Xylitol strengthens teeth and prevents bacterial growth the leads to tooth decay. 

Better-Than-Grands Biscuits

These simple biscuits are quick to mix up and freeze beautifully for later. You will never go back to canned biscuits.

5 cups flour
7 tsps baking powder
2 tsp salt
4 sugar
1 cup butter, margarine, or cold coconut oil
1 cup almond or other milk
1 tbs vinegar
up to 1 cup water

Stir together dry ingredients. 

Cut in butter or oil. Mash with pastry cutter or fingertips to form large crumbs. These crumbs will form the flaky layers of the biscuit. How large they are depends on the temperature of your butter or oil, temperature of your kitchen and how much you mash it all together. Smaller crumbs = smaller layers, less flaky biscuits. 

Add vinegar to milk. Let sit a few minutes. It will curdle and thicken. Gently work into flour mixture to form a dry dough. 

Add water as needed to bring dough together. Do not overmix. Overkneading will make biscuits tough. 

Turn out onto lightly floured surface. Roll or pat to about 1 inch thickness. Use a round cookie or biscuit cutter, drinking glass, or clean, empty tin can to cut biscuits. 

Place desired number of biscuits on a baking dish, leaving 1 inch between. Bake at 450 degrees for 10-12 minutes, depending on size. 

 Place the rest of the biscuits on a baking tray. Freeze on tray for 1-2 hours, then transfer to freezer bags. To bake, allow to thaw for 15 minutes and bake as above. 

Make 1-2 Dz biscuits, depending on size. 

Vegan, Baked Donuts

I love donuts, but they are too rich for me to eat many or often. I almost always get a tummy ache from all the sugar a fat. 

Not so with these. These have very little fat and the sugar content is mostly up to you. Serve them plain, lightly glazed, dusted with powdered sugar or slather on the frosting. Your choice. They are delicious and guilt-free. 

This recipe makes enough for a crowd. Freeze extras for donuts any time.

1 1/2 cups warm water
2 tbs yeast
2 tbs oil
2/3 cup sugar
2 tbs flax meal + 4 tbs water
1 tsp salt
Pinch of Nutmeg, cinnamon or other spice
Approximately 5 cups flour

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. 

Combine water and yeast in a large bowl. Let proof 5 minutes. The yeast should be frothy. If it isn't, your water is too hot or cold or your yeast is no longer active. Try again.

Add oil, sugar, flax meal and water, salt and spice. Stir to combine. 

Gradually stir in flour until a soft dough forms. Turn out onto a floured surface. Knead until just smooth. Do not overknead, or donuts will be tough. 

Place dough back in bowl and cover with a clean towel. Place on top of stove to rise 1 hr. Dough should be doubled in size.

Roll dough out on floured surface, half an inch thick. Use round cookie cutter or drinking glass to cut large circles and a piping tip or bottle cap to cut small holes. Don't forget to cut extra donut holes in the scraps. 

Place donuts and holes on trays 1 inch apart. Play one tray on the stove to rise for 45 minutes, and additional trays in the freezer. Freeze 1 hour, then transfer to freezer bags. 

When well risen, bake donuts and holes 8-10 minutes until lightly golden brown. 

Top as desired, cool and enjoy. Makes approximately 2 dz donuts and 4 dz holes. 

Suggested toppings:

Powdered: Brush hot donuts with oil or butter (sub). Toss in medium bowl of powdered sugar. 

Cinnamon: Mix 1 cup powdered or white table sugar with 1 tbs cinnamon. Brush hot donuts with oil or butter. Toss with cinnamon sugar. 

Glazed: Stir together 1 tbs oil or melted butter and 1 cup powdered sugar. Add  1/2 tsp vanilla. Add milk of your choice (I like vanilla almond) or other liquid, a few drops at a time, stirring after each addition, until spreadable consistency is reached. Spread on slightly cooled donuts.

To bake frozen donuts:

Place frozen donuts on tray. Preheat oven to 375. Let rise 1 hour. Bake and top as above.