What Are Dry Baby Wipes? (And How to Use Them)

Dry baby wipes are a gentle, sustainable alternative to traditional wet baby wipes. Since there’s no shortage of messes with a little one, mamas everywhere will appreciate the power of a dry wipe. If you’ve ever marvelled at how your adorable little bubs can become a big old mess within minutes, you’ll love how dry wipes can help you clean up more quickly and easily, and with less irritation and waste. 

Dry wipes are fragrance-free, biodegradable, and strong enough to clean even the toughest (and most surprising) messes. Dry wipes come in large 20 cm x 20 cm sheets, allowing you to clean more with fewer wipes. 

Dry baby wipes are made from one single ingredient: cotton. 

So you never have to worry about what unknown additives could be touching—and irritating—your little one’s precious skin. 

At Nest Designs, we sell cotton dry baby wipes and organic cotton dry baby wipes. Our cotton wipes are unbleached, making them extra soothing for newborns and littles with rashes. 

Dry wipes are essentially wet wipes without the liquid. But there’s so much more to love about them, mama! Dry baby wipes are: 

• More durable: Once you’ve used all the space on a wet wipe, you have to throw it away. But dry wipes allow you to rinse and repeat. Simply clean a mess, rinse the dry wipe off, and continue cleaning with it multiple times.
• Gentler: You might wonder if a dry wipe would feel rougher on your little love’s skin than a wet wipe but that’s not the case. Dry wipes glide smoothly over the skin, especially when used with water or your own DIY cleaning spray (more on that below).
• More versatile: Think of dry wipes as a mix between washcloths and baby wipes. Use them dry to clean spills (or accidents of the ‘number one’ variety!), and wet them if you need to clean your little bubs’ face, hands, or bottom. 
• Better for the environment: Wet wipes contain synthetic fibres such as rayon and plastic resins, which take hundreds of years to break down in the landfill. Dry baby wipes are 100% natural, contain no chemicals, and are plastic-free. Since dry wipes are so durable and versatile, you’ll use fewer of them.

Picture this scenario: have you ever been sitting with your beloved little bubs in your lap, only to suddenly hear a loud gurgling, followed by a feeling of wetness on your leg? (We’re raising our hands!) 

Diaper blowouts happen to the best of us, and dry wipes can actually make cleaning them quicker and easier! One of the mamas on our team here at Nest finds that using our wipes with her own DIY spray is the best way to clean her little one’s blowouts (keep reading for the recipe below). She simply sprays the solution directly onto her baby’s bum, then wipes it dry. 

With this simple method, she uses only one or two dry wipes per diaper change, rather than five or six wet wipes. She can rest easy, knowing her little one’s skin stays soft and healthy.

Besides diaper blowouts, you can use dry wipes for all sorts of messes. 

1. Diaper Changes

Use dry wipes with water or a DIY cleaning solution during diaper changes. Here’s a castile cleaning solution recipe we love:

• 1 cup distilled water (or boiled and cooled water)
• 1 tbsp. Baby Dr. Bronner’s liquid castile soap
• 1 tbsp. organic baby oil or olive oil
• 2 drops tea tree essential oil
• 5 drops lavender essential oil

Combine all ingredients, mix well, and pour into a spray bottle. 

This solution, combined with our dry wipes is extra gentle on baby’s skin—even for littles with diaper rash or eczema. 

1. Cloth Diapering

Since our wipes are biodegradable, they’re a great companion to cloth diapers. You can use them as diaper liners to help make solid waste cleanup easier. They also help protect your diapers from stains and creams.

3. Runny Noses and Drool

When bubs has a runny nose, dry wipes are a great way to clean it without irritating the already sensitive area. And when teething creates extra drool in baby’s mouth, you can keep dry wipes on hand to gently wipe their sweet face. 

1. Mealtime Cleanup

The durability and softness of our wipes make them great for meal-time cleanup, whether you’re wiping your little one’s face, hands, or high chair. Unlike traditional wet wipes, they’re tough, don't tear, and can be rinsed and reused multiple times. 

1. Makeup Removal

Don’t forget about yourself, mama! Since dry wipes are made from 100% cotton, they’re soft yet durable enough to make great makeup remover cloths for you. 

So are dry wipes better for babies? The thousands of mamas who swear by them think so (and so do we)! In fact, we believe in keeping a package of dry wipes in several areas of your home to make all kinds of cleanup easier, gentler, and more sustainable.

Have you thought about making the switch yet? Add a pack of dry baby wipes to your order today to try them out for yourself, or gift them to a dear mama in your life. And don’t forget to let us know what you think!