You are going to want the best for your wonderful newborn baby, and keeping their little tushies clean and healthy is going to be a major priority. So, of course, you are going to want to know what the best baby wipes are for your newborn.
Your newborn’s skin is incredibly sensitive and you’ll want to use the gentlest wipe you can find. Don’t depend on the marketing messages on the packing, you also need to review the ingredients list carefully. Avoid alcohol, parabens, preservatives, phthalates, and most essential oils. The best wipes will have a solution that is at least 99% water.
Want to know what specific brands have the gentlest ingredients to use on your little one? Keep reading below to learn what the best baby wipes brands for your newborn baby are going to be!
Table of Contents
What kind of baby wipes are best for newborns?
The number of brands and varieties of baby wipes can have your head spinning. Especially for new parents, it can be overwhelming to decide what to buy. Ultimately your baby’s skin will let you know what is going to work best.
A newborn baby’s skin is more sensitive than that of an older child. Their little bodies have not had the time to build up any resistance against the environment and the harmful substances in it.
Knowing what ingredients are in the baby wipes can help you decide what will work best or not. Most baby wipes are at least 90% water. The rest is a mixture of stabilizing and preservative chemicals. Not all of these ingredients are in every brand of wipes.
It pays to check the packaging and keep track of what ingredients your little one can tolerate or not. No fragrance and few chemicals will be the safest types of wipes you can get for your newborn.
What ingredients should you avoid in baby wipes?
Not all of these ingredients will be in all baby wipes, and not all of them will be an issue for your baby.
However, here are some chemical ingredients that are non to cause problems for your newborn.
- Alcohol – Yep, alcohol has been known to show up in baby wipes. Not very often anymore at all, though. If it is part of the wipes, it can cause the skin on your baby’s bottom to dry and crack. This can cause extreme pain the next time they are wiped, and the skin cracks can allow infections to set up.
- Sodium Lauryl Sulfate – This chemical can be used as a detergent to help clean up your baby’s dirty tush. But, it comes at the cost of being incredibly harsh and can easily cause swelling and a rash around the areas used. It will require adding additional chemicals to dilute Sodium Lauryl Sulfate down to manageable levels.
- Parabens – These are preservatives with anti-bacterial and anti-fungal properties. However, some have been shown to affect hormone functions in boys and girls.
- Preservatives – Some preservatives are known to release formaldehyde. It can be hard to find what preservatives will release formaldehyde, so it pays to do some homework on your brand of choice. However, a few known are Diazolidinyl Urea, Polyoxymethylene Urea, Glyoxal, Methenamine, and Quaternium-15.
- Phthalates – This will be on the ingredient list as “Fragrance.” Scented wipes have been known to cause break-outs and rashes on your baby’s butt. They are some evidence of phthalates having an effect on the reproductive hormone levels of children.
It is worth noting that some of these are rarely used anymore, but they do pop up from time to time in wipes.
Should newborn baby wipes be fragrance-free?
Honestly, unless your little newborn looks up at you from their changing table and asks for their bum to smell like rose petals, you are going to be the only one that cares if those wipes are scented or not. Your little one is not going to care how they smell.
Scented baby wipes are known to cause break-outs and rashes on many babies’ tush. Plus, the ingredients that make up the scent are not used in cleaning at all. Yes, you can use scented baby wipes if you really want to. However, start with unscented wipes first and slowly introduce the scented wipes to your baby.
It is worth keeping in mind, though, that the fewer chemical compounds in the wipes, the easier they will be on your baby’s skin.
Can you use essential oils and baby wipes?
The use of essential oils continues to grow. And they have been shown to have beneficial properties. But are they safe for a baby?
The short answer is, no, they are not safe. The oils can damage the lipid barrier in a baby’s skin, leading to break-outs and possible infections.
Some essential oils can be used around your baby; however, they need to be diluted to specific concentrations to be safe for your baby.
These essential oils should never be used around your baby:
- Basil
- Eucalyptus
- Fennel
- Hyssop
- Idaho Tansy
- Juniper
- Peppermint
- Rosemary
- Sage and Clary Sage
- Verbena
- Wintergreen
The best baby wipes for newborns
Knowing how difficult it can be to find gentle, safe baby wipes, we compiled a list of the most popular baby wipes brands and examined their ingredients and claims.
Have a look below at these popular baby wipes!
Ingredients in Baby Wipes
| Brand | Ingredients | Comments |
|---|---|---|
| Aleva Naturals Bamboo Baby Wipes | Unbleached Bamboo, Tree Tree Oils, Lavender Oils, Organic Aloe Vera | Dye free, Phenoxyethanol free, 100% rayon from bamboo |
| Babyganics Baby Wipes | Water, Flower Extract, Vegetable Oil, Assorted Oils, Sodium Benzoate, Other | Paraben free, Phthalate free, Dye free, Unscented |
| Fisher-Price Baby Wipes | Demineralized Water, Citric Acid, Sodium Citrate, Xanthan Gum, Other | Unscented, Hypoallergenic, For sensitive skin, BPA free, Paraben free |
| Hello Bello Wipes | Water, Sodium Benzoate, Organic Aloe Barbadensis Juice, Decyl Glucoside, Ethylhexylglycerin, Gluconolactone, Hydroxyacetophenone, Organic Chamomilla Recutita (Matricaria) Flower Extract, Polyaminopropyl Biguanide | Hypoallergenic, Fragrance free, Paraben free, Alcohol free |
| Honest Baby Wipes | Water, Flower Extract, Cucumber Fruit Extract, Citric Acid, Other | Unscented, Paraben free, Alcohol free, Chlorine free, Phenoxyethanol free, 99% water |
| Huggies Natural Care Sensitive Wipes | Water, Bytoxy PEG-4 PG-Amodimethicone Caprylyl Glycol, Sodium Benzoate, Coco-Betaine, Malic Acid, Polysorbate 20, Sodium Citrate, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract, Tocopheryl Acetate | 99% water, Hypoallergnic, Infused with aloe & vitamin E, pH balanced, Fragrance free |
| Pampers Aqua Pure | Water, Citric Acid, Hydrogenated Castor Oil, Sodium Citrate, Sorbitan Caprylate, Sodium Benzoate, Disodium Edta, Other | Hypoallergenic, Unscented, 99% pure water |
| Pampers Sensitive Wipes | Water, Citric Acid, PEG-40 Hydrogenated Castor Oil, Sodium Citrate, Sorbitna Caprylate, Sodium Benzoate, Disodium EDTA, BIS-PEG/PPG-16/16 PEG/PPG-16/16 Demethicone, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Xanthan Gum | Hypoallergenic, Unscented, pH balancing formula, Alcohol free, Perfume free, Paraben free, Phenoxyethanol free, Dye free |
| Seventh Generation Free & Clear Wipes | Water, Cocomidopropyl pg-Dimonium Chloride Phosphate, Citric Acid, Quillaja Saponaria Wood Extract, Aloe barbadensis Leaf Extract, Tocopheryl Acetate (Vitamin E), Sodium Benzoate | Hypoallergenic, Unscented, Fragrance free, Alcohol free, Paraben free, Phenoxyethanol free |
| WaterWipes | Water, Benzalkonium Chloride, Fruit Extract | Designed for eczema-prone skin and allergy sufferers, Unscented, 99% water |
Best baby wipe: WaterWipes
With only two ingredients and 99.9% water, the WaterWipes Baby Wipes is the top-recommended wipe on the list.
Almost entirely water, with just a little fruit extract add, these wipes will be gentle on premature, infants, and newborn baby’s skin.
The WaterWipes have won the National Eczema Association of America Seal of Acceptance. And they are dermatologically approved by the Skin Health Alliance.
- Simply 2 ingredients: Our fragrance-free baby wipes contain 99.9% water with just a drop of fruit extract
- Ideal for sensitive skin: Textured to capture growing baby’s bigger messes, yet gentle enough for infant skin
Prices pulled from the Amazon Product Advertising API on:
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on [relevant Amazon Site(s), as applicable] at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.
First runner-up baby wipe: Aleva Natural Bamboo Baby Wipes
Made from 100-percent rayon sourced from bamboo, Aleva Natural Bamboo Baby Wipes are strong and incredibly soft.
Natural and organic extracts leave your little one clean and soothed. Plus, when you throw them away, these wipes are biodegradable in just 21 days.
The Aleva Natural Wipes are designed for babies with sensitive and eczema-prone skin. And for the vegans among us, these wipes are Certified Vegan as well.
- Made of eco-friendly, unbleached bamboo and enriched with natural and organic oils
- Certified Vegan
- Chlorine, Sulphates and Parabens Free
Prices pulled from the Amazon Product Advertising API on:
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on [relevant Amazon Site(s), as applicable] at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.
Second runner-up baby wipe: Fisher-Price Baby Wipes
Unscented and BPA-free, the Fisher-Price Baby Wipes are our third pick (that’s still pretty darn good!).
These wipes are dermatologist tested and are as gentle on a baby’s bottom as water and cotton.
The Fisher-Price Baby Wipes are gentle enough to start using at birth. Every ingredient is hypoallergenic to ensure a safe and gentle wipe.
- Water Based, Unscented, Soft and Comfortable keeps a Balanced Wetness.
- Natural Formula: Alcohol Free - BPA Free - Paraben Free
- Safe for Sensitive Skin – Hypoallergenic & Dermatologically Tested
Prices pulled from the Amazon Product Advertising API on:
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on [relevant Amazon Site(s), as applicable] at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.
Final baby wipe thoughts
You want to protect your baby’s soft, delicate skin. You don’t want to expose your little one to any more chemicals than necessary. So why would you use a baby wipe that’s loaded with them?
At the end of the day, your baby’s butt is going to let you know what works best and what doesn’t. But, the best place to start is going to be a scent-free wipe made with as many natural and organic ingredients as possible.
