Viva paper towels for the first month?

krissyface · February 2009

The teachers in my childbirth and infant care classes and my hospital have all recommended that I use viva paper towels and water (instead of wipes) for the first month. Has anyone else heard or done that? Just wondering if it's a colossal waste of time.

mbyoung · February 2009

We used regular wipes and everything was fine!

jay.otter · February 2009

Why do they recommend this? We used disposable wipes the first week and had no problems.

krissyface · February 2009

They said it was because the baby's skin is sensitive and could do without the drying chemicals in wipes. It seems a little overboard though. That's why I was wondering if *anyone* else had been told that...

MrsL.inMarch · February 2009

I sincerely doubt that your hospital doesn't use normal wipes in L&D. They have far too many babies come through there to use paper towels and water so I don't see why you should then switch when you get home. We use 7th gen wipes/diapers and have had no issues.

jay.otter · February 2009

I would use what they give you in the hospital, and if you LO's skin seems irritated, then do something else.

Eric's True LoVe · February 2009

Maybe they're recommending this for a diaper rash. When you BF your LO you will be using a lot of wipes and changing a lot of diapers which may cause a diaper rash. My pedi recommended using cotton balls and warm water when this happened so I did and it worked.

LilMissLadybug · February 2009

they must know my MIL Confused

My hospital used pampers sensitive wipes and after we came home we used Kirkland, scent free alcohol free, no problems with either kid.

krissyface · February 2009

I was planning to use the 7th generation or Whole Foods 365 wipes (since I shop at Whole Foods and that's what they have), so I'm not too terribly worried about covering my kid's butt in chlorine and stuff.

Thanks for the input, ladies!

bstngrl578 · February 2009

My hospital didn't have wipes - they had the paper towels that you had to wet. However, during my hospital tour the lady that did it told us about the paper towels and said if you prefer to use wipes right off the bat to bring your own so that is what we did with both babies! MUCH easier than wetting a paper towel and then using it!

aorgad · February 2009

A friend of mine did this at her pediatrician's recommendation, but only because her daughter developed diaper rash pretty quickly and the wipes irritated her...I don't think you need to start out that way, but it's a good idea to have in the back of your mind!

MrsG2B07 · February 2009

We used disposable gauze type cotton pads and water the first 2 weeks, then switched to sensitive wipes.

HollyLuv · February 2009

we bought about 40 baby wash cloths and use those. I don't want to use wipes because they are too drying, and I like not being as wasteful.

ad*H*ab · February 2009

My hospital didn't have wipes. They had these disposable fabric like cloths (they weren't fabric, but very soft). They sent us home with a bunch and we decided not to use them. DD broke out in a horrid rash that took 6 days to clear up. We then used the cloth/paper wipes until we switched to CDs and flannel wipes and I just use water for those too!

MrsAHoffman · February 2009

I have heard the same thing about not using wipes until after the first month. I think that viva paper towels would be easier than cotton balls since they're bigger and more "wipe" like. We found that Pampers sensitive gave DD a diaper rash, but that Huggies sensitive did not. We also like the Target sensitive brand.??I honestly think it was the wipes and not the diapers that was causing the irritation, so this might be good preventative advice. ?

However, fwiw, once we started using our cloth wipes (cloth diapers too), the irritation went away.

tophersgirl · February 2009

In the hospital they gave us the super soft paper towel type things (like disposable washcloths but thicker and with no soap) and we used those the whole time we were there. One nurse told us the reason they use those in the hospital is because they're a lot more effective at cleaning off the meconium, since it's so sticky, like tar, which made sense to me because the regular disposable wipes would probably have been a bit more trouble cleaning that stuff off. DD was having normal stools before we left (we were there a few extra days) and they still worked better than disposable wipes. Once we got home we started using the regular wipes we had on hand and they were fine.

mich11680 · February 2009

we were told to use paper towels with water for the first 2 weeks...which we did..definitely not a month

Kellina · February 2009

We used washcloths in the hospital because that's all they had, and I'm sure it's better on meconium!

After that though we've been using huggies sensitive wipes, pampers swaddlers, and using balmex with almost every poopy diaper. No problems yet and my DH and I both have very sensitive skin, so I'd think DS would too!!!

LittleEgypt · February 2009

krissyface:
They said it was because the baby's skin is sensitive and could do without the drying chemicals in wipes.

I'm sure that's why. DS was getting irritated from the 7th Generation wipes we were using at first - I think they're kind of astringent - and we used damp cloths while it was clearing up.

Quiksilver620 · February 2009

we used regular paper towles for the first 2 weeks and then switched to sensative wipes and everything has been fine.

tmp-214118062502913 · February 2009

Our hospital used those cloth-like paper towels with just water - said all the extras in wipes cause diaper rash. We used what they gave us when we got home with a spray bottle of water and had no issues. When my DH opened the one box of wipes (Second Generation) that we had and used them, DD ended up with a rash the next day.

We now cloth diaper and use cloth wipes made from flannel and soft fabrics and used just water the first couple of weeks, then changed to a homemade solution of water, baby wash, baby oil and some essential oil. No rashes!

NewBlue · February 2009

Our pedi recommended using washcloths for the first week. We did and then switched to wipes without issue.

AmyDrinkie · February 2009

My hospital supplied wipes after I delivered, so we used them from day 1. ?I buy the Huggies Gentle Care ones. ?I would think that paper towels would be scratchy.

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