For home compostable baby wipes, there are a number of issues when it comes to composting. In particular, if you plan on using your homemade compost in fruit or vegetable beds. This is because if you’ve been wiping a poopy baby bum, then you don’t want human faeces in your lovely compost. The other issue is that baby wipes tend to be impregnated with moisturising lotions, perfumes, or detergents. In short, chemicals that you probably don’t want in your compost. The competition regulator isn't too impressed either. On 12 December it announced impending court action against flushable wipes makersKimberly-Clark Australia and Pental for making false or misleading claims by saying their products disintegrate as well as toilet paper. A mild cleanser ensures the wipe effectively removes all the poop residue from your baby’s butt ( scientific studies have shown using just water isn’t enough to do this effectively).

Something to note is that they do contain sodium benzoate – a commonly used preservative that helps to extend the shelf life of baby wipes. I know that some people with incredibly sensitive skin like to avoid this particular ingredient due to allergies. Now that you know what to avoid in baby wipes, what are some of the best non toxic wipes for babies and toddlers?

Pharmacy product

In 2019, researchers tested 51 brands of baby wipes for formaldehyde release. The researchers noted none of the wipes had self-declared formaldehyde or formaldehyde-releasing preservatives on their ingredients list. And yet they found 12 of the wipes brands (24%) released formaldehyde. WaterWipes’ base sheet is made of 80% polyester (non biodegradable) and 20% viscose (biodegradable). Worth noting, I’m not a chemist, nor a dermatologist. I relied heavily on this article in the Journal of Paediatric Dermatology to write this post, as well as the Environmental Working Group’s Skin Deep® database. Why Is It So Important for Baby Wipes to Be Non-Toxic?

They contain no parabens or alcohol. They are also biodegradable and flushable as they will dissolve in water. ProsThey have developed a new set of guidelines called GD4 which is a seven-part test that all flushable wipes must pass to be considered flushable. Those wipes that pass this test do not pose any threat to our sewer systems. Examples of these chemicals include those that may be contaminated with ethylene oxide (a known human carcinogen) and 1,4 dioxane (an irritant and toxic to some bodily systems).