Once upon a time, there was a pack of baby wipes...

As a crunchy, organic, "green" kind of mom, I do not use wipes that often. Sure, I use them to change diapers, but that is about it. I do not fear germs, so sometimes a little brushing of the hands is all I require. Other times, we head to the bathroom and used ol' fashion soap and water with a little elbow grease. I thought it was extremely wasteful to use baby wipes before every meal, or after playing at the playground or because their hands got a little messy at a meal. Besides the fact that then your hands/face had a residue on them that messed up your next meal. Who wants to be eating baby wipes?

That all changed when I added two more children to my brood in one day! Four kids has made me a baby wipe-aholic. I am now a believer in the beauty of these disposable solutions. Wipes have become my best friend. Seriously, people. I can not go ANYWHERE without a LARGE quantity of wipes within arm's reach. The world would end if they were left at home. Let me give you a couple of examples.

Andrew's first experience with chopsticks.

{EXAMPLE #1}

At lunch one day, I had served everyone an age appropriate portion of refried beans and brown rice. For my oldest two, I place it in front of them and encouraged them to eat. For the younger ones, I placed it on the table, instead of on their high chair trays and went to use the bathroom. When I came back, Big had grabbed his bowl off of the table and had attempted to feed himself with his fist. There were refried beans and rice everywhere! I started to get frustrated and then I remembered that I was now a wipes mom. There was no need to fret because I could simply grab a wipe, clean up my child and discard the mess. What a novelty!

{EXAMPLE #2}

Shortly after we returned from Uganda, all four of the kids had snotty noses. There was snot everywhere! I was grabbing tissues left and right and constantly cleaning up liquid-cold from their upper lips, cheeks and even hair. It was exhausted to be on high alert for the viscous discharge that was streaming out of all eight nostrils of my clan. Little woke up from a nap looking white. I am not exaggerating. His beautiful dark complexion had been replaced with dried mucus from forehead to chin and ear to ear. Little's big brown eyes stared at me from under his white mask as if to say, "Why does my face feel so funny?" Tissues were going to do no good for this job, so I headed to the nearest pack of wipes (I have them on the side bar, on the book shelf, on the kitchen counter, in each bathroom and in every bedroom) and started to clean the poor kid up.

Playing in our home-away-from-home in Uganda.

{EXAMPLE #3}

(The best/worst for last, which involved a bathroom incident, in case you want to skip it)

We were playing at our local children's museum and I smelled something funny. I thought to myself, "Man! If that is me, I REALLY need to shower." The kids played the morning away and as the day went on, I would sling one of my little guys onto my back and into the Ergo. When Little was on, I would think, "Maybe I was imagining that smell..." When Big was on I would think, "I am so stinky! Wait a minute. Oh, no. He's pooped." And that should have been my clue that I needed to get my pack of baby wipes and head to the nearest changing station. But they were in the car. I had broken my new rule as a mother of four: never be out of arm's reach of a pack of baby wipes. So, I let the stink ride until the other three were safely buckled in the car and I proceeded to take Big off of my back. And that was when I realized that wipes weren't going to handle it. Big's stink had soaked through his diaper, through his shorts and through MY shirt. To say I was appalled would be an understatement. But what is a mother to do in that kind of situation? I grabbed that glorious pack of unscented Target brand baby wipes, cleaned my son and then attempted to clean my back from the nastiness that had been left there. There was still some residual smell, but I knew that those moist cloth segments had saved the back of my driver's side seat from a horrible fate.



If these three incidents, as well as the parasite-diapers dripping down the leg and the eating of handfuls of dirt didn't make me a wipes believer, I would never be converted! Being a mother of four has truly changed a lot about me, but the think I am most grateful it has changed is my freedom to wipe and throw away. Whoever invented that little tote-able pack has my undying admiration.