Wipes! Wipes! Wipes!
August 22nd, 2010
It’s giveaway time! Huggies wipes! Wipes! Wipes. WIPES! WIIIIIIIIPES! (Wipes. The whole word sounds … absurd when you say it that many times, am I right?) Enter here to win five tubs of Huggies wipes! Woo! And learn from me so you don’t use them all in one week!
See here’s an honest diapering issue I have. Well, a wiping issue. You know, before I had Sam, I had only diapered boys. On my side at least, Sam is the first little girl. I diapered many a nephew, including a really fabulous time when I was standing in for my sister’s childcare one summer and through some strange miracle, a family friend was coming to talk to me about a job, and five seconds before she arrived, one of said nephews projectile pooped all over the living room. Twas awesome. Now he’s 12, and wants me to diaper Sam outside his precious residence because he’s so grossed out by her … output, and I’m like, OH YOUNG MAN DO NOT TALK ABOUT POOP. I SCRAPED YOUR PRECIOUS POOP OFF OF BOOK BINDINGS.
And for all this talk of wiping little boys and their … well, their accessories down there, the thing with girls is that it’s like doing some kind of CAVE SPELUNKING, and it’s so hard to make sure you got everything out of everywhere, and there is kicking and wiping and kicking and wiping, and let me tell you how afraid I am of pediatric UTIs: SO AFRAID I CANNOT SEE STRAIGHT. And yet, I’m probably going to give her one by wiping her into oblivion. Huggies wipes are pretty effective; there is no reason for me to be using thirty on a single incident. None whatsoever.
At least with boys, all the crevices are visible, and you’d have to REALLY TRY to bring on a UTI, is what I’m saying. So, ah, I have to ask: is this a realistic fear? I mean, I do the whole wipe from front-to-back thing! I never go over the same place twice with a sullied wipe! (Obviously, if I’m using THIRTY.) I have the lingering, awful feeling that I’m Doing It Wrong, and that there must be a way to be more effective at this — not to mention cost effective, because again, this is not the fault of the wipes, this is me being INSANE.
Sometimes I really want to go back to birthing class. Seriously.
And finally, before I get into the giveaway, a video of Sam, carrying The Dreaded Load:
To enter, please leave me a comment — feel free to share your, um, wiping concerns so we can crowdsource solutions OR tell me I’m crazy OR tell me your kid got a UTI and I can totally justify to Adam why I buy nine containers of wipes a week. If you want to comment, but for some reason do NOT want to be entered, just say NO WIPES, PLEASE!, and I won’t pick you. The contest ends Wednesday at 6 p.m. EST. I’m choosing via random number selection and will post the winners on Thursday, which will be the final wipes post, which, you know what that means? END OF SUMMER.
DOOOOOOOOOOM.
Thanks to Huggies for providing me with a supply of wipes and compensating me for my time as a Poo Free Parent Squad ambassador. As always, all opinions stated are mine.
Entry Filed under: Beeber McSteebs
51 Comments Add your own
1. Veronica | August 23rd, 2010 at 8:23 pm
These are the only non cloth wipes I use. I am a total huggies fan.
2. Sarah Lena | August 23rd, 2010 at 8:27 pm
I had this incredibly naive notion that once we began potty training, we would leave the world of Huggies Wipes behind (heh), but FEAR NOT: there are a million uses for wipes and by GOD we have found almost all of them.
I diaper only boy junk around here, so I can’t quite sympathize with the splunking sentiment (but MAN, how descriptive!); instead, I liken diapering boys to trying to stuff a live chicken. Kicking, screaming, pecking, and flopping. Of giblets or some sort.
3. Sahara | August 23rd, 2010 at 8:32 pm
I only JUST figured out, 15 months into my second kid, that in order for the refill packages to work with the pop-up box, you have to LEAVE THE WIPES IN THE PACKAGE. Am gifted, obv.
4. Erica | August 23rd, 2010 at 8:33 pm
I love the Huggies wipes!
I have a 3 month old son and a 3.5 year old daughter. I totally feel you on the CAVE SPELUNKING with the girl. My problem with The Boy is getting all the poop off of his dangley bits. Those things are tricky, yo.
5. saly | August 23rd, 2010 at 8:37 pm
Ok, so my kid never got a UTI, but I did watch her get catheterized (um is that a word??) when we thought she was a very sick baby, and I vowed from then on that she never would get a UTI because there is only one way to test for such things, which would be another catheter. Irrational? Maybe. But my insanity has paid off and neither of my girls (neither has my son, BTW) has had one despite them both pooping more than any other human I’ve ever known.
6. Kristine | August 23rd, 2010 at 8:39 pm
Oh man, so funny! The second time I got pregnant I *actually* said out loud that I hoped it was another boy because I was scared of the UTI’s. REALLY. And, now, here I am typing it for all to see.
(Lucky for everyone, it was another boy.)
And truthfully, I’ve been through the wipes dance, but Huggies are the best, hands down.
7. Jen | August 23rd, 2010 at 8:44 pm
I have to admit, I’ve never tried the Huggies wipes, but I would like to try them.
I, too, fear the baby UTI.
8. Alicia C | August 23rd, 2010 at 8:53 pm
My daughter had kidney reflux (and thanks to that, is prone to UTIs) so, I was TOTALLY OBSESSIVE with the wiping. I feel you! You are NOT INSANE! (If you are, I am too, and that…would be bad, probably.)
Now, with boy parts to wipe, it seems easy. But I still do too much, I bet.
9. Mimi O | August 23rd, 2010 at 9:01 pm
I’m scared of the same thing now that I have a daughter. It is just so much more complicated down there than boy areas!
I do love Huggies wipes, though. They are the absolute bestest.
10. amanda | August 23rd, 2010 at 9:02 pm
Oh, wow. I am prone to UTI’s and totally afraid of them for the baby’s sake. She just started solid food, too, and I’m like “whose idea was it to feed the kid carrots???” We also couldn’t figure out why people thought it was gross to cloth diaper and wash the diapers in our machines before we started feeding solid food.
Anyhow, the only baby I know who has had UTI’s had an issue that required surgery and it had nothing to do with normal bacteria worries. Maybe we’re overworrying?
11. AndreAnna (Modern Matriarch) | August 23rd, 2010 at 9:02 pm
Huggies are my favorite “butt wipes” as my daughter calls them: the flushable potty wipes. They stay moister longer than the other brands and have that cool plasticy mouth thing so they stay out and you dont have to go digging in the container for them. Did that make any sense at all?
Anyway, my concern is opposite yours in a way. Having a son was new to me after having a daughter. I mean, I have THOSE bits so I kind of know how to clean them, but with a boy? What if I hurt him? I mean, I’ve seen my husband get his in the nards and go down like Wolfman, so how hard can I wipe? Will I hurt his baby testables? (as my daughter calls them)
During big um, sticky, situations, I often call Mike in and make him do it because I figure he can gauge the correct amount of pressure.
12. Kristen | August 23rd, 2010 at 9:15 pm
I have a 7 month old boy, but just started watching my niece 4 days a week and can totally relate to the SPELUNKING. I too am paranoid about giving her a UTI! I don’t know if the fear is rationale or not, but I hear ya!
13. Jess | August 23rd, 2010 at 9:17 pm
Oh hi. I’ve been skipping commenting on these posts, because I don’t have a baby. Except I DO have a baby, it’s just still inside me and therefore not yet in need of wipes, but in just a few short months it WILL be need of wipes, so um, here I am, belatedly entering the contest, and why am I so dumb as to only realize on the very last one that oh, SOON I SHALL NEED WIPES? Oops.
14. Melanie Kerton | August 23rd, 2010 at 9:17 pm
Big fan of Huggies wipes (don’t need diapers anymore since the babe got potty trained at 20 mths thanks to me being absolutely SICK of wrestling her down to change a diaper)…… but we still use quite a few wipes. I never worried that much about UTI’s and the only time we suspected my daughter of ever having one, was after she was potty trained and I thought she was going potty to often… turns out it was a behavioral thing (ie a way to get my attention) and not a physical problem….
15. SwingCheese | August 23rd, 2010 at 9:19 pm
My husband is a wonder at using minimal amount of wipes. He uses every part of the surface! Me, if I get two swipes per wipee on a poopy mess, I’m lucky. And I also worry about UTIs. And I have a boy. But I still worry.
16. Manda | August 23rd, 2010 at 9:26 pm
Wiping a girl is challenging! Syd sometimes clenches herbutt cheeks and crosses her legs … So you have to PRY so you can get all the crevices! FUN! I usually get kicked in the face or boob. Potty training EARLY anyone?!
17. Elizabeth | August 23rd, 2010 at 9:30 pm
I have these EXACT SAME FEARS, and it just doesn’t seem like the type of thing you can google without risking all sorts of unpleasant consequences, which is why this post is so awesome.
18. Tanya | August 23rd, 2010 at 9:34 pm
I don’t use Huggies wipes, just the store brand. Is there all that much of a difference? I certainly go through the same thing you do, Jonna, with the never touch a used bit of wipe to a clean bit of skin! I’ve developed a whole as-I-go folding technique to address it! But I still end up using a LOT of wipes.
19. Amy K | August 23rd, 2010 at 9:35 pm
I’m a chronic over-wiper too, plus my daughter always manages to sneak one or two out of the package while I’m changing her, so we can always use more wipes.
20. Becky | August 23rd, 2010 at 9:40 pm
I have a boy, so don’t worry about the UTIs so much, but I agree with the person who said getting stuff off his “dangly bits” (hahaha) is difficult sometimes. We use cloth diapers, but I’m just a little bit too lazy to go to cloth wipes (do not ask me to explain how they are more work; I don’t really know myself).
21. Mama Bub | August 23rd, 2010 at 10:02 pm
So, I had a boy first and after the circumcision healed things were easy peasy in the diaper department. And then, I had a girl. And the wiping of the newborn poop nearly undid me as I had to keep asking the nurses for more wipes. MORE WIPES PEOPLE. We have a SITUATION in here. I was so unprepared. I spent all my time shopping for cute girl clothes and no time at all preparing for the never ending wiping. So yes, we can always use a few extra wipes around here.
22. samantha Jo Campen | August 23rd, 2010 at 10:02 pm
We’ve got boy bits up in here and yeah, I wipe with ease knowing I can’t smoosh some poo up his pee hole. (What?)
I seem to maximize each wipe to the fullest where Bryan is a single swiper and off to the next one. I see that as wasteful, and Bryan sees my method and insane. We’re both right.
23. Rayne of Terror | August 23rd, 2010 at 10:10 pm
I find Huggies & Target Up & Up wipes equivalent. I have 2 boys and this convo has convinced me we don’t need to “try for a girl.”
24. Megan | August 23rd, 2010 at 10:20 pm
WIPES! Yes, please! Send me wipes PLEASE! I heart Huggies, we use them exclusively too. I most certainly need more, as Lila’s figured out how to open the box, and loves to just sit and pull them out, one by one…joy.
25. Briana | August 23rd, 2010 at 10:52 pm
I am the proud parent of a 2.5 yr old boy, one of the FEW who has had a UTI. We got to tape a collection bag around his bits to get a sample…talk about fun, removing essentially a band-aid from your son’s man bits.
We also have a 4 day old daughter, still figuring out that wiping situation. Girls definitely make more mess and will require more wipes than the boy.
26. Elsha | August 24th, 2010 at 12:00 am
My oldest is a girl, so I’m used to the wiping. My sister, on the other hand, is having her first girl in December after 2 boys. She’s already said she doesn’t like changing diapers on girls because she feels like she’s “invading their privacy.” I guess she’ll just have to get used to it!
27. aly | August 24th, 2010 at 12:45 am
well, i’m a new mom (i have a 6 day old daughter)(IEEEEEEE!) and didnt even have enough info to realize i should be worried about said UTI factor, but now! am very concerned! i, uh, am still examining poop to determine if breastfeeding is going ok? are there seeds? is it too brown? do i need a color chart?
I DO NOT KNOW.
so clearly, some free wipes would do this household good over here.
thanks for offering the contest!
28. sam | August 24th, 2010 at 2:11 am
I love Huggies wipes. Even though I use cloth wipes sometimes there is a diaper disaster of the type that I do not want to ever see again. And hells no I do not want to wash it out of wipes. Eff that, yo.
Wiping girl parts? No way. I am terrified of having a baby girl for just that reason. I will probably attempt to trade in a baby girl for a more penis-laden model. Ack!
29. Robin | August 24th, 2010 at 4:54 am
Pediatric UTI’s? I never really gave that much thought. KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK on wood I won’t have to. I’m kind of a over-wiper too. Heh. And little girls are WAY harder than little boys, for sure! You can never have too many wipes, I’ve used them for many, many things other than baby bootays
30. Li | August 24th, 2010 at 7:22 am
Thank the lord for your blog because this is where I come to learn that I am not the only person who is COMPLETELY insane about something. UTIs — omg i worry abotu them ALL THE TIME. I use as bazillion wipes for every poop. And am constantly trying to guess if E has one. “Hmmm. She’s peeing a bit more than usual… UTI?” or “Did she just play with her diaper and moan? UTI?” or “Holy crap, what is she has a UTI WITH NO SYMPTOMS. HOW WILL I KNOW?!?!” These are the things I think to myself multiple times a day. So yeah, I use lots of wipes… and could always always use more. Yay Huggies Wipes!
31. Tara | August 24th, 2010 at 7:30 am
I’ve given up trying to conserve wipes when dealing with my almost 11-month old’s girly bits. I just don’t think I have it in me. My name is Tara, and I’m an overwiper.
My MiL, on the other hand, has this impressive technique where she manages to get most of the mess off with the diaper itself, before going to work with a wipe to the crevices. I’ve tried to imitate, but, uh, I ended up with poop everywhere…
I think I’ll just stick with the overwiping.
32. Stacy | August 24th, 2010 at 7:58 am
I only know about diapering boys, so maybe that makes me fortunate? Although, that can indeed be messy in its own way!
33. Taryn | August 24th, 2010 at 8:20 am
Hi,
My kid did get a UTI, but not until she was 4. From wiping herself poorly. So apparently, I wipe okay, but am not a very good teacher.
34. Courtney | August 24th, 2010 at 8:41 am
So, we’re still in the ttc stage of this whole baby thing, and I didn’t know to be worried about UTIs. I, like you, have a lot of experience diapering boys (much younger brothers) and I thought the worst of it was having a boy to diaper pee all over the room, but there are possible UTIs? Oh noes!
Seriously though, I have a very good friend who is giving birth any day and I would love to pass along some won wipes.
35. laura | August 24th, 2010 at 9:00 am
I know only about diapering boys, but I still feel like I use a ton of wipes because he seems to make his movements with a lot of, um, gusto, and well it gets in every single little nook, cranny, back, free surface on his skin covered by the diaper. No UTI’s!
36. kakaty | August 24th, 2010 at 9:46 am
Um, am I a bad mom because I this never ever crossed my mind with my daughter? But I will say that now that I have a son I go through way less wipes – 1-2 per diaper as opposed to the 3-4 for the girl. However, my husband can’t change any diaper without about 7 wipes. So what I’m saying is – send more wipes!
37. beyond | August 24th, 2010 at 10:40 am
i know a new mother who would love some wipes! i am childless but worried already, am sure i will be a huge user as well.
38. Lauren E. E. | August 24th, 2010 at 10:59 am
I have an 18-month-old boy and the bits can be challenging because sometimes, uh, poo can be kinda sticky, and he hates me trying to wipe it off. Oh, and one thing no one else has mentioned, something I was totally surprised by? Boys get ERECTIONS! AGHHH! There is an upside to girls, let me tell ya.
39. Leslie | August 24th, 2010 at 11:01 am
We need wipes (or, we will in December)! I’m feeling oddly confident about my own wiping abilities, but fear how crazy I will sound when “checking” on my husband’s and daughter’s skills.
40. Kaitlin | August 24th, 2010 at 11:12 am
I’m due with my first in December and have officially entered the freak-out zone of realizing the my husband and I have NO CLUE how to care for a baby and no baby diapering experience… Yikes!
41. Shari | August 24th, 2010 at 11:12 am
This is the #1 reason why I am glad I have a son!! Sure, there are a few wrinkly areas here and there, but I am TERRIFIED of changing my nieces. If I have a girl next time…she better be born potty trained! (Or, at least, do her business at day care. That would be OK too.)
42. Cobwebs | August 24th, 2010 at 12:55 pm
I’m chiming in mainly to share something I saw on a parenting site once: “Diaper wipes are the single most utilitarian tool outside of duct tape.” Truer words have rarely been spoken.
43. sharilyn | August 24th, 2010 at 2:29 pm
I’m so glad other people have the same concerns, haha, I have always had chronic UTI’s since I was a kid, and after 9 years of marriage we have miracle baby GIRL on the way (I did secretly wish for a boy so I wouldn’t pass on this dreaded female issue). T minus 2 months until I’ll be cave spelunking, can’t wait!!!! Will 92 wipes per changing be enough? haha!
44. Carrie Q. | August 24th, 2010 at 4:31 pm
I definitely preferred Huggies wipes–much better for the girly parts. And even though I was obsessed with the UTIs, I was also pretty efficient in the wiping. I kinda challenged myself to find all those clean bits in the cloth so I could get it down to one wipe. Efficent! Yet clean!
45. craftyashley | August 24th, 2010 at 5:50 pm
That’s so funny, after having twin girls then a baby boy, I thought wiping girls was EASY! I never went too far.. in. (ahem) I just figured if some stuff was… lingering, the body has it’s way of flushing it out.
But boys? No! Boys have so many things to clean down there! It takes 5x more time to make sure everything is squeaky clean. I go through so many wipes. I hope I win some!
46. Deb | August 24th, 2010 at 6:03 pm
Yes – the UTI worry! I did not even know this worry existed until it welled up within me immediately after my daughter’s birth.
I wipe from the middle, you know, of the REGION, outwards – like toward the legs, so as not to CRAM any bad-ness into the delicate, UTI-prone zone (prone zone!)
In extreme cases, I just get the big chunks and toss her right into a warm bath.
So! Graphic!
47. Vanessa | August 24th, 2010 at 6:28 pm
I too am due with our first in december and will have BOY parts to clean. And from the experience I have from working in a daycare is that boys are harder to clean when they get it all up in their junk LOL so im with AndreAnna (Modern Matriarch) on the fear of the pressure im putting on it to get it clean…:-/ and also Lauren E. E has scared me with that possibility becuase even after all the boys i’ve changed in the last 2 years THAT has never happened to me and I didnt even know it COULD happen…yikes
But I would love so win some wipes:D
48. Bananafana | August 25th, 2010 at 9:05 am
I should keep my opinion to myself because I am the opposite of encouraging I fear . . . We had a Week of Diarrhea that resulted in a pediatric UTI that turned out to be E.coli and 105 degree fevers and ER trips ensued. But we most certainly wiped and wiped so I just think if it’s going to happen, it’s going to happen. And it’s very rare so I really and truly wouldn’t worry. Plus that’s what antibiotics are for . . . Boys really are so much easier to diaper.
49. Miranda | August 25th, 2010 at 1:48 pm
My husband says something if I use more than 2 wipes to clean up our daughter. Boys.
That said, my husband is a total fan of using wipes for other purposes, like cleaning up after meals, cleaning things like the table when we go out, etc. and I’m pretty sure he can’t live without them now and I’ll be an 80 year old lady buying my husband wipes.
50. Heather | August 25th, 2010 at 5:54 pm
My oldest had a UTI at about 16 months and the sudden fever led to a fibrile seizure which made the whole situation so traumatizing that you’d think I was afraid of baby UTIs but still, very rarely think of that incident. Maybe I’ve partially blocked it from my memory. Anyways, Huggies wipes are my fave and my fingers are crossed!
51. Sarah | August 26th, 2010 at 1:44 pm
I’m due with our first in November, and I have no idea what parts I will be wiping. I’ve heard some interesting poop-related stories from my friends that are already parents. I do already use Huggies wipes….my husband uses them on himself sometimes cause he feels cleaner!
Leave a Comment
Some HTML allowed:
<a href="" title=""> <abbr title=""> <acronym title=""> <b> <blockquote cite=""> <cite> <code> <del datetime=""> <em> <i> <q cite=""> <strike> <strong>
Trackback this post | Subscribe to the comments via RSS Feed