You know me. I am a thrifty kind of gal. So when Johnson’s (the leading baby cleaning products company) asked me if they could send me their new Johnson’s Head-To-Toe Baby Cleansing Cloths to try out on our baby and to give an honest review, well of course I’m up for the challenge.
And yes, it’s not just because I am so super thrifty that you throw the word “free product” around that I am all over it, but it’s also because thrifty and convenience are not generally friends – sometimes not even acquaintances – which brings me back to the challenge. And one of the purposes of this blog is to share things that would be helpful in life and money and especially whether a product like this is worth the money. We don’t do reviews often, but they are helpful when you know you can trust the review you are getting.
So are the new Johnson’s Head-To-Toe Baby Cleansing Cloths worth the $2.50 – $4 price tag for 15 disposable cloths (depending on the retailer) worth it? Well, I will get to that in a minute. That’s the conclusion of my review ya’ know. So I can’t tell you yet.
First, I want to talk about the product.
I like the way they are packaged. I don’t like the plastic tubs or boxes. I like the fact that they are compact and can easily slip into a diaper bag without taking up tons of room. They are intended to be a sponge bath in a wipe. They are intended to be able to clean baby from top to bottom.
My family also struggles with eczema and I make a lot of my own cleansers and products, not only to save money, but for sensitive skin. These wipes do claim to provide pH-balance, allergy-tested, paraben-free and non-irritating. They still have more ingredients than I would like for a simple cleansing, but I wouldn’t be using them everyday. I would be using them for convenience.
They are thick and soft. Which is nice when you intend to actually give a full bath without water.
And to describe the size…ginormous! I was actually very surprised about how large these were. The package says they are 7.8″ x 11.8.”
When compared to a 12″ ruler, they end up being about 1.5″ – 2″ longer than specified, but they do stretch and stretch when you pull them out of the package. However, this was a pleasant surprise if I do intend to bathe baby from his adorable blond head to wiggly toe.
Next, how do they do their job? Let’s find out! They say “head-to-toe” cleansing. Do they?
I started with the head… with my wiggly, little, dirty, 16 month, baby boy. He’s got this gorgeous blond hair – all real, no bleach. Yeah, I know you are jealous, I am too. 😉 And he likes to use it for a napkin when he’s eating. So uncivilized to use your hair as a napkin. I am working on this before he meets his potential future mate, she might be smitten with his hair, but not how he uses it. It’s not impressive.
But it’s a great way to “test” bath wipes, am I right? I tried very hard to get pictures, but he would not hold still, and I have one hand on a camera and one trying to wash. This was the best I got after about 25 shots!
So I recruited my daughter to try and snap pics while I wiped this monkey down!
I was able to wash his hair without water, scrubbed the food out and it smelled nice. The cleansing wipe did a great job. Washing his hair in the tub is his least favorite part of a bath.
Actually the only part of bathtime he likes is the playtime. As soon as the soap comes out, he’s not a happy camper. Well, I can’t say he was thrilled getting cleaned this way either, but it was less of a fight!
After I washed his hair. The wipe was quite dry. I am a thrifty person. One that cuts tubes of lotions and cleansers open to get every last drop, one that adds a bit of water to a jar of spaghetti sauce to get every bit out. One that melds the sliver of soap left to the next bar of soap. So this thrifty gal wasn’t satisfied using one wipe for just for his hair. But it was still a cleanish cloth – just dry. So I just rewetted it and wrung it out!
That actually worked fine for the rest of his body from shoulder-to-toes.
It did a fine job. A little better than baby wipes and that totally makes sense because they are a lot thicker than baby wipes. It wasn’t quite as scrubby as a washcloth. But it was softer than a washcloth (a plus for this family’s sensitive skin) and it cleaned without harsh scrubbing, so all-in-all, it was a fine way to wash.
Here’s my attempt at more wiggly, cleaning pictures….let’s be honest, for being a blogger, I do lack in the professional photography department. Thank goodness I am not a photography blogger. 🙂
Legs make good napkins too!
Yummy caked on banana cleaning time!
And down to the five little piggies with baby trying to crawl away!
But you get the idea. It was a wiggly bath, but a safer one than normal! And his skin with his skin issues…well they must be what they claim to be because he didn’t have any reactions or inflamed skin reactions – there were no reactions, redness, irritation or anything. That’s a HUGE win because if there is any baby’s skin that will disagree with anything, it would be his skin (why or why did he get my skin genes and not dads!?!).
He was clean, smelled good and happier than usual. At this point of regular bathtime, he’s screaming because I pulled him out of the warm water, after attacking him with soap because there’s not other reason for soap but as an excuse to harass. He’s wrapped in a towel while I am trying to draw him off quickly and we’re wrestling because he thinks the I think it is the perfect time to top off the final few minutes of torture with a bit more antagonization. Finally, once he’s dressed, he’s happy and ready to give hugs and kisses. But that 10 minutes of pure agony from bath playtime to getting dressed is eliminated. That’s a plus, because this boy does need a bath often.
Now, to the real review part. Is it worth it?
I wouldn’t use these at home often, if ever. When I am at home, I will give baths or a sponge bath with washable washcloths at home. I would not spend that kind of money when I have thriftier solutions at home. I generally don’t do the more convenient thing at home. I am so use to my cheaper routines in every area of my life, that convenience is too lavish for this gal at home.
However, these are going right in my backpack for in-town emergencies…like the diaper explosions that seem to only happen when you are not at home, and especially when you are nicely dressed or out to dinner. Those emergencies when wipes will not cut it! I would be willing to pay the .25 per wipe to make it easy on myself (and those around me) in those moments.
I would also use this for trips, definitely. I have issues setting my baby or toddlers down in a tub at a hotel or on the road. Every possible microscopic disease comes to mind in those moments that they are sitting there. No matter how clean it may be, it’s completely disgusting to me. I do give sponge baths on trips to avoid foreign tubs. But this is a much better solution for traveling. These will be on my “must-buy” for trips list.
There you have it. I hope my honest and thorough review will help you make an educated decision about whether these are worth buying for your purposes in your situation.
Have you tried these before?
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