Wilko Cotton Soft Baby Wipes

As I just said in my review of Boots Extra Care Baby Wipes, I have nothing against own brand wipes, having often found them to be as good, or in some cases even better, than the big brands. I therefore came to Wilko's Baby Wipes, sold by Wilkinson's, with a totally open mind, particularly as they had been put in one of the big reuseable plastic dispensers that hold packets of wipes so it was a totally blind test.

My first instinct was that they felt less soft than my usual baby wipes and I would even go so far as to say slightly abrasive. They seem to have an incredibly large weave, looking slightly porous so that you can see your fingers through them. I was convinced I'd end up with poo all over my fingers after changing Pierre's nappy, but I have to say, this wasn't the case !

However, they weren't very wet and I found it quite hard to get the last bits of poo off Pierre's skin at changing time. I had to rub quite hard and repeatedly so Pierre squirmed and complained, presumably because it wasn't very comfortable. I therefore wouldn't recommend them for changing babies with particularly sensitive skin or during periods of nappy rash, although for a bum change when no major clean up is required, they do the job well enough.

The advantage of them being slightly rougher is that they are also tougher, so for wiping chocolatey fingers or cleaning dirty feet and knees at the park, they're very resistant. As they're not very wet, you might need a couple to get the job done but they get there eventually without falling apart.

I initially avoided using them on Pierre's face, because I didn't think they were soft enough, but when I got fed up with hayfever and used one to wipe over my face to get rid of some of the pollen, they didn't feel at all rough, as I was expecting.

In conclusion, they are not my favourite wipes for cleaning baby's sensitive skin because they aren't as soft as some brands. However, for tougher jobs, where softness isn't an issue, like cleaning hands and feet or having a quick refreshing wipe over your face when your kids are hot and sweaty after playing football, they're perfectly adequate and work out much cheaper than most wipes, even the own brand ones.

star rating : 3.5/5

RRP : 97p for 80