How many here use cotton wool n water (not baby wipes) to clean newborn for the first mth?

That's what my cousin did, at the insistence of her mother. Apparently the older generation does the whole cotton wool and water routine instead of wet wipes. There is a worry that baby's skin at such a young age should not be exposed to chemicals. Personally, I'd prefer the wet wipes, just feel that it's cleaner. If it's chemical that the older folks are worried about, there are plenty of organic, non chemical, unscented wipes around. But that's my 2 cents.

I’ve came across this study which investigated the effect of using baby wipes as compared to using cotton wool and water in the first 4 weeks and the study found no difference on the hydration between the two methods. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3418152/ I would say my friends all used a mix of both. Wipes are convenient during nappy changes. Especially for my friends who are first-time parents.