Hi... I keep getting (new) baby clothes, and have been wondering if I should wash them before putting them on baby. What kind of detergent is best for newborns? What about little hats and bootie things? I have been doing the "get ready for baby" thing the last couple of days, so I'm really wanting to get this done. Any other baby laundry tips would be greatly appreciated!
Hi siren24, that is a great question. I had no idea when I was PG with my son. I used Dreft for the fisrt year. Some babies are ok with regular soap, but its a good idea to start with a mild soap and test a few items out as they get older in with your wash. Hope this helps.
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edd of baby #2 9/21/03 (my son Evan's Birthday!)
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Proud (and tired) Mom of Evan and Aaron.
Dreft, or Ivory Snow. However, lmeckmans right, some babies are fine with regular detergent. So after you go thru the first bottle of Dreft, you can try some of babies clothes in regular detergent and see how he does. Because those baby detergents are not cheap
I'm not a mommy yet, but I did help raise my two younger brothers and have worked at a baby daycare center. I've used Purex (plain simple Purex, not the Mountain Breeze or any other scent).. It is very gentle and great for sensitive skin... I still use it for my very sensitive skin.
Good luck to you!
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Vanessa
TTC since April '02
"I'm not a complete idiot, some parts are missing!"
I didn't stay away. I was showing this site to my friend who loves it and decided to post.
You can wash the babies clothes with your own with no problems. Just use a detergent free of perfumes like All Free or Cheer Free. In fact some of those purported baby detergents have more perfume than regular soaps (to make clothes smell "baby fresh"). I have done it with all 3 of my kids with no problems at all. I actually used Dreft with my first son for a week and I had an allergic reaction when I spilled it on my skin (I have very bad dry skin and have always had reactions to perfumes and had to use All free).
I agree on the net for the little socks as they do easily get lost.
OMG, this is a great topic and Not Dump in any way. Geez, Siren, what'dya think we're all here for...silly. thanks for bringning this up and with laundry being such a chore for us, the info is appreciated greatly !!!! Chris (wishing for laundry fairy)
I've always just used a detergent without dyes or perfumes (Tide Free). I'm able to select a 2nd rinse on my machine - just to make sure all soap is out. I also haven't used a laundry sheet in the dryer (i.e. Bounce), but since she's 18 months now, I may try it on a few items and see how it goes.
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Eve 10/23/01
Babe #2 c-section 11/06
ALWAYS wash things before putting them on your baby...even blamkets and such. I always used dreft to wash everything before each child, just in case they were sensitive to regualr laundry detergent I didnt watn a new baby and 20 loads of baby clothes to re-wash just because i used Tide instead of dreft....then you can experiment and see if the other detergents bother your baby, if they dont there is no reason to keep buying dreft just for baby.
How about fabric softeners? I always use the liquid kind. Any problems with these? I never ever would have thought about these things if I hadn't seen this post...
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EDD 10/1/03
Our first baby
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EDD 10/1/03
Our first baby
IT'S A BOY!
I think you should always wash them in Dreft or Ivory Snow first to avoid a possible skin reaction and yes wash them before the baby wears anything new. After you see if his skin is sensitive or not then you can try washing them with your own detergent if you want. Personally, I like my baby's clothes to smell like a baby. I always used Dreft, but I did once use Ivory Snow and it was awesome too! Don't use softner because it takes the flammable guard out of the clothes. I had alread used the softner before reading this on the labels. Oops. I hear Woolite is okay though.
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Marie
It's A Boy!!
Expected August 2, 2003
You may want to note that fabric softener(liquid and sheets)should not be used on children's sleepwear as it may reduce the the flame resistance of the garment.
That's what I posted above, but it's good that it came up seperate too, because I never knew until after making that error. It's all in good measure because all you want is for you baby's clothes to be soft and then you find out you biffed. It can be a bummer.
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Marie
It's A Boy!!
Expected August 2, 2003
Possibly dumb question for experienced moms 
