Washing New Born clothes.

[june05isttimer]

Hey there Im due in 5 weeks time now and think I pretty much have everything I need.
One thing I got told recently which hasn't crossed my mind is washing the new clothes before your new baby wears them.
I was told that I really should wash anything that is going to go directly onto skin, such as singlets, beanies and jumpsuits etc...
Does anyone recommend this????
If so should I just be washing in normal washing powder and fabric softner or should I wash them in something specific???

Thanks
:o

[willsmum]

The child health nurse will probably spout some crap about washing in soap flakes (eg Lux) but I tried this once and everything smelled like old chop bones to my hormonal nose.

In the end I just used our every day washing liquid (Cold Power Lemon liquid for the record) and we had no problems. After all the linen etc that the hospital uses is cleaned by an industrial cleaning company and I'm sure they don't hand wash everything in hypo-allergenic soap flakes!!!

If you are worried there is a sensitive-skin Omo I think.

[Kassiasmum]

Hi there,
I was all my babies clothes before she wears them. I use Amolin laundry detergent because i have sensitive skin so I figure she probably has too (I aslo was my own clothes in this) and I use white vinegar as softener.

Tracey

[RuthK]

Yes, wash them in wool mix or delicates mix if you want to be sure they'll be non-allergenic.

I wash all my babies and childern's clothes before use. I feel that you don't know who's done what with their hands as they were making or packing them. I'm sure most germs would have died, but you can't be sure...

A word of advice, when you get clothes as baby gifts, unless you love the item and want to use it straight away don't get into a frenzy and wash and pack everything away for use like I did because more often than not you get too much of one particular type or size of clothing and not enough of another, and in that case it's nice to have the clothing item in it's original store packaging so you can exchange it for something you need more.

[mummyb]

hi :p
i use whatever is cheap to wash my families clothing and the babies clothing goes straight in with it.
when i washed all his new clothing i didnt use anything special .dont spend to much time washing enjoy the last few weeks of being able to go to the toilet with out someone saying mum where are you. ;)

[Lallas' Mum]

Hi,

It is a good idea to wash all new clothes before wearing them, especially babies' clothes. The reasoning behind it is that there may be residue dyes in the clothing that can cause irritation to the skin. Babies have especially sensitive skin as the are used to wearing nothing at all so I would definately recommend washing their clothes before first use.
My dad once wore a shirt that was new and hadn't been washed and the rash that he broke out in was incredible! It was like a really bad case of hives. Big red, welty and very itchy. So I always wash all new clothes before use in our household. I don't use any special kind of detergent (just Amway SA8 and Fluffy softener). But I have heard that the Amolin baby wash is pretty good.

Good luck with the rest of your pregnancy and the birth.

Tracey

[jamb]

like mummyb said, enjoy the last few weeks!! before he was born i washed all DS stuff in wool wash but now i just wash bubs stuff with ours and use whatever detergent i bought that week. i dont want to use precious time doing a separate load, i'd rather give him cuddles!!

amy

[redbaby]

Hi there,.. I use Omo Sensitive,.as our bubba has very sensitive skin,.. and no fabric softener,.as the more products you use the more chance there will be a reaction! I also learn't that the Johnsons range of products are absolute rubbish!

[Baby Girl]

I washed all my first bubs clothes before she wore them. I used to use Radiant or Spree and Fluffy fabric softener and never had a problem with irritations or rashes. I have once again washed everything for my 2nd bub too. Although, now I use Nutri-metics laundry concentrate (for all our clothes) as it has no chemicals in it (all natural ingredients) and it cleans just as well as normal laundry powders and I find I don't need to use fabric softeners. It works out cheaper for us too as it is a concentrated liquid and for the price and the time it lasts it is great.

Just another thought.... apparently you shouldn't use fabric softeners in every wash as it coats the fabric and after a while stops actually softening the fabric because it is so coated with it and things can start to feel "slimy"!! I was told this by a woman who works for the company that makes Fluffy so I guess it could be right as she wouldn't want to stop people from buying their product!

[tina]

Hi I went absolutely CRAZY in the week before i was due I washed everything from singlets to cot sheets I even ironed everything (yep including singlets) & I remember standing back & looking at the washing line thinking how could this bump fit into those HUGE clothes!!! Those HUGE clothes are now packed up in the wardrobe too SMALL for her!!!!!! Now I laugh at that day because I dont even get to iron my clothes anymore!!! :D

[Graeme]

Hi

It seems to me that some babies are born being able to handle any sort of detergents etc and others are born with quite sensative skin. We are pretty careful with what we use because Jasmine can react to somethings.

If you are going to wash clothes I would probably use detergents suitable for sensative skin just in case.

But I also agree it is worth looking after yourself and not making more work than needed.

In passing, I knew that there was going to be lots more washing when we had a baby, what I didn't realise was that so much of it was going to be ours :o

All the best
Graeme