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All You Need to Know About Pre-Washing Baby Clothes
Parents-to-be have a lot to take care of before their baby arrives. And they have A LOT of questions. One question new parents may be asking is should you pre-wash your babys clothes? Absolutely!
As a matter of fact, 9 out of 10 dermatologists say its important to wash your babys new clothes before they wear them. When asked what to wash baby clothes in, almost 90% of dermatologists recommend a gentle detergent. If you want to learnmore about the art of pre-washing baby clothes, read our article full of handy tips!
Use Baby Laundry Detergent
Finally, dont simply use on your babys clothing the same detergent that you would use on your own. Just like the irritants we mentioned earlier, these detergent chemicals can cause harsh reactions to the skin of a little one. Your child could be fine, but they could also develop a painful rash that keeps them up long through the night. Why take the risk? Instead, choose a specially designed baby laundry detergent. There are many on the market.
After your baby wears the pre-washed clothing, check his or her skin. If there is a rash or any sign of irritation, rinse the outfit and try another detergent. In cases when a child is itchy or irritated, look for a detergent that specifically doesnt use dyes or perfumes. For more information about choosing a baby detergent, heres a very helpful article on the subject. As youll soon find out, there isnt a one-soap-fits-all solution.
If you have further questions, and many parents do, speak with your childs pediatrician.
Precautions To Take While Washing Infants Clothes
It is extremely important to understand that you need to take some major precautions before and while washing your infants clothes. Here are a few precautions to take while washing them:
- Do not use fabric softeners during a babys wash
- Dont use drying paper with chemicals to dry your clothes
- Stay off chemical detergents
- Wash the babys nappies separately from their clothes
- Dry clothes in the sunlight
- In case of skin allergies, consult your doctor on special requirements when washing your childs clothes
- Read the clothes washing instructions carefully for material integrity purposes
- Do not use strong fragrance products during the wash
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Why Would I Need To Pre
As most of us realize, babies have very sensitive skin. They call it baby soft for a reason! Their skin can become irritated by certain fabrics and materials quite easily. This also applies to whatever chemicals may have come into contact with your babys clothes on the way to the store. Put simply, you just cant know where those clothes have been or what theyve touched.
According to an article from Dreft baby detergent: 9 out of 10 dermatologists say its important to wash your babys new clothes before they wear them.
Beyond listening to a company that specifically makes baby detergent, heres an additional warning from a professor of dermatology at Columbia University Medical Center: Dr. Donald Belsito. Dr. Belsito told the Wall Street Journal that it is possible for certain bugs to linger in clothing.
“I have seen cases of lice that were possibly transmitted from trying on in the store, and there are certain infectious diseases that can be passed on through clothing.”
That goes for hand-me-downs as well as outfits youve purchased yourself. You can just never be sure, but if you pre-wash babys clothes, youll be able to eliminate any lasting residue or harmful irritants. Its a precaution worth taking.
Tips To Machine Wash Your Babys Clothes
While it is recommended that you hand wash your babys clothes, it can be time consuming and exhausting. For the parents who arent able to hand wash their babys clothes here are a few tips to machine wash your babys clothes.
Washing machines can be a hotbed of bacteria, to avoid some of the bacteria from your clothes shifting to theirs, ensure the babys clothes are washed first.
2. Pre-soak with soap
A great way of ensuring that the clothes run a full cycle is by taking a bucket of water at the temperature of 35 degrees Celsius, adding a half cup of babys detergent and soaking it in there for half an hour before adding it to the machine.
3. Use the rinse option twice
To ensure the soap is fully removed from the fabric and the bacteria is washed off, run the rinse cycle two times. Once with the soap in the washing machine and another time with no soap or detergent, the second spin and rinse cycle should only be with water.
Remember, it is always helpful to ask your doctor how to wash baby clothes in the washing machine for more references and guidelines.
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Drying Your Baby Clothes
Your babys clothes can be dried just like you would any of your own clothes. Things like sweaters and lacy dresses should probably be laid flat to dry. However, most other items are fine to let tumble.
You might think that all those tiny clothes would dry really quickly, but that actually isnt the case. The decreased surface area makes them take a bit longer. To speed up the process, you can toss a clean, dry towel in to tumble with the baby clothes.
Its best to either skip the fabric softener or stick to a dye-free and fragrance-free version . If youre using cloth diapers, you should definitely skip the fabric softener on those. It will cause a build up on the diapers and make them less absorbent.
There are some benefits to line drying the baby clothes instead of using the dryer. The sunshine can sometimes bleach your whites, making them appear whiter. Plus, sunlight has germ-busting properties.
What Do You Wash Newborn Clothes With
We tend to recommend using a non-biological detergent when washing newborns clothes, this is down to babys having very delicate skin. Biological detergents contain strong stain-busting enzymes that could irritate babys skin, whereas non-biological detergents are still highly effective but are gentler on skin.
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Whether To Use Fabric Softener Or Dryer Sheets For Baby Clothes
When in doubt, dont.
Fabric softeners and dryer sheets very often have perfumes, chemicals, fragrances, and other additives that can irritate a babys skin.
And beyond that, theyre not really necessary. Most people use them to add a nice, fresh smell to their clean laundry, or in the case of dryer sheets, to reduce static electricity.
You can do without these benefits!
If your baby does fine with regular laundry detergent and you want to try using fabric softener or dryer sheets, definitely go with a fragrance and dye-free option.
As a less-chemically and more eco-friendly alternative, weve been using these organic wool dryer balls to help with static and wrinkles. They work great and dont rub any harsh chemicals on our clothes!
What Happens If You Dont Wash New Baby Clothes
The worst thing that generally happens if you dont wash newborns clothes in the UK is that your little one can develop a rash. And while this may seem like a small threat to us, the truth is that it has the potential to make your little one very uncomfortable. And since your little one cant talk, they will be very limited in the way that they can express themselves. Instead of taking the risk, we recommend you always wash baby clothes to be safe.
Recommended Reading: Should You Wash Newborn Clothes
How To Wash Baby Clothes:
You may not consider washing laundry a huge problem, but when it comes to baby clothing, a little planning goes a long way. Is it necessary to wash the clothing of a newborn infant separately?
Learn how to wash new-born baby clothing in a step-by-step instruction!
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Do You Have To Wash Newborn Clothes In Special Detergent
One last choice is just to wash babys clothes in a regular, scented laundry detergent. So long as your baby doesnt have any skin sensitivities or allergies to the scent, you dont have to buy a special detergent just for baby laundry. Some regular detergents may not remove those stains in the normal wash cycle.
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What Temperature Should You Wash Newborn Clothes
We always recommend washing all clothes, even baby clothes, at 30c or 40c degrees. This is plenty hot enough to get rid of any stains or dirt in clothes, plus it will also save you money and the environment, win win!
Newborn Skin Is Delicate
Your childs skin is becoming exposed to the sun and elements for the first time as well as learning to adapt to the feel of even being covered in clothes. New clothes may not be as soft or could have residual dye or chemicals that have been used during the manufacturing or packaging process that can cause rashes or irritation.
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How To Wash Newborn Baby Clothes: Your Questions Answered
What detergent is best for baby clothes, and what temperature should you be using? When do you need to wash baby clothes for the first time â should you wash baby clothes before use or only once they’re dirty? Well, fear not, we’ve got the answers to these questions – and more – below, to make sure that cleaning your baby’s clothes is as easy as ABC.
What Temperature Is Best For Washing Newborn Clothes
When youâre washing newborn baby clothes, itâs tempting to use the highest temperature the care label says they can withstand. While this is useful if your little one has been ill, or the garment is heavily soiled, Persil non-bio leaves clothes brilliantly clean at lower temperatures as well. Try washing at 30 degrees for an effective clean thatâs kinder to the environment â and your wallet.
The exception here is washing reusable cloth nappies. These should be washed on a low temperature to remove stains, then again at the highest possible temperature to make sure theyâre ready for re-use.
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What Is The Best Washing Detergent For Baby Clothes
Healthline Parenthoods picks of the best baby laundry detergents Arm & Hammer Sensitive Skin Free & Clear Detergent. all Free Clear Liquid Detergent. Tide Free & Gentle Liquid Laundry Detergent. Purex Baby Liquid Laundry Detergent. Up& Up Free + Clear Laundry Detergent. Puracy Natural Laundry Detergent. Thieves Laundry Soap.
Why Should You Wash Your Babys Clothes
You’ll never know where they’ve gone if you don’t ask! Fabrics go through a lot before they touch your baby’s skin, from hand-me-downs to brand-new purchases.For example, cloth is frequently kept in warehouses that might be home to a variety of pests and rodents right next to your child’s new onesie. In addition, formaldehyde is occasionally used to keep infant clothing appearing fresh while shipping. When it comes to hand-me-downs, who knows how long the garments have been accumulating dust or maybe even mould in storage? If you’re not sure how to wash your newborns clothes you can always visit a professional laundry service.
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Can I Wash Newborn Clothes In Washing Machine
As long as you are using a mild detergent and selecting the correct spin cycle on your machine, you can rest assured that using a washing machine to wash your babys clothes is perfectly fine and it definitely does not make you a bad parent! You are not harming your baby, or their outfits, in any way.
When To Wash Baby Clothes
The nesting instinct kicks in pretty early for some mums, and by mid-pregnancy, theyre itching to get those baby clothes washed, folded and neatly tucked away in the drawers and wardrobes. But is there such a thing as washing them too early? Will that fresh, just-washed smell and feel fade before bub arrives?
Generally, that fresh-just-washed smell should last a good couple of weeks, maybe even up to a month or more. It all depends on how the clothes are stored, and if they have access to air movement. Its really difficult to pinpoint a timeline, so if youre concerned about the clothes being a little stale when your bundle arrives, its best to wash them as close to your due date as possible.
While theres no hard-and-fast rule on the best time in pregnancy to wash baby clothes, the expert consensus is that all baby clothes should always be washed before theyre worn. Newborns have sensitive skin and its not known who has handled bubs clothing before you purchased it.
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Time For The Washing Machine
Before throwing any of the clothes into the washing machine, check out the labels. Some of the clothing items for your baby may have special washing instructions. Pay particular attention to sleepwear.
Sleepwear is required by law to be flame resistant . Due to these laws, some sleepwear may have special washing instructions. Always follow the manufacturers labeled instructions.
Dont overload the washer. Washing your babys clothes in loads that are too large could put extra wear on the tiny and delicate items. To help preserve them, separate clothing and blankets into smaller loads.
Another way to keep things looking newer longer is to use the gentle cycle. While gentle may not be best for washing cloth diapers, it should do just fine on clothing, bibs, and blankets. Also, fasten the bibs before washing, especially velcro ones, to keep them from snagging on all the other items.
If your baby has extremely sensitive skin or suffers from eczema, it may be a good idea to run the rinse cycle twice. The extra rinsing should keep any detergent from lingering in the fibers of the fabric.
Hot Tip
Should I Wash Newborn Clothes After One Wash
Should i wash newborn clothes after one wash? Any new clothing items, whether purchased or hand-me-downs, should be washed before dressing your baby in them. A babys skin is more likely to become irritated or develop a rash than an adults skin. Youll want to make sure the clothes you put on your newborn are freshly laundered with your preferred baby detergent.
Should you wash newborn new clothes? A: Yes, you must wash newborn baby clothes before you dress your baby in them. Chemicals are not something you want on your newborns sensitive skin. Washing new clothes will also soften them up and make them feel better on your babys delicate skin.
Do you have to wash all baby clothes first? All of your babys clothes should be washed before you use them. Babies, especially newborns, usually have sensitive skin, and washing removes residues and other irritants. Make sure to read the garments care label when washing something for the first time.
Is it better to deep condition before or after shampoo? Deep conditioners are to be used after cleansing, not before. Shampoos usually have a pH balance of 8, which is slightly alkaline, enabling the hair shaft to swell and raise the cuticle layers for thorough cleansing. Deep conditioners have a pH balance of 3.5-6 to close the cuticle and seal in moisture.
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