Newborn Clothes? Pre-wash everthing?

Hello - I have a silly question. A few people told me that I should wash all the new baby clothes first before putting it on them; as well as the blankets. They said it's better because it helps prevent any allergies and safer for the babies. Have any of you ever heard that? Do you agree or disagree? I'm not sure if I should do this or not.

All feedback would be appreciated.

 

Hello - I have a silly question. A few people told me that I should wash all the new baby clothes first before putting it on them; as well as the blankets. They said it's better because it helps prevent any allergies and safer for the babies. Have any of you ever heard that? Do you agree or disagree? I'm not sure if I should do this or not.

All feedback would be appreciated.

 

Yes you need to wash all the babies clothing, bedding, bath towels, wash cloths, etc prior to them using any of it.

The clothes should also be washed in either baby All or Dreft baby detergent, with no softeners or dryer sheets. A babies skin is very sensitive in the first year or so. I had a friend who didnt realize that her babies things needed to be washed and that she shouldnt use regular detergent, well her son ended up with a rash head to toe, it was quite sad.

 

Well, "they" say you are supposed to, and it is definitely the norm around here I have found.

We used Dreft in the beginning, but found All Free and Clear to be a much cheaper alternative. You should wash the basics, including clothes and bedding. But don't wash every article of clothing you own just quite yet...wait and see what you will use and what you might return.

 

Yep, that's pretty standard. We washed everything in Dreft before they were born.

 

I agree with the previous posts... definately pre-wash. I went through and picked out everything we were sure we would be keeping... the right size and season, and washed (in Dreft), all of the clothes up to size 3-6 , months. I left the tags on bigger stuff, and out of season stuff, and put them away to possibly return later. Stuff I knew we would not need, very out of season newborn things for example, I returned already.
Helen

 

We also washed the newborn, 0-3 and 3-6 month. We used All Free and Clear.

 

Yep - washed everything!!!
I use dreft or tide free
I prefer the dreft - it smells like baby and it has a safe
softener in it but tide free is a bit cheaper and I use it for the rest of my family so if I run out of dreft - I will use it for the girls until I can get to the store!! My girls are 2 weeks old and
their skin is so soft and delicate that all of the dyes from the unwashed clothing would be to harsh! and on my paranoid side -
you don't know where those clothes have been - who all has touched them etc... so it is best just to wash them!!

 

Unless you are willing to pay through the nose for "baby smell" you might want to go with a "free and clear" like all Free and Clear. It has NO perfumes and it is an allergen reducer (really good if you have common allergens in your home like a pet). Baby scented detergents obviously have scent in them, so they are actually probably not as good for a really sensitive baby as a "free and clear" type detergent. Remember, the baby will be laying on other stuff besides clothes, so you might want to just consider switching everybody to a free and clear detergent during those early stages. What good is it to wash their clothes in a special detergent if they are laying their faces on your shirt or a blanket that has been washed in a harsh detergent? It was a while before I could use regular detergent...when I did my son got a contact rash on his wrists and neck (the parts that rub more tend to break out first the doctor said).

 

yes, ditto the other ladies "all free and clear"!

you need to wash your clothes in it too. my son got a rash on his cheeks from snuggling with me wearing a shirt that had not been washed in "free and clear" detergent.

everybody, tide, cheer, purex, etc. all make "free and clears", but "all" is cheap and works great. i would go this route rather than dreft b/c you really need to wash everybody else's clothes in it too.

Best Wishes,
Jennifer

 

I'm like most, I started out using Dreft. Then realized how expensive it was so switched to regular detergent.

No one here suggested it yet, but I used a double rinse cycle at the end to be sure the detergent residue wasn't left behind. I never had any problems with my dd skin by doing this.

 

Yep, I started out with the Dreft then went to baby all. I have to use Purex Free & Clear for myself and my other dd's due to dye allergies, and my MIL washed some of our sons clothes in it trying to help out...he didnt have a reaction (and hes 9 mths now) so we stopped using the baby stuff. My second DD got a horrible rash after she was born in the hospital noone could figure it out, after 2 days we took her home and it cleared up. She had Kidney reflux and we eventually spent months in the hospital until she was 4...after her second two week trip to the hospital, we realized she was sensitive to dyes also and they didnt wash the hospital linens in baby detergent.....I make sure I take a few laundered blankets and onesies with me when I deliver just in case.

 

I have always prewashed my baby's clothes. A few years ago, I bought my daughter a 100% cotton sweater and she was very anxious to wear it for the first day of school. Within hours of putting in on, she ended up with a horrible case of hives. She was about 7 at the time and had never had the hives before (nor has she had allergies before). We realized it must have been something in the fabric. After washing the sweater, she never had another outbreak. It really makes you wonder what kind of chemicals they put in the fabric to make it look so crisp and new.

 

I'm the oddball here, with my son I didn't wash everything (I'm not a dirty gross person either, lol!)and I am glad I didn't. He was fine, had wonderful skin and came out a lot bigger than expected, therefore we were able to exchange a lot of the clothes because they still had the tags.

After he got home we did use Dreft on all of his clothes for several months. This time I haven't prewashed anything (unless it was used) and plan on using one of the Free and Clear's, I'm not sure what one I have, but I stocked up on it a few weeks ago when it was on sale.

If you are worried about it, I would prewash some of the newborn stuff, but I wouldn't start washing everything you have.

 

Definitely wash them using a baby detergent or a Free & Clear detergent. Ditto the pp who said not to use any fabric softeners or sheets because they not only decrease the flame-resistent qualities of sleepwear they also make everything else more flammable.

 

I would defintely wash the items & also yours & your dh's clothes in baby detergent. We love Dreft, but I especially love the smell of it. It is pricey though. I washed my nightgowns for the hospital in dreft the other day.

I still always wash my dd's clothes (not in dreft anymore) & all of our clothes before we wear them. Like someone said, you never know where something has been. HTH!

 

definately prewash, also your bedding if you plan on having them in/on your bed at all.

As a side note, With my son I also noticed he would break out in a rash if anyone was wearing perfume/cologne while holding him. there skin really is that sensitive.

 

Hello,
There is no such thing as a silly question! Everyone should prewash there clothes before wearing for the first time (I don’t always ). Factories fill the cloth with starches and chemicals, (I think formaldehyde is one of them) so they will still look good on the rack after shipping.

I use dreft or the like for the first 3-4 months on everything including my nursing shirts and bras then I go back to my normal soap.
Best wishes,

 

I pre washed everything also. Some brand new stuff I have left in tack in case it needs to be returned... other then that it's all washed. I concour with the last post, companies do use chemicals and things on new clothes to make them look good and less wrinkled so it is a good idea to wash that stuff also.
The good news is you can fit a ton of baby clothes in one load!

 

My mother worked in a sewing factory and died from cancer that started in the lungs and spread to her brain. She never smoked and didn't allow it in our home. They think it was from all the chemicals/dyes/particles floating in the plant. Scary stuff. Luckily most people are not exposed that much, but it goes to show you there is some bad stuff in those factories.

 

I washed all the girl's clothes with Dreft before putting them on them. But after about 6 or 7 months I stopped and I just use the same laundry soap that I use.