For new parents the workload will increase long before the baby arrives home from the hospital. Here’s a big item for your “TO DO” list: Before you head to the delivery room you should have all your baby items washed. That’s right: Your first load of baby laundry shouldn’t happen a week or two after you’ve settled into parenthood.
The First Wash
A basic rule for new parents: Wash all new baby clothes, blankets and cloth diapers (and anything else that will touch his or her delicate skin) before you use them.
Here’s how to get started. First, remove all the store tags and itchy labels from the clothing. Then separate the wash into darks and lights. Be careful to read special wash instruction on delicate clothing and hand wash anything that looks especially fragile (like that heirloom christening gown).
Once you’ve got your laundry separated, you’ll want to use hot water for much of the first wash; this will free the fabrics of residual dyes, bacteria and germs that can irritate baby’s delicate skin. A thorough washing ensures that you child’s adorable new outfits are clean, soft and comfortable. Skip the fabric softener; the dyes and perfumes added can cause an allergic reaction.
Any clothes that require cold-water washing should be done separately, but can still use a gentle baby detergent.
Additional Hints
Once you’ve got the baby home, you may want to batch the laundry. Do not wash baby clothes with diapers. Diapers may have fecal matter on them and warrant their own run through the washer and dryer. Also try to separate the baby’s clothes from the rest of your grown-up wash. Once baby has been designated free and clear of allergies and rashes you can consider tossing baby clothes in with the other family clothing.
When a stain happens (and they will), try to have a stain-remover handy. Many parents keep a spray or Zout! or Resolve in the nursery (out of baby’s reach of course) to pre-treat stains before tossing them into the laundry bin. After all, new parents have enough to keep track of–remembering where the spit-up stain is at laundry time really isn’t high on the list.
If you’re dealing with a tough baby stain you may want to try these old gems:
1. To get out stubborn stains, soak stained baby items in hot water with a solution of 1/2 cup white vinegar and 1/2 cup laundry soap.
2. For formula and breast milk, try a moistened cloth dipped in baking soda and gently dab at the fabric.
Avoid putting stained clothing in the dryer as this will “set” the stain.
For baby socks and other small items that tend to disappear into the great laundry void, I suggest buying a few lingerie bags to keep these little gems separate from the rest of the wash.
If this doesn’t work for you, try keeping a small jar or bin handy in the laundry room for singleton socks. Eventually the mate may show up and you’ll know where to make a match. This is also a great spot to toss little buttons that may come loose in the wash.
Washing Diapers
Diaper rash is tough on babies. Most of the time it can be avoided by keeping baby’s bottom as dry as possible and free of bacteria. That being said, it’s best to get your cloth diapers very clean.
Here’s what the experts advise:
1. Designate a pail for soiled diapers by your changing table.
2. Rinse soiled diapers and place in pail.
3. Place a solution of borax and water in the pail and soak diapers in pail until you are ready to launder.
4. When it’s wash time, try to add an extra rinse cycle (try adding baking soda to this rinse cycle to keep diapers soft and smelling fresh) for your diapers. Some advise two washes, but I find this a tad wasteful.
5. When laundering, use hot water, soap, and bleach.
Choosing a Detergent
In addition to cost, a factor to watch for in your choice of detergent is a possible allergic reaction of your baby to the detergent. Detergents also add a degree of safety into your clothing care: soap can harm the fire-retardant qualities of your baby’s clothes (especially pajamas), so be sure to launder baby’s things in detergent.
I’ve tested over a dozen brands of baby detergents and have a short list of favorites. It should be noted that these choices are not the budget plays. Instead they are either wonderfully mild cleaners with a terrific scent or excellent environmental formulas. When it comes to budget shopping, I’d pick All Baby Care ($28 for 200 oz).
Here are my top three picks:
1.) Caldrea’s Sweet Pea Laundry Detergent: A mild and has a delicious scent. Caldrea’s ingredients include plant-derived surfactants, borax, and essential oils of geranium, orange, jasmine, coriander, rose and bergamot. 64 OZ ($16.00)
2.) Seventh Generation Baby Laundry Detergent: A leader in delivering non-toxic cleaning products, Seventh Generation prides themselves in their research. This vegetable-based formula is tough on dirt but gentle on your clothes and the environment. The ingredients are biodegradable, and they also exclude nasties like chlorine, phosphates, artificial fragrances and dyes. If you like a powdery scent on your clothes, you’ll want to try another brand–this has no odor. (6 pack of 50 oz bottles $31.99)
3.) Method Baby Detergent: Another stellar detergent with a lovely scent, Method does a great job getting out stains from breast milk and formula. How do they do it? Naturally- derived surfactants absorb dirt rather than chemically degrading it. Their concentrated formula means you won’t have to lug home a huge bottle to tackle the endless cycles of wash your baby will produce. 32 OZ $9
