On Laundry

Before my baby was born, a small bottle of Baby All appeared on the shelf in my laundry room. I think it was a gift from my in-laws, but I'm not really sure. What I do know is that it was used to wash all of the baby clothes before he arrived and gave them that fantastic baby smell that we all love. It did make me think though, is it really necessary?

A friend of mine had a baby about a year older than mine and I remember him telling me about the added cost of the expensive baby detergent. He said it was necessary because it is gentler on the skin. Advertisements for different baby specific detergents advertise fewer dyes and fragrances. My mom never used any special detergent, but then, they weren't available when I was a baby. So, I was a bit confused.

Another friend gave me the best advice, in my opinion. See if your baby is sensitive to the regular stuff first, then if you notice he is, buy the more expensive baby detergent. This worked out for me.

I use Tide, though I did hear from another fellow mom, that this is one of the milder ones out there. I haven't had any issues with breaking out with its use. I do make sure all of my laundry goes through and extra rinse cycle though. I'm not sure if this has any impact or not, but I do it anyway.

I'll typically wash the baby clothing, blankets, spit rags, etc. together on the hand wash cycle. Given that they are made for short periods of wear, I'm not sure how sturdy they stand up to heavier wash cycles, call me paranoid. I tend not to separate them out by color like I would with my own, but I haven't had issues with too many colors running. I have noticed sometimes that spit-up doesn't always rinse out the first time and occasionally I throw those items in for a second wash. I then dry on low. I wash all of my diapers separately (the details are in my "On Cloth Diapering" blog entry) on casual setting, they are terry cloth so they seem sturdier than some of the other fabrics. Occasionally they go through a second wash if they need to be treated with Clorox 2 (spot treat and let sit at least 5 minutes before washing), after which I do a second extra rinse cycle to make sure everything is rinsed out of them. The diapers I dry on medium.

Along with the Tide, I use a splash of vinegar in my wash cycles as it is great for odors and, so I've heard, helps protect colors and keep them from bleeding. For stains, including those on my cloth diapers, I use Clorox 2, quite liberally might I add. I typically avoid fabric softener on the baby laundry, mostly because the instructions on the diapers say not to (I think it affects absorbency) and I've heard it can be detrimental to fire resistancy they put on some children's clothing, like pajamas.

I have had no issues with rashes or irritated skin with this combination of products. I don't know if it is because of the products I have chosen to use or if it has more to do with my baby individually. Either way, it works, so I'm passing it along!