Laundering Your Baby's Clothes (for Parents) (2024)

FAQs

Laundering Your Baby's Clothes (for Parents)? ›

It's best to wash baby clothes separately from other laundry until baby is at least a few months old. This is to reduce the chance of germs and dirt from other clothing transferring on to baby's clothes and causing irritation to their incredibly sensitive skin.

It's best to wash baby clothes separately from other laundry until baby is at least a few months old. This is to reduce the chance of germs and dirt from other clothing transferring on to baby's clothes and causing irritation to their incredibly sensitive skin.

In a nutshell, you'll ideally want to wash baby clothes every time your little one wears them. “Babies stool, spit up and spill food often, so washing after each wear is important,” Mehra says. At the very least, Cirillo recommends washing baby clothes once every week.

Cost: $20 to $50 (or more) per month on average, depending on where (and how often) you shop. Throughout the first twelve months, babies outgrow clothing very quickly, so you'll be buying more clothes in infancy than when they're older.

Baby clothes have to be washed separately. They are not to be mixed with the other adult clothes.

Hygiene and Health Safety

Adult clothes, especially those worn outside, can carry germs, bacteria, and dirt. Mixing these with baby clothes in the wash could inadvertently transfer these unwanted elements to your baby's garments.

It's also important to look out for clothes with a low fire hazard label. Newborn rompers and jumpsuits should have this label. It's best to avoid buying newborn clothes with beading, threads, ties, drawstrings and attachments. These can be choking risks and strangulation or suffocation risks.

While you may not always feel inclined to wash before you wear when you're shopping for yourself, baby clothes should be treated a little differently before first use. It's a good idea to pre-wash newly purchased baby clothes because they may have been treated with things like flame retardants, have excess dye, etc.

A good rule of thumb is to give your baby 1 extra layer of clothing than what you're wearing. For example, if you're in a t-shirt and jumper, dress them in a vest, sleepsuit and cardigan or jumper. If you feel chilly, your baby probably does too.

How do you wash baby clothes safely? ›

In general, you can hand-wash baby clothes in a tub of warm water with a gentle detergent after you pretreat stains. Agitate the water and let the clothing soak for 30 minutes. Rinse until the water runs clear, wring and hang dry.

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 baby's clothes on the way to the store.

Ground Rules for Cleaning Baby Clothes

You'll find very few parents who don't shudder at the idea of hand-washing, say, cloth diapers. You don't need to hand wash baby clothes. Happily, yes, it's perfectly safe to throw your baby's clothing, linens, cloth diapers, and blankets into the wash cycle.

One of the largest expenses for new parents can be the delivery—the cost of which depends on the location and health insurance policy. One-time costs often include travel, home needs, and nursing/feeding. Other things to consider include the cost of child care and savings plans.

A solid emergency fund holds three to six months' worth of your take-home pay. If that sounds overwhelming, start with $1,000, then shoot for one month of expenses, and before you know it, you'll be at your goal.

And the answer is: it depends. Babies are notoriously messy, and you might need to change their outfits 2-4 times a day just because they spat and got their onesie dirty again. Factor in the outfit needed for their 'outside' time, and you'll quickly come to learn you might need a few outfit changes throughout the day.

You may choose to wash baby's items by themselves using a gentle, baby-friendly detergent. However, it isn't always necessary to separate baby's clothes from the rest of your family's laundry.

In general, you can wash newborn clothes the same way you'd wash an older baby's clothes – in cool water on a gentle cycle setting with regular detergent. If you're worried about your newborn's sensitive skin, you can opt for a baby detergent or any dye- and fragrance-free detergent to start out.

Avoid using fabric softeners or anti-static products. It has chemicals that can be harsh to your baby's sensitive skin. Another thing, soap flakes can strip away the flame-retardant properties of baby clothes. Lastly, do not use regular detergent in washing diaper clothes. It may cause diaper rash on your baby.