How to Wash Your Newborn Baby’s Clothes: Tips, Tricks, and More
Years of experience have prepared you to do your baby’s laundry! Or has it?
Just like anything else, a newborn will shake up your entire routine. You may enjoy using floral-scented laundry detergent and laundry beads to make your clothes smell good enough to eat, but your little one won’t. Their skin is soft and sensitive and can become easily irritated through the products we use every day.
Don’t let this revelation stress you out, though. We’ve got some tips and tricks up our sleeve that will make this change in your laundry routine a breeze! Continue reading to learn more about how to make washing your newborn’s clothes effortless.
Use Gentle Detergents
Your baby’s skin is soft and new to this world, which means it isn’t used to additives that we don’t think twice about.
When choosing your baby’s detergent, opt for an additive-free option. If you want to be sure that your baby will tolerate their detergent, look for one that is fragrance and dye-free.
Tackle Stains by Pre-Treating
Let’s face it – babies are messy. Their clothes are bound to collect milk, sweat, and even poop! Although you may find yourself stressing out over stains, you don’t have to.
As soon as something gets on your baby’s clothes, you want to pre-treat it. If the stain is still wet, there is a better chance it will come out easily. You can choose solutions specifically designed to treat stains, or you can use a natural approach.
For a natural pre-treating remedy, white-distilled vinegar is your best friend! Take one part of cold water and one part of white-distilled vinegar and let your baby’s clothes soak in this mixture. Once they have soaked, you can wash them like normal.
Separate Their Clothing
It may be tempting to throw your baby’s clothes in with the rest of the family, but this will make doing the laundry harder for you! Their laundry is small and can easily get lost in other clothes. In addition, long strands of hair can get into their clothing, thus wrapping around their finger (tourniquet finger).
Washing their clothes on their own will already save you time from losing their small items, but putting every item in a mesh bag will be sure no socks lose their mates! Added bonus, throw in their bibs, towels, washcloths, swaddle, etc., to save on an extra load of laundry.
Skip the Instructions
Okay, okay, hear us out. With any piece of clothing, there are instructions on how to care for it to extend its life. Who has that kind of time with a newborn in the house?
Do you need to wash newborn clothes in hot or cold water? Don’t spend too much time analyzing every tag to find out what temperature to wash and what piece of clothing. Simply throw them in the washer on whatever setting you can manage. The clothes will get clean no matter what temperature or setting you use, and we promise your baby won’t notice!
Throw Them in the Washer
Can you wash newborn clothes in the washing machine? Unless someone gives you a handmade item that you want to save for years to come, the washing machine works just fine. While we said it is A-okay for you to skip the instructions for your sanity, keep reading for the best way to wash your clothes.
To maintain the integrity of your baby’s clothes, cold water is the best option. The clothes should then be run through a gentle cycle with an additive-free detergent. They should then be tumble dried on low. Avoid ironing if you can!
Wash Them Before They Wear Them
Do you need to wash newborn clothes before first use?
Nothing says you have to, but we recommend it. Think about it – they look clean, but do you really know where they have been before they were placed in your care? Washing them before your newborn wears them just gives you peace of mind that they are clean and comfortable for your little one.
Wool Requires Different Care
A popular gift that people enjoy giving is wool clothing. They are just as cute as they are warm! The only thing to keep in mind is that wool needs much different care than other items of clothing. Wool is probably the only exception when it comes to separating your baby’s clothing, as if not washed properly or too often, it can shrink.
Wool should be washed with only cold water. Some dryers have the option for wool when it comes to drying. If yours has it, go ahead and take advantage of this! If it doesn’t, you can lay it over a laundry rack or a table.
Quick Tips:
Remove any solids. This may go without saying, but get rid of any solids before washing their clothes. This could be food, vomit, or poop. You don’t want these things going for a spin with the clothes!
Wash your hands after. After getting down and dirty with your baby’s laundry, wash your hands so they are clean to go back to caring for your little one.
Keep the stained clothes wet. If their stained clothes are wet, it will help avoid the stains set. With this in mind, wash the clothes within two days so you don’t run into any mildew.
Keep Track of Your Baby’s Skin with Baby Connect
Washing your baby’s clothes can seem challenging at first. Each baby is different and can experience irritation from specific brands. This is why keeping track of their reactions is important.
Baby Connect is an app designed for parents and caregivers alike to keep track of everything in their baby’s life. As you navigate life with your newborn, you begin to learn about all of their fun quirks! Laundry detergents can be irritating, so it is important to track what detergents they do or do not seem to tolerate.
