Washing Baby Clothes

I never washed my son's clothes separately. We always used BioKleen or Trader Joe's detergent, which are gentle but very effective.

NEVER wash seperate.... you have enuff to do.... throw it all in together with a free and clear detergent.... both my kids were fine!

With my first daughter I used Dreft for a year but washed her clothes with mine. I washed hers alone for about 1 month. With my second daughter I used dreft for 1 month with and washed it with everyone's clothes. I stopped after that b/c it was to hard to keep everthing separate. She had no reaction. I think you would be fine.

I washed my youngest's clothes in the baby detergent for about two weeks and then she started breaking out in a rash. I asked a friend of mind, who is a pediatric nurse, and she told me that the baby detergents are full of oils to make them smell nice. From then on I washed her stuff with the rest of the family's in All Free & Clear and we have not had aproblem since. I would go ahead and wash it all together. I am sure it would save you a few loads a week. By now you would know if whe was going to have a problem with your detergent just by you holding her and her coming in contact with your bedding and towels.

(Smile) When your tried of washing them by themselves :-)

Seriously I know there are many comments all ready. I washed them separately for a long time simply so the little things didn;t get lost in Daddy's shirt. But we used the same soaps along with teh spray and wash stick to get out the stains.

I don't know if this makes me a poor mommy or not, but I've washed my kids clothes along with ours since day 1. I've never had any rash issues or anything with the kids. I suppose if your baby has very sensitive skin you may want to be careful.

Hi L.,

I never washed my boys clothes seperately from ours. We use Tide and neither children have ever had a problem from the detergent. I'm sure you'd be fine switching to whatever you are using. If you are still unsure, consider just washing one of your daughters clothing and then have her wear it. See if she is fine. If she is, there's your answer! Best of luck. ~A.

I never used special soaps for my little one. Just used "free" types for all our things. no scent or dyes.
Never had an issue.

I never washed any of the baby clothes separately. I even use Tide with bleach for all loads of laundry, and always have. Unless your child shows signs of ecxema there is no reason to wash their clothes separately. Even then, you just need to buy something more mild, and wash all clothes in it, not just baby's.

Hi L.,

I too have never washed my daughters clothes with special detergent. I did wash them seperatly from mine for the first two moths but with regular detergent. After I saw that she was fine, I just threw them in with mine. Just use a good quality detergent and I think it will be fine.

you mean we're supposed to wash them separately??? with special detergent??? who knew?!!!

Ya....just so ya know that's a marketing ploy to get you to spend extra money on something totally unnecessary. You'll relax with your 2nd and 3rd child!!!! :)

Hehehe...I never DID wash my baby's clothes with special detergent. There's no allergies in our family, and we never had any issues with her skin being sensitive. My favorite product was (is!) OxyClean. It got out spitup, food messes (even chocolate!)...even if the clothes had already been through the dryer. I kept a bucket of water with a scoop of OxyClean in the laundry room and just threw her clothes into the rinse as they got stained.

This is what happens as you have more kids:

Child 1: Wash clothes separately with "baby" detergent for 18 months.

Child 2: Wash clothes separately with regular detergent for 6 months. (It's a mystery to me why I did this; I had read sometime between kids 1 & 2 that special detergents were no less offensive than regular ones, but why did I wash separately?)

Child 3: Wash clothes with everybody eles's.

If you have more kids you will notice that this happens to all aspects of life: to what they eat, what toys they play with, what they read, watching tv, etc, etc.

Everybody is fine, and I'm only killing myself for the extra work I gave myself at a moment of my life when I least needed it.

I always washed baby and child clothes in with everything else - never occurred to me not to! It never caused any problems at all.

Hi L.,

I started using regular detergent by the time they were a year. My second child I believe was only seven months. My son is now nine months and we still use free and clear b/c he's got a lot of allergies. ALL makes a much less expensive version of Dreft. If your daughter doesn't seem to be sensitive there's no reason to keep using the other stuff.

after the 2nd bottle of dreft ran out i start using regular detergents.

I think its safe to say at 14 months nothing will happen.

my daughter was about 9-10 months old when i accidently washed one of her shirts in with our clothes and put it on her and then realized that it smelled like ours. she never had a reaction to it so i started her clothes with our. i would try the same with yours, if she dosnt get bumps from the detergent, i would start. she is over one so she should be "tough enough". good luck, and enjoy saving the money from only buying one soap.

I never washed our clothes separately and never had a problem. Granted I am sensitive to chemicals, so use a gentle additive free laundry detergent in the first place and my 20 month old DD never spit up or pooped in her pants much so there wasn't much need to do stain treatments either . . .

I am a mother of two under two.
I have always washed their clothes with ours and neithwer of them had any rashes or adverse reactions.
I was using costco store brand concentrate powder that I mixed with water in my own large bottles for the first year. I recently switched to all no dye brand and as I said they are all fine.
no dreft or any other baby detergent.

As far as I know, there's never been a reason to wash the clothes in different detergent. I have 3 kids, 12, 10, & 2 and have always used the same detergent as the rest of the laundry without any problem at all.

My understanding is that "baby detergents" are yet another marketing ploy that businesses use against parents, because we will do anything for our kids. Unless your child's skin has shown sensitivity, you can use regular detergent. For both of our two boys, we have always used generic store brand powder detergent, and have never had any skin issues. And we've saved a ton of money in detergent,plus water/ electricity as we don't have to wash smaller loads of just baby stuff.

I have been washing my daughters clothes in regular detergent on and off for months. She will be one at the end of July. Most of the time it's been by mistake, cuz I'm not paying attention when I get the detergent, but since atleast 6 mos old I have. As I said she will be 1 at the end of the month and I haven't even gone through a full tub of Dreft, you know the one the size you get at BJ's. It's still way full.

I would start light with fragrance free detergent, and see what happens.

When we had our Lamaze classes at our hospital, the nurse told us that we don't really need use any special baby detergent for baby's clothes or bed lignen. We've been using seventh generation's free and clear detergent for our family since our daughter's born, and she's now 16 months old, never had any rash from it. She's healthy and happy.

A little about me:

Mother of a sweet 16 months old girl.

personally I never used special detergent for baby's clothes, I always use the white All (dye and perfume free, it's hypoallergenic) and I was every ones clothes together...

I have excema and allergy issues so I have been washing my 17 month olds clothes in a free and clear detergent with my from just about the begining. I found that costco makes a great one that is Enjoy inexpensive and works great! Enjoy one less complication in your life!

G.

I just wanted to note that SUNLIGHT is awesome on baby stains (milk, puke, #1 & #2). Whenever I can I hang clothes on the line on a sunny day and everything that didn't come out in the wash disappears. This is especially nice since I use a environmentally friendly plant-based detergent which isn't tough on stains... but the sun gets anything out that the wash doesn't.

We wash with All free & clear and have since we've been married b/c I have sensitive skin. After our son was out of the infant stage - we began washing his clothes with ours and stopped using that expensive Dreft....we've had no problems & he also has sensitive skin.

Unless your child has allergies to detergents, you can actually wash baby clothes with the rest of yor laundry from the very start if you sort your loads according to type of fabric, stains, kind of dirt (ordinary wear vs. gardening dirt vs. baby poo or vomit, for example) and whatnot. Let the laundry itself be your guide, not who it belongs to. Select an appropriate detergent and rinse well and everything should be fine.
With all the other concerns you have right now -- your time, laundry costs, energy and water concerns -- you need to find ways to maximize your efficiency and minimize stress so you can devote more quality time to your precious daughter.

I started washing my kid's clothes with ours at birth, I never did separate laundry. I do use an all-natural detergent for everyone - my husband and all my kids have very sensitive skin.

you dont HAVE to wash them separately at all. does she have any skin probs? you can use whatever detergent you use for everyone but sometimes babies have more sensitive skin. in general, its safer to use detergents free of dyes and perfumes. now she could still have sensitivity to other ingredients in those but you would never know till you tried. then at least you know it doesnt contain some things to worry about.
i personally like doing the clothes separatley. it just makes it so much easier doing a load with all the little stuff vs mixing it, usually losing a couple socks. then you also can more easily treat the stains and such that may get lost in a big load.

Ok- you may think i'm crazy, but i use ddreft on all my clothes because my dog has allergies and i think it helps. I do wash my son's clothes with mione which i started when he got really messy, around 6months(with food). The expense is crazy for the dreft. I think i may start using one of the "green" less expensive detergents and see how that works...

Hi, L.. There is no particular age for a baby or a child to have their clothes washed with adults of the household. In fact, how does this sound, would you like to wash clothes without spending money on detergents and save hot water for your dishwashing and showers (or bath)? There is this company that can take care of your clothes, come out brighter, cleaner and be odor free. No need to worry about buying and spending money on detergents and save hot water to wash dishes and bath. And it works so good that you can leave the clothes in the washer overnight and NO mildew smell or anything and you can mix dark and whites together and still come out its original color. How does that sound? How about when you think of all the money saving, plus the fact that your clothes will last longer and that will save you money. If you're interested, let me know and I'll send you a website. I am not kidding you. In fact, we are and have experienced that and in the long run, you have actually save money. I love it and I have three boys and their clothes get so dirty and now I don't haveto worry about that!!!!!! I will pray for you to have wisdom from Jesus.....

My daughter is 5 months old. I tried a couple of items of clothing with our regular detergent to see if she would have a reaction to it. I still wash her clothes seperately cause you cannot use a dryer sheet because of the flame resistant on her clothes. Dryer sheets wear that off their clothing. So just try a few and see what happens. But I would still wash her clothes seperate. As long as there is no reaction to your detergent I would use that. Detergents like dreft are very expensive. If she has a reaction like a rash continue to use the special detergents. Hope this helps.

I started around 6-9 months. I also used All - allergy free detergent for everones clothes and never had a problem. My son is now 2.

I'd say, unless you know that your daughter's skin is very sensitive, that you could definitely do it now. Actually I've been washing my daughter's clothes with ours since day one using our regular detergent and it has never bothered her.

I use the same hypoallerdenic detergent and never had a problem. Her stuff is mixed with ours and never had a problem. It cuts down on laundry too. I even do her sheets in the, those I do with our sheets and never had a problem.

I still wash my son's stuff seperate than ours, only because his is a full load by itself. I started washing his clothes in regular detergent at 4 months. Dreft was no match for the milk stains. I spoke to his ped, and he said to make the switch. Good luck.

I've always washed Brendan's clothes with ours, and just used all hypoallergenic products. (aroma free/dye free) It never seems to bother his skin or anything. I was waaaaay too tired to be separating his clothes from ours all the time! Most detergents make the hypoallergenic stuff also, so I always just buy whatever's on sale!
Lynsey

It totally depends on the child and if there are any skin conditions, i.e. excema..

I have been washing my son's clothes with mine since he was a baby, months old. As a single mom I just needed life to be easier. I did switch to a Free and Clear detergent for myself as well because he does have a little excema that seems to flare up only when exposed to the wrong thing. So I always wash them together unless mine are extremely contaminated < i.e., bodily fluids, or some serious grease or chemical spillage, or if i have a cold, etc >

I would think arround 6 to 9 months, unless your child has sensitive skin or alergies.

I would also recomend the milder detergents and ones without heavy scents. I like All free and clear.

You actually don't ever need to use special detergent, no harm done it is just unnessesary. Just get a detergent that is free of dyes and perfumes.

Both of my boys have sensitive skin, yet I've washed their clothes with ours from day one.

Hi. Well, I have 3 beautiful children and with the first I used the special detergent for a long time . My third is now 15mos. and I have stopped. I use tide and her clothes have been washed with the other kids clothes. She has had no reaction. I think it's just a sensitivity thing. Good Luck.

My son was about 3 months, but I always used All Free and Clear, which can be used safely on the whole family's clothes. My daughter is 4 mos and I've always mixed in a few of my things with hers.

L.-
I was given a list by the pediatrician of brands thata are safe for babies; so I never used special. I was using Tide Free at the time and just continued for him since it was on the list. I did wash his clothes seperately for the first few month; mainly becuase he was a spitter and I didn't want my clothes mixed in. At about 5 mos old we were using the laundry detergent by Melaleuca and I switched our son to that. He has no problems with it and it works much better on formula stains and baby food than Tide did. If we have another baby I would just use the Melaleuca brand from the beginning.

J.

My daughter is 4 1/2 aqnd I still do her stuff seperate (I do some of my delicates with her stuff though). I always use All Free & Clear too, but now I use regular fabric softner instead of scent free.

Hi L.,
If you use "green" products, which you should anyway in your home, there should be no problem washing your clothes together.
However, if you use P&G, J&J or other commercial brands, definitly NO.
Keep your home safe & green!
http://C..healthyhometour.com

If I can be of help where to get safer, nontoxic, more economical products for your home & self email me.

C.

It's really a matter of personal preference. I didn't like to wash my babies' stuff with mine because their clothes have poop, pee and spitup on them. Also my clothes were not typically washed on anything but cold.

As for detergent, once my son was born, he had eczema and I started doing all of our wash with the Purex Free and Clear. If you're using something like Dreft, it's of no benefit to your baby, it's all full of perfume and stuff that they don't need on their skin. Some of the baby soaps may be better at removing stains (I found the powder dreft worked into a paste to pre-treat was great for stains) but for the most part, it's just another product that you are convinced you need to buy. There are no rules or medical advice about the laundry. Everyone decides for themselves what they want to do.

With our first, I used Dreft for a year...for our second, I think I used it for 6 months, for our third, I think I used it for only a month!!

At 14 months, unless she has skin problems, I think you'd be fine.

Best wishes!
J.

I've been washing with All Free pretty much from the start. If you've been using Dreft without any issues then you probably can use any detergent as it has fragrance in it.

Hi! I am a mom of an 11 year old boy and a 3 month old girl. When I had my son I would only use Dreft on his clothes and didn't wash them with our clothes till he was about a year old and very messy. I don't know if it made any difference at all. Now with my baby girl I have a high efficiency washer and wasn't sure if I could use Dreft so I washed her clothes in the normal Tide HE detergent we were using on delicate cycle and she's fine. I haven't washed her clothes with our clothes just yet and won't for a while considering the guys are messy but don't see any problems with using the Tide HE. Try doing just a blanket or something that doesn't touch her entire body directly and if there's no reaction to the detergent then you're fine. Hope this helps.

I had to chuckle at the responses you have gotten. I must be the only mom of three who even with her third still uses Dreft for the first year!! I love the smell of it and don't understand what all the hubbub is about "extra work".

My laundry is fine and it's nice having all the baby's clothes in one load together...makes it easier for keeping track of all the pieces and folding then putting them away in my opinion.

L.

Your daughter is 14 mo old...I think its safe now. I started around 4 months old. I use fragrance free products.

i did from early on (maybe a month or two). i switched to the "free and clear" detergents, and now do all clothes together.