Washing newborns clothes?

rawn

Is it true that you should wash a newborns brand new clothes before they wear them? I've honestly never heard of this practice until today, is this the norm? I asked my mother but she never heard of it either, is it a new thing based on what new clothes are like
today compared to 30 years ago?

Aint Eazy Being Cheezy

I would seriously hope not. Babies aren't as delicate as that.

fits

I did anyway. Not sure of its really necessary or not.

Loveinapril

I know it wasn't done years ago but anyone I know who had kids in the last 5 years has definitely done it. I just think of the amount of germy hands touching things or fumes in shops/ factories. It does no harm to do it but may avoid harming their little immune systems.

hillbloom

It seems to be the norm now.

Armchair Andy

We did it the first time around. Second time not and no difference. I think it's something to look out for if the baby develops skin rashes or unexplained sicknesses. Just to be aware of it imo.

Miaireland

I tend to wash clothes when I buy them as I have seen some stinky people waiting in line for the dressing room but not really for newborns.


The only reason I can think of is some clothes have packing around them when they arrive to the shop and there is a small bit of some chemical pump into the packing to prevent damp/smell/ and moths during transport. P***ys is a store that I have heard do this.

catrionanic

I wasn't planning to

You have to use non-bio washing powder I think though?? I'm not sure

mrsmags16

A friend of mine had a baby and I washed all the clothes I got him in Fairy Non Bio as I had heard one ought to. What a pain in the arse hanging them all up to dry ( that was only about 10 items!!)- there is no way I can keep that up unless I'm washing dirty clothes.
On a separate note fire retardant is a chemical I wouldn't want near any child's skin, so am gonna have to check what that has been snuck into.

scarepanda

Iv washed everything we've gotten for our baby. I wouldn't expect anyone to wash something before they gave it to us though.

My little one doesn't seem to have any allergies etc, but I'd still feel better giving it a wash before putting something on her. You just never know what chemicals have been used to preserve clothes to make them rail ready for shops. But that's just my opinion.

PhoenixParker

I washed everything. It was only one load of laundry and it was kinda fun to do. All the tiny things drying was exciting, made getting ready for baby very real.

comongethappy

I wash everything, my cousin has had horrible rashes after wearing just bought clothes out of some stores. Probably would stop around 2 or 3 though if they show no signs of sensitive skin. My son didn't until he had a bad viral rash in Oct so back to washing anything new

rawn

My friend recently had a baby and she was told by the midwife to wash all the newborn clothes for the first 2 weeks at least, another friend was nodding along in agreement, but i was just like ...what?! From all of the responses I can see the point of washing them, and it really is only one/two load of washing so it's not a huge deal, I just wasn't sure if it was coming from an overprotective point of view or not!

fits

PhoenixParker wrote: »

I All the tiny things drying was exciting, made getting ready for baby very real.

This! It was lovely washing the little babygros and thinking of the little people coming to fill them.

cbyrd

rawn wrote:

Is it true that you should wash a newborns brand new clothes before they wear them? I've honestly never heard of this practice until today, is this the norm? I asked my mother but she never heard of it either, is it a new thing based on what new clothes are like today compared to 30 years ago?

Yes you should. They're sprayed with fungicide and other chemicals to stop them getting destroyed during transit, from factory to shop. The majority are made in Asia so temperature difference from country to country means condensation can cause clothes to rot.
Not something you want next to baby skin.

Orangetaster85

So what about a baby whos 6 months old? Are their clothes not sprayed with the same chemical? Why only newborns ? And then suddenly stop spraying clothes for kids aged 6 or even 26 years of age? Do their clothes not rot or get damp?! Sorry but I smell b**l**** and scare mongering new mothers, again! I would only do it because I like the smell of washing power , who doesn't!? The rash things.. sorry but that could of just been in the minority of people.

scaryfairy

I normally wash my own brand new clothes, too. Through personal experience I saw how many (possibly dirty) hands touch your clothes before it reaches your wardrobe, even if nobody tries them on.

Millem

One of my friends had a baby and bought all newborn size for the hospital! Baby was nearly 10lbs so granny bought baby grows 0-3m in. They put them straight on baby and he was grand!

I washed the babygrows for my son and will wash again. I can't remember when I stopped. After a few months? I switched to bio washing powder too as I realised he did not have sensitive skin and it was fine. I read somewhere you are meant to use a baby clothes cycle or if not do an extra rinse too
The smell of persil non bio small and mighty and white comfort always reminds me of baby clothes

Anne_cordelia

Orangetaster85 wrote: »

So what about a baby whos 6 months old? Are their clothes not sprayed with the same chemical? Why only newborns ? And then suddenly stop spraying clothes for kids aged 6 or even 26 years of age? Do their clothes not rot or get damp?! Sorry but I smell b**l**** and scare mongering new mothers, again! I would only do it because I like the smell of washing power , who doesn't!? The rash things.. sorry but that could of just been in the minority of people.

I think you are taking it a bit personally. The outrage is a big unnecessary. Wash or don't wash, it's your choice.

I always wash new clothes for me or baby. We both have sensitive skin though

Orangetaster85

Anne_cordelia wrote: »

I think you are taking it a bit personally. The outrage is a big unnecessary. Wash or don't wash, it's your choice.

I always wash new clothes for me or baby. We both have sensitive skin though

Exactly ! It's everyone's personal choice to wash their clothes or not! Glad you picked up on that! Mine "personally " is that it's b**l **** : ))))

cbyrd

Orangetaster85 wrote:

Exactly ! It's everyone's personal choice to wash their clothes or not! Glad you picked up on that! Mine "personally " is that it's b**l **** : ))))

Newborn skin is much more sensitive than even a 6 month olds, chemicals sprayed on clothing can include formaldehyde. You can call it any name you want (bullsh!t or otherwise) but a quick Google of the list of chemicals sprayed on clothing (adult included) will give you more information.

My 2 year old has eczema, I have it under control through diet but new clothing still has to be washed before she wears it as she'll develop a rash.
Even non bio washing powder brings it up. Parabens, sls and perfumes affect her too.
Just because you have no personal experience of a problem, doesn't mean it doesn't exist.

Orangetaster85

So we have to have "personal" experiences to have an opinon on things now? I have no personal experience of kids or myself getting rashes, reactions etc from unwashed clothes! That's my personal experience. You have.. fine! Enjoy your day ladies!

Gatica

We washed everything that would be in close contact to baby's skin before first use with non-bio powder. It was one load of washing once we'd got what we need. Wasn't that much hassle to do. Newborn skin is quite delicate and I'd rather air on the side of caution.
Personally, I'll stop prewashing when I finish maternity.. I'm sure it'll be enough time for her skin to be used to air and other every day chemicals.

scarepanda

Orangetaster85 wrote:

So we have to have "personal" experiences to have an opinon on things now? I have no personal experience of kids or myself getting rashes, reactions etc from unwashed clothes! That's my personal experience. You have.. fine! Enjoy your day ladies!

How about you get down off your high horse for a second and stop being so dismissive of why people may prefer to wash baby clothes?

Iv no personal experience of either myself, partner or baby getting rashes from unwashed clothes. But my baby is teething hard these days and every sleeve/bib/muslin cloth she can get her hands on goes straight into her mouth. Forgive me for not wanting her to ingest those chemicals that are used for preserving the freshness of clothes. For that reason alone I prefer washing everything I put on her, same as I wash all her teething rings before she gets her gums into them. At the end of the day it's only an extra wash here and there, and no one is saying you should wash the clothes, just that a lot of us prefer to.

Beanybabog

I washed it all in non- bio too, simply as everywhere you read advice about babies it says to do it. Don't really care if it's bull or not, there's no harm done by doing it and it's very exciting: didnt enjoy being pregnant so washing little clothes makes it real and kept me going!!

LouD2016

Why does every thread about babies end up with someone being narky?! As a first time mam to be it makes me nervous to even ask for a bit of advice!!!

Beanybabog

LouD2016 wrote: »

Why does every thread about babies end up with someone being narky?! As a first time mam to be it makes me nervous to even ask for a bit of advice!!!

Don't be nervous! You'll always get at least two conflicting pieces of advice and it's up to you what you do with it, if anyone is narky that's up to them. I always think the generations before us often smoke, drank, put babies on bellies/sides, didn't give a fiddlers fart about temperatures or soaps and the like... we do the best we can with the current information we have and hopefully our babies will be as happy and healthy as they can be, and that's all you can do.

IvyTheTerrible

I wash all our clothes before we wear them as both my husband and my son have had skin reactions to new clothes.

Delphinium

mrsmags16 wrote: »

A friend of mine had a baby and I washed all the clothes I got him in Fairy Non Bio as I had heard one ought to. What a pain in the arse hanging them all up to dry ( that was only about 10 items!!)- there is no way I can keep that up unless I'm washing dirty clothes.
On a separate note fire retardant is a chemical I wouldn't want near any child's skin, so am gonna have to check what that has been snuck into.

If avoiding fire retardant on clothes please make sure you are at least using natural fabrics for clothing and bed which will not burn with such intensity or melt into the skin in the way synthetic garments do. A bit of exposure to chemicals is preferable to a badly burnt baby, if the unthinkable occurs and you have a fire.

cbyrd

LouD2016 wrote:

Why does every thread about babies end up with someone being narky?! As a first time mam to be it makes me nervous to even ask for a bit of advice!!!

Lol, there's always one, best just ignore them
I'm a mam of 5 (soon to be 6) I would wash the first few lots of clothes, it's like anything new, it may not have an adverse effect on your baby, but it might, their skin is so sensitive for the first few months. A quick wash won't hurt, (and it gives you something to do while waiting for baba to arrive if you go overdue ) New clothes can be put in with a baby wash as you go on.

Don't be afraid to ask for advice and there's no such thing as a stupid question either!

Mountainsandh

My two are well grown now. I never washed their clothes before they wore them and there was never any rash in relation to that. I agree with orangetaster it's bull****, and the reason it should be called out as such is that there are so many does and don'ts to stress out young Mums already.

Might have used non bio with the first for a bit, certainly didn't keep that up either, whatever powder was grand. What I did become particular about were wipes, even ones that claimed to be water based were very harsh and caused rashes, find one brand and stick to it.

We're all the same, and there's bound to be a soon to be new Mum reading this who's going to be bit stressed over it. If you're going in soon to greet your new arrival and it simply is too late or too much hassle to go at the laundry now, don't fret, it'll be grand.

implausible

Mountainsandh wrote:

Might have used non bio with the first for a bit, certainly didn't keep that up either, whatever powder was grand. What I did become particular about were wipes, even ones that claimed to be water based were very harsh and caused rashes, find one brand and stick to it.

I'd agree with this, baby wipes are more likely to bring baby out in a rash. Cotton wool at the start, then water wipes and then Huggies pure, but never on their faces - it's a pet peeve seeing people doing this.

I've bought girl and boy sleep suits this time and will be returning the ones I don't need, so I won't be washing them. The vests however, I have washed. If you have time, it's a nice way to prepare, but it's not necessary.

catrionanic

So after reading this thread I've just washed everything! Patiently waiting on it all to dry so I can repack my hospital bags.

Blingy

We wash everything. It was a pain in the a** before baby arrived but we still do it now A year later as he is prone to eczema. Can't use non bio fairy either as it's too harsh on babas skin.
Totally up to the parents there is no right or wrong.

irishgirl19

No I never bothered. I asked my midwife about it because my friend kept harping on and the midwife told me theres no need

rainbow kirby

Washed the first lot, didn't bother after that. Stopped using nonbio after 2-3 months as well. All fine.

Neyite

PhoenixParker wrote: »

I washed everything. It was only one load of laundry and it was kinda fun to do. All the tiny things drying was exciting, made getting ready for baby very real.

Same here. I did it for the newborn stuff when I was preparing my hospital bag too. I just liked to have it freshly washed, I'm on the fence about dangerous chemicals etc.

It really got us excited to see the teeny tiny vests and babygros hanging on the clothes dryer and the tiny pile of ironing. It was so cute! It's one of my favourite memories from pregnancy - and I hate ironing!

If parents don't want to do it, they don't have to - same as most things baby related, you find the way of doing things that suits you and your family.

Ms2011

rainbow kirby wrote: »

Washed the first lot, didn't bother after that. Stopped using nonbio after 2-3 months as well. All fine.

We were the same, the first got his clothes washed, non-bio etc. our poor second was the typical second child, she didn't get hers washed & I didn't fuss about washing powder.
While I saw no difference & am not convinced there is a difference I would agree it exciting to see all the little babygros & vests lined up drying

whatdoicare

As someone who has worked in clothing stores for a very long time, I would not recommend putting anything on either yourself or a baby fresh from the store.

Most clothes are sprayed with chemicals to stop mould and insects and have dye on them. White clothes are often full of bleach to make them look spotless white on the shelves. The companies making the clothes expect you to wash them first so do not prewash any clothes after the dyeing process.

The trucks these clothes come off of are dusty and very dirty, they look clean because of the bleach or extra dye, it's all just sales tricks. The trucks usually deliver lots of things to different stores, not just clothes to one store. They are very rarely covered in enough plastic to protect them and they always, ALWAYS, stink to high heaven when first unpacked from the manky box.

Storerooms are generally pretty manky aswell. The store gets cleaned every night by cleaners but the storerooms never get a clean. They stink and are full of dust and cardboard. My hands used to be wrecked going through clothes in the back room to put out front. Some clothes, especially stuff that is always selling like baby gros, socks, bibs and knickers are usually left in huge black bags or in their manky box for weeks until a shelf needs stocking up.

On the floor itself clothes get walked on, tried on and put straight back out, returned from peoples homes (who might smoke or have pets) and as long as it looks okay it goes back out on the shelves, dragged around under trolleys or buggies, touched by many, many, snotty, disgusting, people and thrown/kicked under dusty shelves. Even if it's in a plastic pack, people love opening these things up and throwing them around. We just pack them up again and back up on the shelf.

I don't know how to explain in any other way - never, just never, put stuff on you straight from the store. Most especially a new baby. Just, no, don't. Big nope here.


Also, never, ever, put earrings from Claires straight into your ears - just saying - people like to try them on and put them back on the shelf........I've seen this happen alot, like all the time.

Bacchus

We washed everything (and continue to do so) that we got. As someone said above, the initial newborn bits and pieces are quite fun to wash... the first step into the tiny baby world Now as we get bigger clothes (2 months now but into the 3-6M size) we just throw them in with her dirty clothes and muslins so it's not much more effort at all. Question is though when do we stop this practice... probably when she moves into 6-9M clothes.

Bacchus

irishgirl19 wrote: »

No I never bothered. I asked my midwife about it because my friend kept harping on and the midwife told me theres no need

TBH, if you asked the next midwife you'd get a different answer. One of our midwives was on to us by day 3 to make sure we bathed our girl soon while another midwife on day 4 was delighted to hear we hadn't bathed her yet (something about the bacteria on her skin) and hoped we'd hold out a while longer. Both with the best of intentions and with valid arguments but you really get a "personal" take on the advice you get from midwives.