Is it worth getting a tumble dryer before first baby arrives?

[acquiescence]

Just that really. Thinking about a tumble dryer to manage increased wash loads before arrival of first baby who is due in a few weeks. Would you say it is worth it? Some friends have said it is the best thing they bought and some say not to bother because of increased electricity costs and not being able to use it for some items.

[chipsandpeas]

i couldnt live without my tumbledryer specially in winter and i dont have kids
the slight increase in electricity use balances out the quickness of drying clothes
plus i find using it heats the house up as well so can have the heating off for a bit

[bittapitta]

We didn't have one for the first baby. It was fine. Baby clothes are small and dry quickly (but yes you will be washing them a lot!).

[TillITookAnArrowToTheKnee]

Yes, do it! Babies have a lot of washing, and with winter being here fast approaching, line drying will be a pain, drying inside always takes days (or is it just my house that takes 3 days to dry one load without blasting up the central heating?!) Electric doesn't cost as much as gas for radiator drying, plus hardly any creases in clothes from being in a dryer.

[VeryPunny]

Best thing I bought for babies, along with a new sofa. Can't abide my house looking like a Chinese laundry though.

[BondGate]

We found a tumble drier useful, especially in winter when you can't dry clothes outside properly.

Babies can get through lots of changes of clothes a day - leaky nappies, weeing on clothes when you're changing nappies, possetting - so if you decide against a tumble drier extra baby clothes might be needed.

[Autumn2014]

We needed to but I had a very poorly baby with severe reflux who puked at every feed and at least twice a night. The amount of cot bedding, blankets, towels and bibs I needed to wash, on top of normal baby washing was horrendous.

[AllOutOfNaiceHam]

We just bought our first one a few weeks ago. Didn't really notice a huge increase in washing with just one baby, but now with 3 it's the best thing ever.
We bought an A++ rated one, and have noticed very little difference in electricity consumption so far.

[LikeASoulWithoutAMind]

We got one just before dc1 was born and it was really useful.

Depends how long clothes take to dry in your house/flat I suppose? If they will dry overnight you might not need it so much. If longer, then definitely useful. And also do you have somewhere to hang washing where it isn't too much in the way? We found we were suddenly washing most days, so in winter it was helpful to be able to tumble dry some of it at least (towels, bedding, baby vest and babygros, pants and socks, some baby clothes)

[Artandco]

I don't think it's an essential but I suppose it depends on baby. As a baby mine just added 7 babygrows, 7 vests and a few Muslins to wash a week. We then added reusable nappies but these couldn't be tumble dried anyway due to elastic.

5 years on we now have a washer/ dryer ( just as old one broke). We only use the dryer part for bedding and towels but I suppose it is helpful. However we live in a flat so no outdoor drying space, would prob not bother otherwise

[MrsRossPoldark]

Oh yes! Defo! As your family grows - they have a habit of getting bigger don't forget - you will need stuff to dry quickly when it's raining or you fall over the clothes horse one too many times.

[juneau]

Yes!

You will have PILES of washing some days covered in baby poo or baby sick and if its a cold, wet day and you've got nowhere to dry it you'll be draping it all around the house. Most baby things are cotton and they can be tumble-dried, plus big things like sheets, baby sleeping bags, towels, etc. I use mine all the time and cannot imagine life without it, even though I have an airing cupboard too.

[Trinpy]

Definitely. If you end up with a refluxy baby or the type who has daily explodapoos (looking at you, ds) then you will appreciate it.

[Liveinthepresent]

Assuming you have space and can afford it - I would say 100% worth it.
When DC1 was born we had a rubbish washer dryer which I wish we had upgraded before she was born!
When we eventually did and got separate washer and dryer I was amazed how much easier things were ( by this time I had DC2)
On the nights where your little one has a tummy bug or something it means you can get everything back to normal so quickly. Also now the eldest has started school I can turn around school uniform overnight so easily - and never iron anything ( apart from DH does his shirts and I outsource bed linen ! Lazy !)

[Focusfocus]

Expecting first baby and planning on doing reusable nappies.tumble drier bought and installed in outbuilding :-) DH in charge of laundry and drying so I haven't actually seen the thing. But our sheets cane out warm and dry the other day it rained heavily. Glad to have it over the autumn and winter!

[slightlyconfused85]

It's not an essential with one baby. I had a winter baby 3 years ago and we managed fine. I've got another one now though so wonder how this winter will go...

[LisbethSalandersLaptop]

yes definitely

[AnnaMarlowe]

Yes, yes and thrice yes.

[Dixiechick17]

Definitely! We've recently moved and there is no room in our new place for a tumble dryer. I really miss it, as haven't got a garden to put stuff outside to dry either.

[IAmAPaleontologist]

If you have the space and the funds then go for it, it will make your life easier. But it certainly isn't vital. I've never had one, 3 kids, cloth nappies and it is fine but there are definitely times when I would love one! Mine you that is more now that they are all bigger, I HATE hanging socks and pants. Hate it. Our house uses 5 pairs of pants and 10 socks a day. Sometimes more if there has been messy play. That is a minimum of 70 socks a week. I want a tumble dryer just for the socks.

[ThePug]

Oh definitely! DH and I resisted buying one for years thinking it was a waste of electricity but we gave in and got one last winter and I now use it all the time for our stuff (baby #1 isn't due til March). We don't have a washing line and it takes forever to hang stuff out on clothes horses so I am now very guilty of just bunging everything in the drier. You will probably be time poor and exhausted with a new baby, so anything that makes life easier is worth it I think

[birdsdestiny]

For your sanity yes. Its not really to do with the extra clothes, its to do with the fact you don't need to iron stuff thats been in the dryer. And then just never look at your electricity bill again.

[furryleopard]

If you can I would - my mum bought us ours as a 'new baby gift' and it's run pretty much every day since. We don't have a washing line so I was putting our stuff all round the house and had to plan our clothes to make sure I had enough time to dry things. I love my dryer! I'd already washed and dried a load this morning by 11.

[juneau]

Its the quick turnaround time on laundry that's a life saver when your baby goes through six or ten outfits in one day ( to the person above who said their DC only ever added one babygro per day to the family's laundry!). My two had numerous poosplosions and most babies also regurgitate smelly milk vom on a regular basis too. You can have fewer outfits if you can wash and dry them in a couple of hours.

[TheAuthoress]

Another yes from me. We had one already (came with the rental house) and never used it until Ds was born. The house already felt like a tip with so much baby stuff about so it was great not to have clothes horses sitting about too. Plus it's great for the panic when baby has gone through 50 million outfits in one day and you realise you've only one clean vest left!
Now Dcs are 4 and 2 it's great for drying unexpected bedtime wetting bed sheets and we've even less space for clothes horses so it's used a lot in the winter.

[quesadillas6]

Didn't bother for the first baby, and it was fine. We got one when we discovered we were having twins, and I don't think we'd have managed without. Whether we'd have bothered if the twins had just been one baby, I don't know.