Tell Fairy Non Bio your experience of keeping clean with a baby - £300 voucher to be won NOW CLOSED

[JustineBMumsnet]

As part of our partnership with Fairy Non Bio, we’ve produced the Mumsnet Babies Podcast. There are ten episodes in the series, and so far we’ve released five. Episode five is about keeping clean, and you can listen to it here. Fairy Non Bio would like you to listen to the podcast whenever you can and then discuss your thoughts and experiences of keeping clean with a new baby.

Cleanliness is something that can be easy to worry about with a tiny new baby: from keeping them safe from external germs, to dealing with their own. Have you found that you’ve become too attached to antibacterial hand gel, or worried about all the things they could catch? And, with some dirt being important for developing an immune system, what did you decide was clean enough for your baby?

Of course, baby’s also produce a lot of germs - perhaps you have tips for dealing with baby poo where it shouldn’t be? Or any advice for a cleaner feeding time? And, in terms of your baby’s personal hygiene, do you find that they need to be bathed every evening? Or do you bathe them less often to ease skin conditions like eczema?

Perhaps things have changed as your LO has gotten older? Do you worry more about keeping your house clean once they’re crawling? What level of home cleanliness do you consider acceptable? Do you have advice on making your home look cleaner than it maybe is for visitors?

Whatever your experience with keeping clean and a new baby, share this below to be entered into a prize draw where one MNer will win a £300 Love2Shop voucher.

Thanks and good luck!

MNHQ

Standard Insight T&Cs apply

[JemIsMyNameNooneElseIsTheSame]

I've always gone for the less is more approach and DS, who is now 5, seems to have an excellent immune system and skin so far! I have always bathed him once a day though as he loves baths, but don't use any products for cleaning him except shamloo, just plain old water.

[asuwere]

I reckon if it looks clean, it's clean enough! I did get a bottle of antibacterial hand gel to keep in nappy bag while pregnant with DC1 - the same bottle is at the bottom of my handbag and DC1 is 11!
I did find I washed the floor much more when DC were crawling, otherwise they ended up with dirty knees!

I do bath the youngest every day; not necessarily for cleanliness but because they enjoy it.

[NerrSnerr]

We do have some antibacterial wipes for the changing mat and some spray which is useful for when wee or poo gets places it shouldn't (have a 8 week old and 2.5 year old) but we're not too strict.

If anyone invents a cleaning product for dried on weetabix I would spend a fortune on it.

[Rigbyroo]

I haven't been too strict and both seem fine. Milton spray for changing mat and anti bac hand gel for park picnics.

[flamingtoaster]

When DS was newborn he found baths deeply upsetting so I tended to strip wash him - doing the top and bottom separately. He was quite happy with that and eventually learned to love water. I deep cleaned the carpets before the DC got to the crawling stage. I also hoovered everyday and we have a "shoes off in the house" policy.

We had antibacterial wipes when out for hands before eating. At home eating was only done at the table/in the high chair after hands had been washed.

Other than teething rings I didn't wash toys very much unless there was a bug in the house.

[starlight36]

I was definitely more conscious of dirt with our first born and always used to wash my hands before picking her up. She had regular baths or top to toe washes. Two years later we were much more relaxed with both our daughter and our new born son. I definitely cleaned the floor more when they were crawling and kept the high chairs pretty clean but didn't regularly clean toys or keep the place spotless.

[Vonklump]

I misunderstood the thread title and thought you meant keep yourself clean. Don't bother - get lots of clothes that are easy to wash.

Standard hygiene, with good handwashing after nappies. Handwash is handwash, I think antibacterial is a bit of a gimmick for household usage.

I bathe my children in nappies daily, and more when they need it.

My house is fairly clean anyway, and I didn't make it more so for the babies.

[CopperPan]

I use antibac wipes to clean our wooden floors which seemed to work fine, but I didn't go overboard with cleaning. I always wash hand thoroughly after doing most things but I didn't use an antibac hand wash, just a normal one. My dc have always enjoyed baths and it keeps them occupied so I've been happy to bath them every night and it didn't seem to affect their skin. Mine are all past the toddler stage now and I'm definitely more relaxed with cleaning and housework - their immune systems are robust with no allergies or asthma so it seems to have worked!

[UpOnDown]

Strip them to their nappy before eating, makes it easier to clear up

[voyager50]

I would bath him after a poo-nami as well as every evening, now he's older it's a bath or shower every morning or at night if he's been out playing and got dirty.

I have anti-bacterial gel which I use a lot when we are out about if we are eating.

I always try and keep my home clean and tidy. If people are visiting I make sure the majority of toys are left in his bedroom.

[funkypyjamas]

Just basic soap and water in this house. DS has asthma so we've always tried to find a balance between keeping the house basically clean but not creating a 'bubble' that means he can't then cope with dirty environments in other houses/cafes/libraries, etc.

The only thing we are really hot on is hoovering and washing bedding twice a week to keep the dust/dust mites down.

[BooRooandTiggerToo]

whilst I understand and appreciate the need for cleanliness (especially when it comes to toileting and food handling), I do think that us parents can be a little OTT when it comes to keeping our little ones clean. If we think back to our own childhoods, we'd play outside until the dirt was ingrained in us, but it was nothing that a warm bath and a washing machine wouldn't fix.

[koalab]

Baby wipes are always with me and soooo handy for giving things a quick wipe down. I don't think It's healthy to use antibac too much.

[Calphurnia]

We'd tend to use the shower after a pool explosion, that way they're not sitting in the dirty water. It can be a bit of a two person job though, depending on the wiggliness of the baby.

I don't use antibacterial wipes on anything other than the toilet, as some bugs are necessary. Just use a damp cloth with washing​up liquid, or water wipes.

The floors are the most important thing to keep clean for me, other than the obvious kitchen & bathroom, as that's where they'll be spending most of their time. Daily vacuum & steam mop takes care of that.

Could always do with a dog during BLW...

[nerysw]

I anti-bac-ed a lot of stuff when my children were little. These days, they're 8 and 6 and as long as the house is clean, their clothes are clean and smell nice and we have clean bedding once a week I'm happy. We also have the 5 second rule about food dropped on the floor...

[MunchyMunchkin]

Keep on top of hoovering up the crumbs and use wipes for any surface. Beyond that it's as and when I have time. I didn't become anymore enamoured with cleaning just because I had a baby.

[vickyors]

Around the house, I tend to keep tidy and clean (i.e. Run around the house after bed time with a vacuum and throw kids' stuff in ikea storage.. but as to other stuff.. we do bath time most days (because it gives me time to put washing away..) but basically, I'm not too worried about germs. I don't use many cleaning product, and love it when the kids get muddy etc. But I do worry about what our toddler puts in her mouth..! Man- she eats dirt!
But I wash clothes when they're actually dirty, and tend to use as few products as possible about the house. My OH has asthma and his ma was a-go-go with bleach etc..

[ButterflyOfFreedom]

Probably my biggest tip would be to have baby wipes, tissues & muslin cloths on hand at all times!! Very handy for sticky fingers, snotty noses, cleaning up spillages etc.

Our handheld hoover is used quite a lot too to quickly pick up crumbs etc.

We used to bath DC every night - always just in water (no products) but we generally do it every other night now which is fine.

I know our house could be cleaner and we don't do the chores such as hoovering & dusting often enough but I don't worry - it is clean & safe enough and I'm sure a little bit of fluff won't hurt!!

[FlukeSkyeRunner]

We only ever have spag bolognaise on a bath night 😉

[littletwofeet]

Look at what's in the products you clean then with - if I wouldn't put the ingredients in their mouths then I don't put them on their skin.

[WinkyisbackontheButterBeer]

I babywipe everything!
Antibacterial spray for highchair and wash for hands. I now keep handcream next to every sink because they get sore from so much washing.
I don't worry about things being spotless though. I would rather be playing with dd than cleaning and a bit of muck is good for the immune system!

[LovelyBranches]

I have little choice but to wash all our clothes every day. Our 4 month old has terrible reflux and loves to greet DH by being sick down him. She has a speciality for being sick over my lap so I always look like I've wet myself. Thankfully we have a washing machine which takes a high load and I've learned that anti bac spray and baby wipes are a winning combination on carpeted floors.

I like our house to be pretty sparkling and that's a never ending task with a new baby and a toddler but it's surprising how much you can get done in a short space of time. My tips in the house would be to declutter as much as possible and to do as much as you can in short bursts. As for self cleanliness, DC bath every other day and me and DH bath daily. Our clothes are washed daily (or a few times a day at the moment) and towels are washed along with beds, once a week.

[OhDearToby]

Baby wipes for everything!

[TellMeItsNotTrue]

I agree with the saying - when your first child eats dirt your rush them to hospital, when your second child eats dirt you stop them, when your third child eats dirt you wonder if you still need to feed them dinner

Its too easy to become obsessed, especially with your first child. I tried to control this and mentally reassure myself because I knew that it wouldn't be possible or healthy to keep them away from every single germ. I focused on small things like washing hands with antibacterial soap, washing more often than normal, asking people with a cold etc to visit after the cold has gone

[GoodyGoodyGumdrops]

One of my toddlers was fascinated by the vacuum cleaner, so we bought him a DustBuster for his birthday. It was the perfect size for him to walk about with and he absolutely loved it. My house has never been as clean since it wore out! This, though, is the child who, while he was still at the cruising stage, would follow the window-cleaner around with a muslin, copying his movements and 'cleaning' the windows from the inside.

Shame it didn't last