to be arguing with my mother about bacteria in laundry?

[PerfectDromedary]

So, my mother claims that my PFB's clothes shouldn't be washed with adult clothes as they may become contaminated with bacteria. I claim that she is insane and this is Bad Science. I'm now appealing to the assembled might of MN - who is right?

NB IABU because this is in the context of an offer to handwash baby clothes. But that's not the point...

Precious first born two

Nevermind her washing habits bibity has inter dimensional firstborns

Babies need to build up their levels of immunity to naturally occuring bacteria. The microscopic elements that may be left after washing are unlikely to be a levels that are harmful.

Tell her that you won't overload the machine (it's the only realistic way I can imagine stuff wouldnot be washed effectively).

Bless her that she's concerned but IMHO not necessary (although saying that I think my dmum handwashed dd1's first sets of clothes, but once they'd been worn once it was machine wash all the way)

I used to wash my babies laundry seperately, until they were a year old. There was probably no real need to do this, I just preferred it. I think it kept them really white and clean looking and fresher. I did them in the machine which had a half load programme.

See I would be thinking that actually washing baby clothes (assuming they are normal baby clothes with icky bits of all sorts on from poo to stale milk / food to sick to snot etc as opposed to perfect boden dream baby without any icky bits on) would actually be cleaner if washed in the machine than by hand...

so actually it would be the point if it was in then context of handwashing baby clothes

do tend to do baby/kids clothes separately from ours but that's just because to start with their stuff tended to be pale whereas our stuff was much darker and now they have a separate laundry basket from ours so it is just easier to pick up each basket when it is full and do it rather than agglomerate the two!