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Original poster

Tumble drying baby clothes...not done in polite society?

79 replies

NineUnlikelyTales · 18/05/2007 11:34

I have always tumble dried my DS (8m) clothes if the weather is too bad to hang outside. I was having a conversation with friends the other day and mentioned that I don't use fabric softener. This is how the conversation went from there..

Friend 1 - But don't the clothes get hard?
Me - No as I iron them which makes them soft if they've been hanging on the line, and if they've been in the dryer I use dryer balls and that softens them too
Friend 1 - You tumble dry his clothes? Oh I would never tumble dry DD clothes
Friend 2 - No I would never do that either. I have dryer balls too but I would never tumble dry DD clothes.

So have I broke an unwritten rule here? Am I a slattern for occasionally tumble drying DS clothes? And if so, why? I am genuinely confused!

OP posts:
Piffle · 18/05/2007 23:29

I don't I'm afraid - tumble dry that is but nor do I iron except to very odd thing. And I mean annually odd thing not daily/weekly/monthly...
line dry either inside or out
Not sure why though, well i know why I don't iron (see slattern in dictionary) but as for tumbling, prob environmental BAD about driers

shhhh · 19/05/2007 21:09

im with Manictigger in that I don't tumble dry dd (2 years) and ds (14 weeks) clothes...Never have done never will...well maybe not while they are "babies". Not sure why as we do have a tumble dryer and I do tumble dry everything else..dh & I's clothes, bedding,towels etc.

The dc's clothing is dried on an airing thingy and tbh doesn't take to long to dry...In fact I NEVER hang clothes on the line..find it to common im afraid .....No, honestly I never hang washingout to dry as the washing line is always full of spiders and I hate them thus never hang clothes out..!!

Mmmmm got me thinking on that one.....

hotmama · 19/05/2007 21:19

Can someone explain why it's not acceptable to tumble dry babies/childrens clothes?

If the symbol on the label says I can - then I do - if I take them out when they are warm I don't have to iron - which is a good thing - I don't have the time to be a full-time domestic goddess!

I work full-time and try to be a good enough mum - tumble drying gives me more time.

This truly is a new one on me. Is this the new bf V ff debate?

Wallace · 19/05/2007 21:22

weird

shhhh · 19/05/2007 21:47

I don't think its a debate..I just think that basically its fact that everyone does things differently!!

I don't tumble dry..so what..?! I honestly have no answer why....In fact I thought it saved ironing by drying them on a maiden but obviously not....

Hey ho... BTW don't think it determines if you are a good mum or not by what you tumble dry .
Happy tumble drying..!!!

Manictigger · 20/05/2007 15:05

Exactly SShhh, I think it's perfectly acceptable to tumble dry what you like (apart from the environmental side of it of course...) but I just don't do it if I'm worried about something shrinking (which says more about my skewed priorities when it comes to worrying I suspect)

(tells self to get a life)

BreeVanDerCamp · 20/05/2007 15:08

Tell them Bree says it is ok.

SofiaAmes · 20/05/2007 15:56

Wow you british are weird. Why on earth wouldn't you tumble dry your children's clothes? Apart from it being more convenient, it also helps sterilize the clothes and it makes them nice and soft. Odd, Odd, Odd.

Tommy · 20/05/2007 15:59

I'm obviously a slattern too
Cannot work out why you wouldn't tumble a baby's clothes when you would an adults clothes?

LucyJones · 20/05/2007 15:59

hey sofia it's not all of us!

shhhh · 20/05/2007 23:18

can't understand why you would want steralised clothing sofia..now that is odd..! Somehow that wouldn't be a point to make me tumble dry clothing.!

colditz · 20/05/2007 23:29

Oh you just MUST say to these friends of the over-zealous type "But how do you get the clothes sterile?" Look concerned while y6ou say it.

That will really worry them.

Twinklemegan · 20/05/2007 23:29

It's great cos if you get to them quickly you don't have to iron them. If I let them dry on their own indoors they turn to cardboard - fabric softener or not.

dancingtina · 21/05/2007 00:03

ok how's this for a bad mother - I ONLY tumble dry childrens clothes and not mine or hubbys cos i'm scared ours might shrink but am not bothered if the kids clothes do!

In fact, while we're on the subject, please help me overcome my phobia that tumble driers make things shrink. I had a bad experience at a launderette whilst at university in which my entire wardrobe shrank about half an inch (argh!! it still upsets me...I can't talk about it...)

Those people who dry their own tshirts in the tumble drier - how do you know how long to put them on for and have they ever shrunk???

shhhh · 21/05/2007 00:11

must admit shrinking clothing is a concern of mine as well..!!!

Colditz lol..To funny..!!

Well I dry clothes indoor and they NEVER go hard..I use fabric softener and they come out brill. Now hows that for being a brill mummy .! Do I get extra stars..???!!

Busybean · 21/05/2007 00:20

I tumble dry stuff when its raining, but things with potentially sticky motifs/designs on the front and things such as my tshirts go on a hanger and get dried on the shower curtain rail in the bathroom. I know by the feel of the fabric if its likely to shrink, if it is, it goes on the rail.

nappyaddict · 21/05/2007 00:34

i don't understand why people would tumble dry their own stuff but not dc's. and sofia - sterile clothes please tell me you were joking!

shhhh · 21/05/2007 00:36

nappyaddict..being a "tumble dry ours but not dk's clothing" doesn't mean I have an answer for you..wish I knew why myself..!! lol..!!

nappyaddict · 21/05/2007 01:03

like i can understand - i don't use fabric conditioner or bio washing powder on my kids clothes but not tumble drying! what does tumble drying do that makes it so awful for kids to where tumble dryed clothes?

SofiaAmes · 21/05/2007 04:44

Wow, I am even more amazed. Don't your children get all sorts of kid things like snotty noses and tummy bugs and nits and ring worm and impetigo and....
Most of those things are killed by heat and dry air. So, after washing their clothes in hot water, I tumble dry just to get the last little buggers that tried to survive beyond the hot water. I also only buy clothes for the kids that can withstand this treatment (other than a few nice dresses for dd).

And like others have mentioned, I don't tumble dry a lot of my own clothes as it's hard on the clothes and will make them shrink.

ghosty · 21/05/2007 04:57

At the moment my tumble dryer is in container in Auckland. I miss it so [sob]

DH told me it never rains in Melbourne so it would be ok not to hire a dryer (we have hired everything else, even a potato peeler). But since we have been here it has peed down ...

Your friends who don't tumble dry their baby's clothes are clearly loons. And I bet the second one does dry her DD's clothes, she was just copying her mate

I don't tumble dry mine or DH's clothes, however, as they shrink.

SofiaAmes · 21/05/2007 05:23

ghosty...what planet it your dh on. Melbourne has miserable weather (much like london) in the winter. Cold and damp and rainy.

oxocube · 21/05/2007 05:48

I am very confused now! Why is it bad to use fabric softener on kids' clothes? God, the rules of motherhood become more confusing every day!

earlgrey · 21/05/2007 05:55

I just don't know how anyone with an 8mo baby could do without a tumble dryer. Or an 8yo, for that matter. Or a couple of adults. Does away for the need to iron, IMHO.

ghosty · 21/05/2007 05:58

Sofia ... but apparently there has been a drought for the last 5 years. Until the week we arrived, that is.