Washing baby clothes?

[Nellynoo182]

FTM here!

We have a December baby due and no tumble dryer so I am trying to realistically plan how much washing and drying I need to do before the little one arrives!

Please can people tell me - did you wash everything before the arrival of your little one? We have bought clothes in newborn, 0-3, 3-6 etc - do these all need washing? Or do you just wash the newborn items when their skin is more sensitive?
Do I need to wash all scratch mits, hats etc?

I will wash bedsheets, blankets etc. It just seems like SO much washing already! 🤣

I did this for DC1 because I read you were meant to. Washed everything that was new till he was about 8 months old when I checked in with NCT friends and found out nobody else was.

With DC2 I never washed anything before wearing except some hand-me-downs that had been in storage.

You don't have to wash anything.

I used to - I don't anymore! Congratulations.

Nope never washed aything before baby was born, i don't wash anything new before it gets worn.

I down wash anything before it’s worn.

I had a baby in December last year and washed all clothes before their arrival.
Did all newborn and 0-3 including blankets, hats, mits, sheets, towels.

Did the same for 3-6 month stuff but closer to the time of needing them.

Now at 9-12 months I don't.

Dont even know why I did it. Just felt right to put a new baby in super clean things untouched by anyone else.
Now they eat crap off the floor so seems a bit pointless 😹

I did this then we needed smaller sleep suits for DS in the first week in hospital. These came straight from the shop to the hospital with DH so it was all pretty pointless.
Also, you have no idea what size your baby will be at 3 months (at 18m one friends DD is still in 9-12, the other is in 2-3, mine is in 18-24) or if what you've bought will coincide with the seasons by the time they fit, so it's a bit daft to buy more than 3months worth of clothes. I suggest you take back everything over 3m whilst you have the chance and just buy as you need once you know sizing.
These super organised insta worthy wardrobes look great but can be such a waste.

I washed everything up to and including 3-6 months before use, I thought their skin toughens up a bit after 6 months. I've done this for both DDs - a bit necessarily for my second daughter as she didn't fit 3-6 months till she was over 6 months!

Didn't wash anything. Not sure why you would tbh (unless you really like washing / are bored)? Either way baby will be fine.

Tip- buy a knicker hanger/sock dryer type thing to hang baby clothes on to dry saves space 👍🏿☘️

You should really, and not just baby clothes either. The fabric has probably passed through dusty/ dirty factories during various parts of manufacture. Handled by various people who could have accidentally left bodily fluids or infectious diseases on them - hopefully vary rare though!

[Beyond listening to a company that specifically makes baby detergent, here’s an additional warning from a professor of dermatology at Columbia University Medical Center: Dr. Donald Belsito. Dr. Belsito told the Wall Street Journal that it is possible for certain bugs to linger in clothing.

"I have seen cases of lice that were possibly transmitted from trying on in the store, and there are certain infectious diseases that can be passed on through clothing."]

Plus, fabrics are often treated with pesticides, fungicides etc so they are safe during storage, and there is often a chemical finish on the fabric to keep it soft and prevent creasing.

I also washed everything before hand with my first but absolutely didn't bother at all with the 2nd and 3rd. Also I always used biological powder and my babies' skin was never irritated.

I would wash it all but just wash the up to 3 months stuff now as the bigger stuff will just be sat in storage for now. The way new clothes are stored in warehouses... I wash everything that is new before wearing as when I used to work in retail I saw the way things were handled before they made it to shop floor.

I never washed brand new baby clothes before they had been worn. Not even for newborn PFB DD1.

I did wash the used baby clothes that had been stored for a couple of years in the loft because they tended to have a slightly musty smell to them.

Depends where the clothes are from a friend give me a bag of clothes and I had loads in storage so I will wash the newborn and 0-3 months clothes but not the bigger sizes has they will need washing again before we get to use them.
If the clothes are new and come in closed packs I don't bother washing but if they afe new and not in packs I do wash them.
Moses basket sheets and bedding will be washed before us

I washed DD1s newborn sized white vests and sleepsuits, but mainly because I was nesting, it was summer and part of me just wanted to see them hanging up on the line in the sunshine 😂

Never pre-washed anything since

I did before my baby was born but then for his next size I didn't bother - he was fine. If I had another I might wash some bits for when they are first born but not worry as much x

Now they eat crap off the floor 😂

i have 4 children and I’ve always washed everything before wearing. Clothes (apparently) can be covered in chemicals and baby’s skin is so, so delicate!

Yes I would prewash all baby clothes in the same way I wash new adult clothes as well (same reasons as a previous poster). But don’t wash it all at once. I.e. just do a few newborn bits and all the 0-3 stuff to begin, so that you can take stuff back if you have a big baby or if they grow at a rate that means the seasons of the clothes is wrong

I would suggest don't wash everything right now. Things go stale when kept in storage and you may want to freshen them up before use - the 3-6m things won't be needed for a long time.

Congratulations! (yes, there is a lot of washing. This is your life now 😋)

I'd wash anything second hand, but not bother if new.
The thing is it's mostly needed if your baby has extra sensitive skin, and if they do they might not agree with your washing powder. So if you must wash everything first I'd only do the basics in the first size before arrival.

I did with my PFB. I also refused to use anything other than fairy non bio and wouldn't wash her things with ours.
None of this with DS

I wash every item if clothing before it's used. I do have both a DH and DD with severe eczema so it already was a habit before DD arrived.

I'd wash everything before the baby arrives. You have more time now.

I washed nothing before hand for my first

Yes wash everything - if I don't wash it, it brings my children out in a dreadful rash and has done since they were a baby 😫