Fabric softener/conditioner on newborn baby clothes

[Tinkerbell1998]

Hi everyone. I’m 34 weeks pregnant and I’ve washed all my babies clothes ready for her arrival. I used fairy non bio gel pods and also comfort pure fabric softener. Last night I went to an anti natal class and was told to never use fabric softeners when washing newborns clothes as it can irritate their skin, to which I had no idea as I assumed the comfort one would be fine as it has a picture of a baby on the front! Has anyone else’s used fabric conditioner and been fine? Or will I have to re wash all her clothes?! Thanks in advance 😊 xx

To clarify the eczema is nothing to do with fabric softener, but hard water

I don't either and always used whatever we had for our clothes on theirs. Never had any problems, and we didn't wash them before they wore them either. Never occurred to me or to any of my friends

I never used fabric softener. And use natural washing liquid. My son is 32.

It's just a ruse for you to think you need to buy more stuff to make the producers of this to make them richer.

I washed all mine in non bio and a small amount of softener then rinsed again in the machine to make sure no softener residue left to irritate them. None of my give ever had any skin irritations. You do whatever works for you though and congratulations 🎉

I didn't even wash new clothes I bought for DS as a newborn and he survived eczema free so I'm sure you'll be fine

It’s absolutely not. My obstetric consultant even told me to trust it - it’s written on the front of your maternity pack, too! If mother’s instinct even saves just one baby’s life then you absolutely cannot be ignorant enough to call it bullshit.

Baby will be fine with the way you’ve washed her clothes.

Really hope there was something useful they told you at the class instead of this rubbish x

Personally I'd rewash. Just as I wouldn't put a scented moisturiser (or any product) on a newborn baby's skin, I also wouldn't use fabric softener as it's designed to stick onto the clothes and it therefore comes off on skin. I have sensitive skin and wouldn't use fabric softener myself.

I’ve always washed both my children’s clothing with comfort pure from being newborn, neither have ever had any skin issues. It never even occurred to me not to use fabric conditioner 🙈 bit late now 3.5 years too late to learn you’re not supposed to 😂

I used fabric softener and babies were fine.

I’ve always used pure fabric softener for everything as I like my clothes soft and smelling nice (probably just habit though) so must have used when DDs were babies; wouldn’t have occurred to me not to. I always use non bio detergent as I can be a bit sensitive. Never had any issues with the girls. You’ll soon know if baby is reacting to anything. Personally I wouldn’t re-wash.

I was never told that! Both my kids (7 and 3) have had all their clothes chucked in the washing machine with ours using surf and comfort, never had any issues at all.

Soak pooey clothes in the sink? Yuk- I’d use a bucket!

Thursday5pmisginoclock
Bio d do nappy fresh, and eco bleach, just the same as napisan which I prefer, not expensive, very mild fragrance.
i washed and conditioned, all my baby clothes 35 yrs ago, no reaction whatsoever

Haven’t used fabric conditioner in 10+ years. It’s a scam

When i had my little one, i didnt think this was a thing either. However my little one has allergies and eczema. So we had no choice but to chop and change quite a bit and now only use fairy non bio because that goes best. I do use fabric conditioner but only the white stuff and tbh i cant remember when we properly started using it.

I went a bit crazy because i had to contend with allergies but fairy non bio made a massive difference.

I wouldnt wash the clothes again. I would wait for baby to arrive and then rely on your mummy gut.

Sometimes this antenatal classes do take it a bit too far

Hi. I only recently stopped using softeners. I learned that it reduces fire safety of children’s pyjamas. And shouldn’t be used on terry cloth (towels) 🤷🏻‍♀️ Tbh I haven’t noticed a difference in the feel of our clothes. So much conflicting info out there. Mind yourself & mind your baba. If you care this much to get things right, you’ll be fine! x

Your baby will most like be fine with fabric softener, don’t stress. We agree with PP, they stress us out in these ante natal courses and make us feel like it’s impossible to
You also don’t need to use non bio, which btw is only a thing in the UK, because of a prevailing myth that enzymes can irritate your skin. Even the NHS website states that there is no evidence to this. Regular detergent with enzymes cleans better :)

Although it could have been put a bit nicer 😂 I do tend to agree. I see a lot of new mummies doing things like putting rusks in bottles from too early because they feel they need it, when they absolutely don’t and rusks have zero nutritional value and are full of sugar. But, I think for most people hard advice should be taken with a pinch of salt and you’ll be fine.

Children are nearly 14 and 16 and this is the first I’ve heard about this! It all just went in together with all the other washing. They were fine!

Not trolling-From your post I naturally assumed it was the main sink, which is normally in the kitchen

@CandyColouredEggshells you put it best. "Take the advice with a pinch of salt". That is exactly what I was trying to say. There is so much advice (a lot of it conflicting). All of that can be overwhelming. Trust your instincts is just one step away from common sense. If your baby's skin is irritated by a particular product, common sense says stop using even if the label says it's fine for babies. As a mother you are programmed to be responsive to your babies needs. In my original post I was simply trying to be reassuring to the OP, not preaching that we should chuck all medical guidance out the window because that would be ridiculous 🤣