Washing baby things without succumbing to the crazy brigade !

[Zimm]

Hello all,

I am 38 weeks and just finishing final baby chores including washing clothes and toys. Now I have washed all second hand clothes and toys - but do I really need to wash new stuff? I am washing what it is easy to stick in the machine but what about toys with plastic parts that came in sealed bags? Surely they are fine. I have also washed all bedding. I can't help thinking all this washing is unnecessary - sure all our stuff was never pre-washed and babies need germs! Just wondering what the normal (e.g. not the mad bleach everything brigade do:-) ?

Kate

I wash all clothes...well for newborn and 0 -3 anyway and then I get bored

Toys - didnt occur to me to wash them (unless they were second hand). By the time the baby can actually 'play'with the toy they will be a few months old anyway really and probably also trying to suck the cats tail?

I ironed fecking muslins, about 50 of them! More time than sense springs to mind

LOL Rockbird - I did that first time round too! This time - NOTHING has been ironed. Our whole family is modeling the creased look this season!!!

I will be washing all clothes, new and second hand. Also the bedding we have bought.

Haven't even thought about washing toys. What about a cuddly toy/teddy do I need to wash those? Actually don't have any yet.....

Hope that helps, though probably not!

I wash new stuff on a short cycle to get rid of factory chemicals and detergent that they use, not fear of germs. This is purely because DH and DD have very sensitive skin and sometimes have reacted if I don't. I don't wash my stuff as I'm tough as old boots!

Bleach nothing! Infact it's the optical brighteners used in detergents that cause DD and DH to react, so it's Ecover only in our house.

Don't panic about toys, it'll be weeks if not months before your newbie can get it in it's mouth and then yes germs are good. Once they can put things in their mouth it won't be the washed toys that go in.

A previous thread some time ago had lists of the awful things people's DC had put in their mouths and I have to say it made me gag - cat poo anyone?

Zimm, i wash my own new clothes. Not a thorough wash but just a quick rinse in the machine, prob without soap. Just to get the more chemical smell off the clothes from the packaging or dust from shop floor. I would prob do same for baby clothes

x

I didn't wash any new clothes or toys [lazy]

I have washed all new stuff. Essential in my view to get rid of factory chemicals and germs.

I washed second hand stuff and some new things that I was taking in the hospital bag, I reckon that as the clothes are hardly on 5mins before they get vom/poo/wee on them then really you don't really need to wash them.
I didn't wash any toys except second hand ones.
I didn't milton the furniture or wash the pram or car seat covers before use, I did wash the travel cot covers before use because they smelled chemically though.

Thanks all. I find the worries about factory chemicals interesting when I think about what's in baby wipes/disposable nappies - e.g. more chemicals! Seems we could drive ourselves crazy with worry and washing! So I won't bother washing the toys with plastic in them then...I am also using ecover non-bio, seemed like safest option!

I never washed a single thing with either of my dc's.

i washed the new baby stuff, it gave me something to do at the start of my mat leave...
mind you I didn't iron the muslins like I did first time

Linked question - Is it ok to use fabric conditioner or not when washing baby clothes? Instinct says not, but you folks will know more than me! (First time mum to be, therefore clueless)

Apologies for minor hijack.

auburnlizzy78 I used Comfort Pure fabric softener since DD was born.

The chemical issue is interesting. To me, its a question of which chemicals. I know that they often use formaldehyde on new fabrics to help prevent mildew. Formaldehyde is a carcinogen. I may have been exposing my baby to chemicals by using disposable nappies, but at least I could remove that one!

Fabric conditioner is a personal choice, along with which laundry detergent. I'm not fond of fabric conditioner so i chose not to use it for DD. DH didn't want me to stop as he found static an issue. I've since switched to vinegar and either it's also solved the static problem or DH has given up complaining!

(I'm probably now about to find out that nappies contain formaldehyde...)

I just use fairy non bio washing powder or ecover. I don't think you need softener too. the point of softener is to leave a residue on the clothes to make them feel soft, and I would probably rather not have any kind of chemical residue on baby clothes.

Sometimes I wish it was the 1950's when nobody worried about such things! I never use fabric conditioner on anything - completely unecessary product in my view - just another way multimationals get us to spend money and pollute the earth!

Ironing muslins??? Really??? Hmmmm I don't iron anything either, I see this as another excellent way to reduce my carbon footprint.. :-) :-) :-)

they may not have worried about such things in the 50s, but they also smoked and drank profusely whilst pregnant, and didn't know about taking folic acid!

Never washed anything for dd, but then she was a champion posseter so tended to be in a new item for a maximum of two hours before it needed washing anyway!

Thanks v much!

re ironing muslins:
in my defence, I was bored

very very bored