Please or to access all these features

Add post

Watch this thread

Save thread

Start a new thread

Flip thread

Hide thread

My feed

Active Unanswered threads

Getting started FAQ's

Unanswered threads Acronyms Talk guidelines

Hide shortcut buttons

Talk

Pregnancy

Talk about every stage of pregnancy, from early symptoms to preparing for birth.

Flip

1 2

Original poster

Washing baby clothes before use? Must I? Is Non-Bio essential?

28 replies

Andie20521 · 16/10/2010 15:29

I'm trying to get ready for the arrival of my first babba and have a couple of

Do I really need to pre-wash all the new clothes before my little one wears them?

Also do I have to use non-bio products? What issues are there with normal stuff?

It's not something I have thought about and suddenly have gone into a tizz!

OP posts:

Are your children’s vaccines up to date?

Set a reminder

KenDoddsDadsZombieDogsNotDead · 16/10/2010 15:35

Yes I would wash them if I were you. New clothes are not clean clothes. Non bio is better because it won't irritate your new born baby's skin.

sarahscot · 16/10/2010 15:36

My DH has mild excema and if I use bio he gets a rash.

I would wash all new clothes, purely because you don't know where they've been made and stored before you bought them.

usualsuspect · 16/10/2010 15:36

I never washed any

passionberry · 16/10/2010 15:37

Most people do. I think it's to do with chemicals used in factories to stop clothes getting damp?? And also - factories/ shops not being very clean places.

I remember worrying about all this when I was pregnant for some reason - I think it's that sudden feeling of not having a clue about any baby stuff! Anyway, I washed all mine in non-bio, gave me something to do while on maternity leave!

Non-bio is gentler on babies skin.

I use non-bio as it smells of babies but I have on occasion used Bold 2 in 1 and dd's skin doesn't seem to have suffered!

BertieBotts · 16/10/2010 15:38

I never washed mine and my baby was fine. However, you don't know if they will have sensitive skin. Maybe wash a few just to check?

Bio powder is also fine, there was a thread the other day about this, it's not actually proven to affect sensitive skin any more than non bio.

nymphadora · 16/10/2010 15:38

Dd3 had a rash in hospital & the only thing we could think of was the sleepsuit hadn't been washed as dh had to go buy extras on a v sicky day

ghosteditor · 16/10/2010 15:49

I once had a truly awful allergic reaction to the dye from a bra I bought and wore without washing - the rash started under my boobs and ended up spreading up to my neck and down my thighs. It was excrutiating, and ugly. Dyes and chemicals on new clothes can occasionally cause really bad reactions!

Definitely worth washing if you have the chance, but it's only a very small possibility that your little one will have a bad reaction, so don't worry too much!

Fibilou · 16/10/2010 17:48

I didn't and dd has suffered no ill effects. i do use non bio though

Alibobster · 16/10/2010 17:51

I washed the wee babygros that I bought to take into hospital but I never washed any of the clothes he was given as presents and he was fine. I do still use non-bio powder though.

undercovamutha · 16/10/2010 18:00

I washed all of DD's baby clothes (pfb).
I washed none of DS's baby clothes.

Didn't matter a jot.

Rinnyx · 16/10/2010 18:27

I never washed any of DD's clothes and she was fine so I havent washed any new clothes this time round for DS who is due in 3 weeks.
I have only washed afew items and thats only cause they are what I saved from when I had DD

edemame · 17/10/2010 03:59

I've washed all of mine for our baby on the way since my cousin's new baby has had a reaction to dye in a few of his outfits (one was last years Santa Suit and the other a pair of jeans).

She suggested I wash everything to be safe and that it also softened alot of his clothing after the 1st wash and he seemed more comfortable than he had in other non-washed outfits. So true, the little vests and baby grows are so much softer once they're washed, blankets too.

Weird allergies run in our family so I'm useing non-bio and it seems to be working well even for me :) Fairy non-bio smells sort of yuck in the bottle but the clothes and sheets smell nice when they come from the wash.

saucetastic · 17/10/2010 07:48

Depends on the batch, esp if imported, new clothes may have sprayed with bug spray.

pinkyp · 17/10/2010 09:48

i just washed mine in our regular washing powder (surf)

AlpinePony · 17/10/2010 10:06

I wash(ed) everything which is packed in to a plastic envelope as it seems to smell more, I also washed all bedding. Actually I washed all his newborn stuff... 3 months in and I just rip off the labels!

I didn't use non-bio - I've never even seen it in the supermarkets in this country.

discobeaver · 17/10/2010 10:22

Gosh I didn't wash any - just thought, lovely, clean clothes, they won't stay like that for long!

tanmu82 · 17/10/2010 10:34

I'm on baby number 3 (due any day now) and I still wash evrything - bedding, clothes, bibs, towels...both new and hand me downs from the other kids. It's almost like a pre-birth ritual for me! It's part of my preparing for baby. Also I think that new clothes have a 'new' smell which I don't particularly like, and they aren't as soft either. When baby is older, I'm less bothered by it, but it seems wrong somehow not to wash everything for a new baby.

I also use non-bio for the first few months, just in case.

runmeragged · 17/10/2010 10:40

clothes are often sprayed with chemicals for transport - wash them.

Ladyopheliastar · 17/10/2010 10:54

Would anyone suggest a detergent to use. WE use Surf with essential oils etc, but perhaps something more plain would be better?

PipPipPip · 17/10/2010 11:25

It probably depends on your baby - but its hard to know in advance what your baby's skin will be like!

BudaisintheZONE · 17/10/2010 11:28

I knew someone who worked in the rag trade and she said to wash EVERYTHING. Having seen the conditions in some of the factories she said she even washes her own new stuff before wearing.

tanmu82 · 17/10/2010 11:29

I just use whichever is on offer tbh. And use a sensitive fabric conditioner - again, whichever is the best deal at the time. None of mine have ever had a problem with this, though if they did, I'd stick to one brand

lurcherlover · 17/10/2010 12:42

I stopped using fabric softener as an experiment and our clothes don't feel any different without it so I concluded it's a waste of money. Personally I like the smell of Fairy non-bio the most, but it is quite a strong smell so I haven't used it for baby - I've used Persil non-bio instead which doesn't seem to smell at all.

I've also ironed the clothes - probably for the first and last time! They looked very cute stacked up on the ironing board though :)

pinkyp · 17/10/2010 13:32

i never use fabric conditioner - and have never noticed a difference in my clothes either (they do get dryed in a dryer so i dont know if that makes a difference).

ragged · 17/10/2010 13:39

What exactly is supposed to happen if you don't wash them? Eczema? Allergies? Cancer? Crankiness? Persistent rashes?

I never wash anything before wear (obviously). Let's see... my dad has mild eczema and tendency to skin rashes. DH's cousins have eczema & hayfever. My genetic half-brother had asthma. And me & DH & our 4 kids, in their un-prewashed clothes have developed... precisely nothing.

But maybe that's just freak luck. We even launder everything in Bio powder, too.

Flip

1 2

Swipe left for the next trending thread