Should I wash new baby clothes?

[Starfish83]

Just that really.

I washed all my toddlers’ new clothes before she was born, but time is now of the essence running around after her whilst heavily pregnant.

Thoughts? Is it necessary? Thanks so much! x

I never bothered and DD has lived to tell the tale.

Yes. I always wash everything before I wear, I've seen how clothes in shops are chucked on the floor then put back in the hanger or tried on and shoved back onto the rail.

I've washed everything up to 6 months, about 90% of it was gifted so needed a wash anyway so it was a no brainier to throw the new stuff in too. I don't think I'd be too precious about it though, I'm awaiting my first so have more free time to do it! I know a lot of people who haven't and their babies are fine, one of my closest friends had her baby at 35 weeks so her family were running around buying tiny baby clothes for the baby, they definitely weren't washed!

Only things I've washed this time around are the stuff I've put in hospital bag and anything I've been given 2nd hand.

1st and 2nd Pregnancys I washed all their clothes before hand.

Now I just simply don't have the time with trying to keep onto of washing for 4 people as it is. It's more personal choice really.

I washed everything. Some of it new, some of it second hand.

Yes🤢

Of course not. What a waste of time & energy.

This must be a new thing, I'm sure it wasn't done when my DC were born aeons ago.

Absolutely not!!! Life is too short for unnecessary laundry! I’ve never even washed second hand stuff let alone new stuff. And my 3 kids have all survived!! Don’t make extra work for yourself.

I don't wash new things. I don't even take the tags off until it's just about to go on. You never know what you will actually use. Might be the wrong size/season/shape/colour/style. You can sell stuff bnwt or take it back or regift.

Yes especially undergarments and things to wipe their face like muslins - they sometimes use fabric softeners that are harsher than domestic ones or may still have traces of dyes, bleach, etc. Or maybe unwashed fabric from when the rolls of fabric have been sitting in a warehouse, packing room with whatever dust etc.

If you think to wash your hands before touching your newborn I would do the same for their clothes.

Certainly haven't seen official guidance of course so it's personal preference. I don't recall it being mentioned at all at my last NCT class either.

The production of new fabrics/garments usually involves chemicals, added to aid in the manufacturing process. These haven't necessarily been washed off at the point the clothes reach you. That's why washing baby clothes is recommended - you might inadvertantly be exposing a newborn to a load of industrial chemicals. Nothing to do with 'think how many people may have touched them!' (unless that too is a particular concern for you, for some reason).

What a load of rubbish. It isn’t ‘recommended’ and you aren’t exposing a newborn to ‘industrial chemicals’ either. Unless you expect them not to touch the inside of any new product ever either that people have touched etc as well.. or what is someone holds them against their chest and they are wearing a new jumper 😂 it’s personal preference, but an entire waste of time if you don’t want to, and please don’t think it’s not ‘safe’ ffs!

I'm also pregnant (38 weeks) and chasing around after a toddler - it's exhausting, isn't it?!?

I washed everything first time round, but haven't had the energy (or time!) to do it this time. Anything I've bought that came in packaging (eg multipacks of vests) has gone straight into the drawer as I figure they are untouched. However, I have washed things that were hanging loose on rails where people could riffle through them with grubby hands.

Much as I HATE to quote the DM, I do remember a legal case where someone had an extremely bad reaction to some new sheets. Since then, I've always been careful. Not to say everything is treated with nasty chemicals, but the point is, you don't know.

www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-3090175/Doctor-s-orders-wash-new-clothes-Chemicals-used-garments-wrinkle-free-look-shops-cause-allergic-reactions.html

I didn't wash new clothes (and still don't now they're older). No skin problems for us, if it turned out they had sensitive skin I'd have started (to be honest 90% of their clothes are second hand.

Amanduh, I promise you that I am straight-up the laziest housekeeper alive - I can barely be bothered to wash my own clothes - and not generally prone to fretting about these kinds of things. But if you think that modern textile manufacture doesn't involve lots and lots of chemical processing, well... it does. Sizing agents, desizing agents, dyes, finishes, anti-mildew treatments... all of these are things that exist and could be hanging around on textiles you buy. Totally up to the individual what (if anything) they want to do about that, and whether their level of caution about it is greater for a new baby than in other circumstances, but yes, new fabrics can have chemicals on them.