Last updated: July 29, 2024
One common question new parents have is whether whether baby laundry detergent, like Dreft, is really necessary. As a mom of 3, I will be answering this question, plus sharing my top baby laundry tips.
My goal is for you to be able to do your newborn’s laundry as efficiently as possible. What you will likely learn from this post is that with a little bit of preparation and planning your baby’s laundry will not be all that horrible of a chore to tackle.
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Is Baby Laundry Detergent Necessary?
The answer to this question is that it depends. Some babies will be fine with regular laundry detergent and for other newborn babies it could cause skin irritation and rashes. The biggest reason new parents opt to use a baby laundry detergent or a free and gentle detergent is because a baby’s skin, and especially a newborn’s skin, can be very sensitive.
Your safest bet is to use either a baby laundry detergent or a free and gentle detergent. If you prefer to use regular laundry detergent, you can always test a load of clothes with it and see if your baby develops any kind of skin irritation or rash. In summary, at the end of the day it is your decision which laundry detergent you want to use or test out.
What About Dreft? Is Dreft Necessary?
Dreft is a laundry detergent that is marketed for washing with baby clothes. The answer to the question of whether Dreft is necessary is the same as above.
It is not necessary, but there is nothing wrong with using it to wash your baby’s clothes. I do want to say that I personally did use Dreft to wash my children’s clothes. The #1 reason I opted for this detergent is that I just loved the smell.
Should You Wash Baby Clothes Before Your Baby Wears Them?
Your safest bet is to wash your baby’s clothes before he or she wears them. Washing them could reduce any irritant that could be on them and prevent your baby from having a bad skin reaction.
However, the chances of your baby developing a reaction to new clothes that haven’t been washed is pretty low. So, it’s up to you what you think is best. For me personally, I always washed the clothes before my babies wore them.
Should You Wash Baby Clothes Separately?
No, you do not have to wash your baby’s clothes separately from the rest of the family’s. The cycle type and temperature are the important factor for effectively washing your baby’s clothes.
I recommend washing your baby’s clothes in cold water and on the gentle cycle. If you have other items you want to wash on gentle and in cold water, then feel free to throw them in with your baby’s clothes. Just make sure you have enough space in the washing machine.
If you do wash clothes together, just keep in mind you probably don’t want to mix any bulky clothes that have zippers or heavy buttons. These types of items could cause your baby’s more delicate onesies and sleepers to get small holes.
Must Haves For Doing Baby’s Laundry
What will you need to do your baby’s laundry? There’s really nothing on this list that’s different than doing your regular laundry.
The only thing would be if you use a different type of laundry detergent. And you will find that you start using A LOT more stain remover spray than you used to. Here is a list of what you need:
- Laundry Detergent – I recommend either Dreft, All Free & Clear, or Tide Free & Gentle
- Stain Remover Spray – I recommend Oxi-Clean or Shout
- Laundry Basket
- Hamper
- Washing Machine & Dryer
Top Baby Laundry Tips From a Mom of 3
Now that you know whether baby laundry detergent like Dreft is necessary and have learned a little bit about how to do your newborn’s laundry, I’d like to share some of my top baby laundry tips. These tips will help make these new extra loads of laundry go as efficiently as possible.
1 – Get Detergent That Works Well
If you are washing your newborn’s clothes and struggling with them actually getting clean, it could be the detergent you are using. Try switching out the brand of detergent and see if that helps.
As mentioned before I used Dreft because I love the smell, but I also found that it did a great job cleaning clothes and maintaining their quality. For a newborn baby, make sure you get Stage 1 Dreft.
If you prefer to get laundry detergent that can be used for everyone’s clothes make sure you get a free and gentle detergent. I personally recommend Tide Free & Gentle or All Free & Clear.
2 – Stain Remover Spray is Your Best Friend
I cannot fully explain how much laundry spray stain remover I used when my kids were babies. This is a must to have on hand for diaper blowouts and when you baby starts solids. You can use any type of laundry spray. You do not need to purchase the baby friendly version for stain remover.
If you have clothes where the stain doesn’t come out the first time – don’t fret. Spray these stain again while the clothing is wet. Do not put it in the dryer and try to clean it again the next time you do laundry. This often does the trick to remove stains.
3 – Make Sure You Have Enough Hampers & Laundry Baskets
It’s also going to be useful to have a hamper in the nursery. Depending on how many floors you have, you might find it helpful to have a second hamper by the washing machine as well. You will also want 1-2 laundry baskets for carrying laundry to and from the washing machine and dryer.
4 – Don’t Stress If You Can’t Fold Right Away
You are caring for a newborn baby and that’s a huge amount of work! If you don’t get around to folding laundry when you plan to, don’t stress about it. Sometimes it’s a better decision to take a break when you can get it, rather than pushing yourself too hard to do an extra chore.
5 – Learn How To Fold Baby Clothes Quickly
Baby clothes are so small. They are not bad to fold, but understanding how to fold them quickly and easily will help the laundry folding chore go so much faster. This video does a great job showing a good method for folding baby sleepers, onesies, and bibs.
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Dreft is not absolutely necessary, but it does smell really nice!
You should now have a great understanding of what you need when doing your baby’s laundry, including whether you need baby laundry detergent. Good luck with it all!
Finally before I sign off, you might want to grab these FREE printable Pregnancy Checklists too. They include a baby registry, hospital bag, and trimester checklist and you can get them by clicking the button below.
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