Did You Use Baby Detergent?

I just used Tide Free, for all our clothes including baby's.

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No Dreft for me. It has a lot of fragrance in it. I use Tide Free or All Free for the whole family.

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We still need to use Dreft for my son who is almost 3. We tried Tide but it made his skin issues worse. He was scratching all the time and I finally figured out it was the detergent. Switched back to Dreft and it's better. I use it now with my newborn, too, because it's gentler and I feel it's better for my baby. I don't think it's anymore expensive than regular detergent.

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I used dreft until about 6 months of age, but with this baby you need to use dreft and make sure things are EXTRA clean so he does not end up back in the hospital again

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We did for a bit, my husband has very sensitive skin so we were worried about the baby. We ended up having to use it on our shirts too, because her face would break out from contact. I know lots of people that just use the regular detergent that's free of dyes and perfumes, which is what we generally use but was still to harsh for her.

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I use Dreft. I used it for my first until they were about 5. It gets those stains out better. I also use Shout though. I use the powder though. I didn;t think the liquid did such a great job. I know a lot of people just throw the baby clothes into the wash with theirs using dye free and perfume free stuff. But in my house at least, the baby clothes were always pretty much a regular load anyway with blankets and clothes and such put in.

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If the baby has sensitive skin, then you should use something like Dreft. Otherwise, you can pretty much use anything that's not heavily perfumed. I just use Tide Original and haven't had any issues with either of my two daughters. I do do what another responder said and use the 2nd rinse on my washer. I do that with all of our clothes, though.

Looking back, Rebecca made a really good point about the fact that he was so premature that you should be extra cautious.

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Nope, just continued to use the same stuff we always used, which is Purex free and clear. I don't think a special detergent is needed for baby, it's just a way to get you to pay more for something you need. I always do a double rinse on the clothes too, to make sure there is no residue left behind.

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I used 1 bottle and said "Forget this" and started combining all our clothes and used Tide. All was fine. More of a hassle to wash even more loads than you will already have to do.

Best of luck to you!!!

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I used Dreft for a long time - till he was almost in kindergarten.
I didn't have to, I just liked to.
This was 12 years ago, so there are more options now than there were back then.
Tide Free might be fine.
But if you like Dreft, go ahead and use it.

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No Dreft... when our guys (born at 28 weeks, so ping me if you need any advice or just a shoulder) came home from the hospital, they told us to use dye-free, scent-free detergent. There are lots of brands of that available these days. Just use a small amount and do an extra rinse if your machine has that option...

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I never used Dreft. I always used the same detergent I used for the rest of the family. I also didn't wash their clothes separate unless they had a full load of their own or I needed to wash something especially soiled to keep it from staining.
I have a long list of allergies and laundry detergents are high on that list. I can not use anything that is scented or colored. I can not use podwered. I hate the smell of Dreft, sets my asthma off.
I never did understand why you would use something so heavily scented for a newborn's laundry. Or why you would use something so they smelled different than the rest of the family since babies rely on their sense of smell to bond.
3 children and I have never had a problem with any of them reacting badly to their laundry. 2 of them have my sensitive skin.

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Yes I did.. And I just started using Ivory again for my teen who has extremely sensitive skin.
Otherwise we use Tide Free and Gentle for the family.

I think I started using regular Tide with Bleach when they were younger abotu 6 or 7 months. When they started eating regular foods and crawling.

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regular detergent on day 1

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7th gen free and clear here, and an extra rinse, but my little guy has skin issues. With my older kids it was whatever i bought on sale. Ask the caseworker or call the hospital and see if they can tell you what they use on the baby items.

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Awe congrats! That is so exciting!
I never used Dreft. I am not terribly impressed w/ it.
I used Trader Joe's detergent for my babes.
It is nice and gentle.
I think I switched to All Free and Clear when my DD was 2-3. My son is 16mths. and I will probably switch him soon. He is way more messy than my girl. ;)

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We switched from All free and clear to the Purex free and clear- cheaper, and we aren't always dealing with rashes!

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Yes, I did use Dreft at one time. Now I am a Shaklee distributor and we have a laundry powder that is fine for babies and adults.

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I used regular detergent - but it was the Free and Clear kind (I have to do that b/c of my own allergies/sensitivities). We never had a problem with it.

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Use all free and clear or another clear detergent. I'd think that his little preemie lungs don't need any fragrance.

Congrats and good for you.

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I only used one bottle for my daughter. After that I washed 3 or 4 of her outfits in our detergent to see how she handled it. She was fine and never bought dreft again. I am 35 weeks with our 2nd and will do the same. I just want to make sure that he is fine with our detergent. Makes no sense to keep using dreft when it is so expensive.

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I used Dreft for quite a while for my DD and then we switched the family over to Tide Free (we like it better than the ALL version). I think DD was 18 mo. DD was sensitive to many things, so it was one less thing to worry about. Since he's a preemie, I think a dye free, gentle detergent wouldn't hurt.

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I used dye-free, unscented Arm & Hammer on baby clothes, because it was what I already used on my own clothes.

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I used Dreft for the first month or so until I realized his skin was not sensitive. After the one bottle was gone, I used the same detergent for everyone's clothes.

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I used Dreft for the first year, and then switched to Tide (free and clear)...which I use on everything, so now I can do everything together. I remember people saying, oh just wait until you have to buy Dreft...it is sooo expensive! Blah Blah Blah...I went through 2 bottles in a year! A little bit goes a long ways. I liked it when my son was little, he smelled soo good! Now he smells like a big boy! :) (16 mo.)

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We used dreft for our 1st 2, but with our 3rd we just used what we use for the rest of the family - arm & hammer sensitive (my middle guy has had allergic reactions in the form of a rash to really anything else we have tried), and it worked fine for her - she had no rashes at all. She was in the NICU for 10 days before she came home - not nearly as long as your little one, but she also had trouble with her lungs.

good luck - enjoy having your little guy home!!! :)
~T.

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I did at first, but then just started using a fragrance and color free detergent - something like All or Seventh Generation or whatever fragrance free/color free store brand was the cheapest. I washed everyones clothes in the same stuff, since the baby was laying around on his little diaper clad body on us all the time anyway.

Congrats on the sweet little new addition

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I use either Tide Free or All Free and Clear and my daughter is 2. We tried switching to regular detergent when she just turned 2 but found that it made her break out in a small rash so we went back to the Free and Clear stuff. If you don't want to use Dreft because it's so expensive there is a Target brand that is very similar and works just the same for a lot less money.

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Dreft is so expensive! We used Tide Free and Clear and did the double-rinse option when our kiddo developed eczema at 2 months - we're still using it now. No problems!

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I used Dreft but then I switched to 7th Generation which has less chemicals than even Dreft. I try to minimize the amount of toxins that we come into contact with.

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Happy Friday..and it sounds like you'll be having some good snuggling time! We never used baby detergents. I use an eco-friendly detergent with no fragrance, etc, because my husband and kids all have sensitive skin, and I've never had a problem. If there are potential breathing issues, he's probably better off with no fragrance.

Good luck!

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I used one bottle of dreft when the newborns came home. After that it's been All Free and Clear or Purex. I would just use one that contains less dyes and perfumes, and avoid heavy duty ones like Tide and Gain.

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Congratulations! I switched to Dreft before my first was born, and have never switched back. I still do all of our clothes in. Love the smell and I have sensitive skin and NO reaction with Dreft. Works for me!

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Any Free & Clear detergent should be fine. We use Purex Free & Clear -- really inexpensive and keeps my sensitive guys itch free.

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I use Gain for everyone's clothes and don't have any problems. Both of my children have eczema, but changing detergents doesn't help. I've tried. In fact, for my first child I only used Dreft for the first year and her eczema got better when I switched to Gain. Personally, I think baby detergent is a ripoff.

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I used Tide free and clear (or something like that) until mine were about a year old. No, it's not *necessary*, but with such sensitive skin I liked it to be gentle.

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I used baby Purex, both my daughters had eczema when they were younger and honestly I still use it on their clothes today..just habit I guess now.

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nope, never had an issue with my costco brand

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No I use the regular detergent for everyone's clothing. I figured that even if I washed the LO's clothing seperately she/he would still be rubbing against our clothing.

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Nope. Just used regular detergent that was dye/fragrence free.

2 kiddos and no problems

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I used melaleuca Laundry detergent from the time my kids were born. Still use it exclusively for all my laundry.

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I used one bottle of it only because I got it as a gift but I bought ALL free & clear. I still use that on my son's clothes because he is so sensitive and has eczema.

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I did for my oldest in the beginning, because I felt that it was a necessity. For my youngest, nope, because all the clothes were hand me downs and washed in regular detergent anyway.

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I never even heard of Dreft, but I've always just used the cheapest generic detergent for everyone's laundry, and white vinegar as an all-purpose cleaner, or water with a teaspoon of bleach. I could never see the point in wasting money on brand names--- you're not getting anything better, you're just paying for the cost of advertising. The only brand name I used to buy was Best Foods mayonnaise, because I liked the taste. But now Costco has a house brand that tastes just like it and costs half as much.

I used dreft with my first and then not with my second. I got a wonderful nurse with my second child and she said unless you are going to use it for all of your clothing, it isn't really accomplishing what the consumers think it is. The baby spends most of his/her time snuggling up to adults that used normal detergent on their clothing so what does it matter if the little ones clothing are washed with it. Besides it wreaked havoc on my HE washing machine.

Congratulations, what a blessing! Personally, I feel very strongly about all the toxins out there and try to use natural organic products as much as possible. Our skin is our largest organ and is very porous. I use Econuts (soap nuts) and occasionally, Ecos from Costco. Beyond your question, especially since little one has sensitive lungs, the only cleaners I use in my home are half vinegar/half water for all spray cleaning and floors, and a mix of half borax/half baking soda as a scrub for sinks, showers, toilets. American Apparel also has affordable organic onesies in tons of colors and go with organic sheets. It's also very easy to make baby food by steaming/mashing (masher, blender, or Beaba Babycook is wonderful). I also recommend great baby food book Lovin Spoonfuls from the library as well as wholesomebabyfood (dot) com.

Best wishes to you with your new LO.

I honestly have not read all the responses so I don't know if anyone else said this or not - there is a book called the Safe Shoppers Bible and in it it lists products that are known to contain ingredients that are neurotoxins (affect the nervous system) and/or carcinogens (cause cancer). Dreft is actually on that list. And just so you know, so is Johnson & Johnson's baby shampoo. You can check out safe alternatives at ewg.org or feel free to shoot me a pm. This is my passion and I can definitely help you out!

We buy the name brand "free & clear" because it is so much cheaper than buying dreft. Same idea, it is just that the name brands came out with free & clear. I think my girls were 1 or 2 before we started using regular detergent. There are some that irritate their skin still, and some that irritate me as well. We are all different....

I personally couldn't stand the strong scent of Dreft (or the cost), so I only tried it once with our first child. We used Baby All Free and Clear and it worked just fine. There are many other natural products you can use to get out spit up stains. I didn't use regular ALL until they were at least a year-18 months old.

Updated

I personally couldn't stand the strong scent of Dreft (or the cost), so I only tried it once with our first child. We used Baby All Free and Clear and it worked just fine. There are many other natural products you can use to get out spit up stains. I didn't use regular ALL until they were at least a year-18 months old.