Newborn Clothes

for a newborn, I would-wash in dreft type detergent. When they were about a year old I stopped. I wouldn't use a dryer sheet. that is just me, 2 of my kids had eczema.

Yes, you need to wash them, and in a baby friendly, gentle, non-perfumed detergent - there are a few out there. I do not know for certain, but I think a dryer sheet may be ok.

Always wash new clothes, new towels, new bedding ... anything that comes in contact with your skin. Not only have many, many people come in contact with the clothing, etc., but think of all the chemicals that are associated with growing cotton, as well as all the chemicals, dyes, etc.

I've also discontinued the use of all fabric softeners, dryer sheets, laundry detergents (that contain fragrances)etc. as these are made with chemical fragrances that can eventually cause cancer. We stick to Seventh Generation products and the like, which are free from softeners and fragrances -- and are much better for the environment, too.

Best of luck and congratulations on your newborn! :)

Always wash new clothes; even your own. The factory puts something on new clothes to resist stains and this should be washed off before anyone wears anything. :)

As for the dryer sheet, I'd skip it until you find out whether she has any sensitivities. It basically has a scent on it, and sometimes little-ones can react. No-dye, no-scent laundry products are best for a while.

Congratulations on your new one!

WASH EVERYTHING that she may come in contact with...

I would highly recommend it. Clothes are packaged and transported in somewhat dirty 'environments' so yes....not to mention ALL the shoppers (and kids) that touch the clothes while shopping, may be sick, etc... germs galore! :)
Dryer sheets - I never used any until my babies were one years old because of their skin sensitivity. "METHOD" has the BEST 'baby' dryer sheets (they are hard to find but you can find them at Babies 'R' Us). LOVE THEM!
Congrats on your newborn! :)

If the clothes have not been washed it is very important to wash them with a hypoallergenic detergent. Also, if you use a dryer sheet make it hypoallergenic too because you don't want to give her a rash. (Some clothes are treated with harmful chemicals to help set the dyes and those chemicals can be very dangerous.) Congrats on the newborn! :D

Yes, wash them in hypoallergenic detergent and don't use dryer sheets. Those sheets have chemicals on them that can irritate the baby's skin (and your skin). You can use dryer balls... no chemicals. Good luck!

You should absolutely wash them.

I skipped the dryer sheet with my first and used it with my second. The story I heard was that the dryer sheet interfered with the fire retardent of some of the clothes or something like that. I don't worry about that much now that I'm on my second...

Good luck!
-M

It's recommended to wash everything and no, I wouldn't use a dryer sheet.

Yes you need to wash the clothes, and use a hypoallergenic pure soap. Dryer sheets are TOXIC. Don't use them on anything. Wash all bedding too. Congratulations on the baby!

I recommend washing in Dreft detergent and not using a dryer sheet.

I would wash everything with Dreft or another gentle detergent and skip the dryer sheet.

As all of your other posters have written, definitely wash the clothes beforehand in a very gentle detergent. However, you do not have to wait until right before you give birth to wash them. Just buy a sterile plastic tub to store the clothes in until you need them.
Also, they have these dryer balls that are made of rubber that help with static electricity. You can use these in place of fabric softener and they work fairly well and there are no chemicals. I think I purchased mine from Rite Aid.

I would definitely wash the new clothes. I used Dreft for babies and I didn't use dryer sheets. I was concerned my babies would be allergic to harsher chemicals. Nowadays, there are more natural products available too.

I washed both my sons clothes in regular detergent and used dryer sheets. Neither had a reaction to anything. I would suggest washing them first, but like one of the other posts, if it's possible they won't be used, hold off on washing them.

Here are some links:
http://www.google.com/search?q=why+do+newborn+clothes+hav...

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&client=firefox-a&a...=

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&client=firefox-a&a...=

I never did. I never used special detergent either. (well I got one box of dreft as a gift so I used that but that was it). And I used dryer sheets too. I never had to sort my kids clothes form mine as a result. much easier. Unless the baby has a reaction then yo may want to change but mine were both fine.

Hi K.,

Yes, wash everything before in a gentle and non-toxic detergent. I highly recommend Shaklee's Get Clean line. It's safe, non-toxic, effective, super concentrated, and earth-friendly. Most conventional detergents, even the gentle ones made for babies, contain monoethanolomine (MEA) which is toxic, especially for babies. Their skin is 5 times thinner than ours and they absorb so much more than we do. MEA is related to asthma, allergies, eczema, and other respitory & skin conditions. Shaklee is the #1 natural nutrition company in the U.S. and has been around for over 50yrs. They have a reputation for safe, pure, and effective products. The Get Clean laundry detergent and the Nature Bright Laundry Booster (60% more effective than Oxyclean) are amazing at getting out stains. I have a 4yr old and we stain nothing anymore. Check out these products at www.greennutrition.info and register to win $200 of free products at www.freegreenproducts.info.

Also wash because things will shrink... if you wait for it to fit to wear it, once you wash it will be too small!

I washed most of the clothes. Only wash what you need though--if you end up with a lot of one size or type of outfit then leave the tags on and return it for a bigger size or whatever you need. I have several NB and 3mo clothes brand new that were never used b/c we simply had too much. I'm going to give it to a friend or sell it.

Hi K.,

Yes, you should wash the clothes before she wears them. Try Dreft detergent.

C.

Yes you definately need to wash them. The stores put chemicals on them to keep them from getting dust on them. Some also put a fire repellant. I would use a very mild detergent for them like Dreft or one of the products that have not scent on them. As natural as possible for the delicate skin. I would stay away from dryer sheets or anything scented. They are just to sensitive at that age and what smells good to them is mama, not detergent or dryer sheets, unlike us. : )

I always wash ALL of our clothes - newborn or adult - before we wear them. There are plenty of chemicals in clothing, so I'd prefer to get as much out as possible. In fact, I like to buy at Children's Orchard, since I know most of the clothing has been washed a bunch.

I have always washed all of our clothing together and used natural fabric sofener in the wash, rather than just rubbing it on the outside of the fabric fibers with a dryer sheet.

I also don't buy anything with flame retardant. Our risk of the kids catching on fire at night is less than them being struck by lightening and I'm not intereted is portecting them from the almost uncertain experiece of combustion vs. the sure exposure to yet more chemicals that effect the hormones.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not afraid of chemicals, but I certainly try to limit our exposure in easy ways like this, since have so many strange auto-immune issues these days.

YES! You need to wash them. My husband used to work for a major department store unloading boxes from the delivery trucks. He saw what sometimes got into the boxes of clothing. YUCK! All kinds of stories of bugs and such.

We used Dreft until my son was about 6 months old. Then, made it easy on ourselves and washed his stuff with ours. Regular old Tide and dryer sheets.

Good luck!
~A.

Absolute, wash them! If you can, wash them closer to your due date, so they don't accumulate dust and allergens. No dryer sheet till your child is much older. We never use one in our house.

Yes you should wash them first, it is rare but there have been some cases of skin diseases forming from new clothing, and just because you don't know what those cloths have been exposed to. Some say to use Dreft detergent, i used All Free and Clear and the sent free dryer sheets.

Congratulations!
Yes, wash everything in a naturally based laundry soap without fragrance. I personally think commercial dryer sheets are not necessary and they are particularly dangerous as they contain chemicals fragrances. There are many safe brands on the market. My website www.healthyhomeworkshop.com has really good information about the dangers of commercial brands.
Keep your baby safe with naturally based products- there are many on the market. I'm sure you can find one that you like.
Enjoy that new baby!
K.

Yes you need to wash them. There's a big debate about whether you need to use Dreft--I didn't. I used All Free and Clear. I also used dryer sheets, but some folks wouldn't do that.

I washed all my daughters clothes with Dreft before she was born and during the first 3 months or so. We didn't use a dryer sheet or fabric softener until we were certain she would not have an allergic reaction to them. Even then we added one item at a time to see how she reacted and after about 3 months her clothes were washed with ours, with our detergent and dryer sheets. Hope this helps!

Yes, wash them first. I've heard debated about Dreft vs. regular detergent, but I recommend it at first, just in case your little one has allergies. I always use dryer sheets but get the "free" ones (Target brand)...dye & scent free. If neither you nor your husband have skin allergies, it's even less likely your little one will, but you still want to cleanse his/her clothes first.

if you don't wash the new clothes before she wears them then at least put them in the dryer to get rid of any awful things that could be on the clothes and there are awful things that get on to new clothes. just saw a tv show about this topic it was disgusting

I used dreft and scent free dryer sheets.

I washed everything before my daughter wore it. I had no idea what happened to the clothing before I got them. I was more worried about the stuff I bought from the store (or received as gifts) then I did from clothing that were handed down to us.

I did, but really aren't we just trading one allergen for another by using detergent and exposing the clothes to our polluted water? I never understood why we washed.. I just played along :)

I never washed any of my baby's new clothes before he wore them, and we've never had a problem. I've known a few people who did and then the clothes didn't fit, and they couldn't return them because they'd been washed. That's probably why clothing stores recommend you do it. :P

We stopped using dryer sheets after he was born. I initially stopped because I'd heard they were bad for baby's sensitive skin. Now that he's older, we still don't use them because I've read they're bad for the environment.

Yes, wash the clothes, probably in a gentle cycle with All Free and Clear, no phosphates or perfumes, considering how little they are. Yes, you can use fabric softener, but use one with no dyes or perfumes like Downey free and clear, in the white bottle, so that there will be no irritants for the very sensitive little skin.

Hi K.,

I would wash everything. Baby's skin is so fragile and a lot of clothing has pesticides sprayed on them before shipping. I don't use dryer sheets, try Downey's softner that is perfume and dye free - it's very gentle. Everyone in my little family has sensitive skin and that works the best for us.

Welcome to the adventure of being a Mommy!!

YES absolutley wash them - use the most mild/natural detergent you can find. Do not use dryer sheets or fabric softener.

Yes! You don't know what chemicals may be left on the clothing from manufacturing and handling. Try using hypoallergenic laundry detergent to prevent rashes from harsh cleaning chemicals. I wouldn't use a dryer sheet though because the chemicals in them may give your baby a rash.

i didnt do it unless they were used clothes. but some moms feel the need to wash everything. its just a personal choice. as for the dryer sheets my daughters skin is very sensitive due to eczema so i dont use them i use those dryer balls.