Question by Mommy to 24 month old boy: Is it a MUST to wash your baby’s clothes with Dreft, or is any natural detergent good?
I use a natural detergent.. and was just wondering was this fine to wash the baby’s clothes… or is it a must to use a “baby” detergent like dreft.
I use Natural Elements Purex… It says 100% natural cleaning ingredients, natural fragrance extracts, biodegradable formula, free of dyes, and hypoallergenic… it says it has coconut and palm based surfactants..
Best answer:
Answer by ❀Bugsey❀
dont waste your money on dreft. As long as its clear and free (of scents, perfumes, etc), it’s fine.
What do you think? Answer below!
No no, Just use something thats “Free & Clear”. Like all or tide they all have the free & Clear kinds.
I used plain old Tide on my daughter’s clothes and she was fine. I really think baby detergent is a scam.
I started out using dreft but that stuff is so expensive, so I switched to a laundry deteregent free of perfumes and dyes, and that would just as good. The only thing I buy of deft is the spot removel because that works great on those lovely baby food stains.
I waste my money on Dreft and I know I do…
I just like the smell so much…but I have read any fragrance free detergent will do…
and once you know if your baby has sensitive skin…you can wash babies clothes w/ the rest of the families.
any natural detergent is fine, i don’t use dreft, never have – i usually use tide free or something like that, whatever i’m using on our clothes, and we havent had any poroblems with our daughter
If you are using a natural detergent that is free of perfumes or dyes, that should be fine. No need to buy Dreft.
I washed my babies clothes in it for about a month…then stopped because it was such a pain to wash all her clothes separate from ours…so I started washing them with our clothes with the regular detergent and she was perfectly fine.
There are other dye free detergents that you can buy for much cheaper. Even Target makes a good baby detergent and Baby All is cheap, too. My son’s skin is still very sensitive so, I can’t use Tide on his like on our own clothes. I buy dreft, but it is just a personal preference… I love the smell of it. But it isn’t necessary.
With my first, I washed all his clothes separately, with Dreft, and no fabric softener. With my second, I started that way, and eventually started using regular detergent. With my third, I don’t even bother sorting who’s clothes are whose, or colors even, they all go in the washer with the Downy ball. None of them have ever had a reaction to any detergent. So don’t stress over the Dreft.
Not a “must” at all. A natural detergent is a good idea just because (i.e. no phosphates, no petrochemicals is better for the environment), but really plain old Tide would do just fine for your baby’s clothes (so long as your child doesn’t seem to react too it).
No, it’s not a must. They don’t even sell Dreft where I live. Apparently they’ve got a great marketing campaign where they do sell it.
You can use any detergent. Fragrance free ones are better for infants, though.
I USE TO USE IVORY SNOW, other detergent may be to strong for your baby skin because my baby use to break out so i use to stick to ivory snow.
i noticed your other question, and i think i see where you are going with this because i had the same questions-
when you first buy all your clothes, don’t wash EVERYTHING until the baby is born- only about 3 days of things including a few blankets, sheets, burp cloths and outfits. wash them with your family’s laundry soap. try on a pair of socks first when you are at the hospital- if no reaction great. sound like it should be fine because there are no perfumes. but you need to wash them first because they have been through a process to be made, and need to be cleaned.
if the baby does have a reaction, ask the dr while you are there-i had to with my son, but only after the dr said to let it clear on its own becasue it wasn’t itchy, and it stayed. you can always ask a friend or relative to wash the rest with the new soap or the family’s and i’m sure no one would turn you down.
Here’s a link with some good detergents. http://pinstripesandpolkadots.com/detergentchoices.htm
Personally, i don’t like Dreft because it is full for perfume, optical brighteners and fabric softener, and those are bad for babies.
I use Planet brand and I love it.
I used Baby ALL or ALL free and clear. Same thing as Dreft just a heck of a lot cheaper.
I use plain old Tide and it works fine.
You totally don’t have to use Dreft. I use Dreft, but mostly because I LOVE how it smells, I’ve thought about using it to do all my laundry. I use a free and clear detergent on the rest of my stuff and I’m sure it’d be fine to use on the baby clothes. There are also more inexpensive baby detergents you can get.
Just make sure the detergent you are using isn’t scented as some perfumes, even natural ones, can irritate your baby’s sensitive skin (my baby has very sensitive skin and eczema and the Dreft doesn’t irritate it).
Edit:
It sounds like your detergent should be fine. If you put the baby clothes on your baby and you notice his skin become irritated, then switch, but it sounds like it should be gentle on his skin.
PS I had all my baby clothes washed so long before the baby was born. I was so excited. I had piles of burp cloths (though I found I needed even more after he was born than I thought I would), blankets, etc.
Congrats on your soon to be baby!!
I might change detergent since the type you are using does contain scent. Look for something free of dyes, scents, enzymes, optical brighteners and fabric softeners.
We use Country Save and like it a lot for all our laundry.