Taking Care of Baby Clothes 2

by Mary Ann Romans | More from this Blogger

27 Dec 2008 05:19 PM

All of those little baby clothes can be a job in itself, and yet there isn't a lot of advice out there about taking care of them. I had to learn on my own what worked best for doing laundry, organizing the clothes and keeping them nice enough to hand down or sell. By the time baby number three came along, I had everything down pat.

I'd like to share all of the experience with you, so you can have an easier time of it. If you missed the first post in this series, just click here.

Last time I mentioned a bit about laundry and the importance of washing your baby's clothes before they are worn. But how should you wash them? Dreft is a famous detergent for washing baby clothes, but I have also found great luck with using other detergents that are free of dyes and fragrances. I wash the clothes in cold water unless there are stains. These I try to get right away, hand washing the stain with a little Woolite or baby shampoo before putting the item into the washing machine.

Another good idea is to separate your baby's clothes and wash them separately from the rest of the family's laundry. I would usually do this until my baby was about one year or 18 months old. Separating the clothing helps in a number of ways. It prevents additives and possible irritants from being deposited on the baby clothes, and it also gives you a better idea of how many clean clothes you have left.

Separate the clothing into darks and lights. I don't recommend using bleach on a baby's clothes unless you spot treat a small stain. Cloth diapers can be bleached by a good day hanging in the sun to dry.

Click here for more articles by Mary Ann Romans.

Warning about Carter Baby Clothing

Stretch Out Your Kids Clothing

Getting Baby Clothes for Free

Baby Saving Tips

Are you subscribed to the Families.com Baby Blog? With the click of a button, you can receive an email notification anytime a new blog is posted in the Families.com Baby Blog!

Just look to the right of this blog and find the subscription center (it looks just like this picture, although you'll have to find the "real" one just above the category listing ). Click on "Subscribe via Email". You'll be instantly subscribed and the email address that you registered at Families.com with will receive an instant notification whenever we post a new Baby Blog! Don't miss a thing - subscribe now!

Learn more about Mary Ann Romans

Mary Ann Romans is a freelance writer, wife and mother of three children. She lives in Pennsylvania with her husband, the kids and a 16-pound cat.

View Full Profile | More from this Blogger