laundry detergent for infants & toddlers

[turtledazzle]

Question for the parents: What laundry detergent did/do you use for your infants and toddlers?

I am due on 8/25 with our first, and want to start getting things washed (like bedding and clothes that have been loaned or given to us).

I've heard a few conflicting things from my friends, reading, and birth instructors ... so I thought I would ask the very knowledgeable PSer's what they use.

I know some use Dreft but many find that it is pricey and unnecessary. Others use some sort of Free and Clear detergent, while others just went along with whatever they had previously been using (even scented) and their littles ones didn't have a problem.

We currently use scented All (HE - we have a front loader). My skin can be sensitive at times (nothing too bad), but have never had a problem with All. (My brother is allergic to Tide, so I try to avoid it but have never had reaction to it myself when I know I have slept on sheets washed in Tide when we have stayed with friends and relatives.) My husband has no sensitivities whatsoever.

I wonder if I should just use what we normally do and then switch if the baby has a sensitivity? Also, do you wash your children's stuff separately from your own (e.g. use different detergent for them)? I just can't see me doing that -- I don't generate a ton of laundry so I figure I'll probably just being throwing our stuff together in the wash most of the time.

Thanks in advance for the advice!


PS. This is my first post in the new PS version ... hope this works.

 

[somethingshiny]

We used Dreft at first and then switched to Baby All (which I can't find this time around) before going with just a free and clear. We (DH and I) have always had to use free and clear detergeants anyway. If I could find the Baby All I would definitely get it again, it appears to be gentler on clothes than other free and clears, but we'll use what we currently have if I can't find it. Dreft has gone up approx $4 in 4 yrs!

 

[Sabine]

My ds has eczema and super sensitive skin. We use the store brand Free and Clear detergent for his clothes and bedding and towels, but still use regular Tide for our own. He's never had a problem with it (I think we may have started with Tide free and clear, but switched to the store brand and saw no problems). I've thrown a few of his towels or clothes in with ours occasionally, and I don't think it's ever irritated him, but the store brand free and clear is cheaper than the Tide we use, plus now I'm in the habit, so I haven't switched.

 

[Mara]

We used Tide HE before so when I found out they made a hypo allergenic HE Free and Clear so we switched the whole household to that, it's only like a buck or two more than the regular and if you get it on sale it's the same price. The only issue for me is it literally smells like 'nothing' so it's not like a yummy sweet smell or a baby smell or anything. But the babe hasn't had issues and we don't mind using it either.

Last time G brought home Tide HE Free and GENTLE which is still hypoallergenic ... I have no real idea how they are different, so we are just starting to use that for him.

Someone gave us a bottle of Dreft, but I was not that into the smell and I didn't want to have a special detergent for him if we could all use it, which is just easier.

There are a lot of diff Free and hypoallergenic brands out there it seems, if we hadn't found a Tide one I would have hated doing the research, but since I have used Tide my whole life I was ecstatic to find a Free one.

 

[turtledazzle]

Thanks everyone! All makes a free and clear version, but the store didn't have it last time I shopped for detergent. Maybe I'll try to switch over to that, but I'll missed that "freshly washed" smell.

Sabine -- do you or your DH have sensitive skin?

Also, fabric softener is a no-no for baby stuff, right? It reduces the flame retardance on flame retardant items ...

 

[ChargerGrrl]

we exclusively use the costco/kirkland "free & clear" HE detergent in our home- started using it about 2 weeks before DS arrived, so a bit over a month now. still trying to get used to it...
as Mara mentioned, there's no "april-fresh" smell. I miss that!
then, either I have to get the hang of our new HE machine and figure out the right amount to add, or it's just not as powerful as what we used to use (good old TIDE). for example, i dribbled some spaghetti sauce on a onesie (trying to eat while holding DS), and it didn't come out. We're talking simple tomato sauce. may have to start pre-treating soiled items.

 

[mayachel]

I've been very happy with All's Free and Clear. We switch off between that and 7th Generation unscented. The biggest issue for sensitive skin is perfumes. (There is also some research that suggests that synthetic hormones in detergents/shampoos/etc... are disruptive to the endocrine system and respiratory system, especially in youngins but also adults).

 

[Mara]

turtle, i wouldn't put a fabric softener in unless there is a similar hypoallergenic 'free' one as well and i don't know if that is the case. we don't use one.

re: flame retardent..most of our stuff for babe is not retardent, we have mostly 100% cotton and natural fabric materials which i prefer.

 

[ljmorgan]

Hi turtle, before your little one is born I would definitely just have everything washed in your choice of free & clear detergent as others have recommended. You never know if your kiddo will have skin sensitivities. It's true that fabric softener is not recommended for little ones because it reduces the flame retardants in children's clothing, but I'm not sure how crucial that is. Like Mara, so much of the clothing that I buy for my son is 100% cotton and we prefer natural fibers that this does not effect us. I DO know that they sell free & clear fabric softeners, I saw a free & clear Downy when I was in Target yesterday. So if you love fabric softener, that's definitely a choice.

We wash all of our clothing in Tide Coldwater free, and then just add scented fabric softener (Gain, ahhhh) to our clothes only. However I realized he obviously rubs all over our clothes and has no issue, so I've just started throwing his laundry in with ours with the scented fabric softener. He doesn't seem to have a sensitivity to it at all.

 

[miraclesrule]

I screwed up my on post in error....GAH!!

A friend of mine just showed me a list of laundry detergents in order of the content level of some dangerous chemical, which was or sounded like Dioxin. In any event, I was stunned to discover that Ivory Snow had the second highest level, next to Tide who had the number 1 spot.

Dreft had far, far, less than Ivory Snow, but the best laundry detergent (probably limited in brands on the article) was Seventh Generation. I am sure there are a lot more on the market now. My daughter tried using some organic powdered stuff that just didn't work with her machine. She brought it to me and I haven't tried it yet.

My daughter uses cloth diapers, so she is uber picky about detergent.

 

[Puppmom]

Turtle, we're wondering the same thing. We bought DREFT but that stuff is expensive! Our childbirth gal recommended All Free and Clear. She did say to be careful because not all "Free and Clear" detergents really are...go figure. She also told us that, for most kids, regular detergent is fine but most obviously prefer not to take the chance. She did mention that the hospital doesn't do anything special though - those baby blankets and onesies are washed in the same detergent as everything else.

Miracles, I've heard you have to be careful what you use on cloth diapers. They're right up against the baby's bum and some detergents can reduce absorbency.

 

[turtledazzle]

Turtle, we're wondering the same thing. We bought DREFT but that stuff is expensive! Our childbirth gal recommended All Free and Clear. She did say to be careful because not all "Free and Clear" detergents really are...go figure. She also told us that, for most kids, regular detergent is fine but most obviously prefer not to take the chance. She did mention that the hospital doesn't do anything special though - those baby blankets and onesies are washed in the same detergent as everything else.

Puppmom -- did we attend the same childbirth class? That's exactly what our childbirth instructor told us.

Most everything we have is 100% cotton as well.

I think I'll go with All Free and Clear as soon as I find it. Neither my grocery store nor the Walmart near me had it ...

 

[Octavia]

I would err on the side of caution with a free and clear detergent. I'm allergic to Tide -- no rash, but it gives me severe itching -- and the perfumes in most scented detergents give me nausea. So do scented lotions, shampoo and other hair products, etc. Since there are no physical real physical symptoms of these sensitivities, you'd never know if I couldn't communicate...so I wouldn't want to take the chance with a baby.

As far back as I can remember, my parents used All Free & Clear because it was pretty much the only unscented/hypoallergenic one on the market back when I was a kid. They might have used something else when I was tiny, but as soon as my sensitivities came to light, they always stayed away from anything with dyes or perfumes. I recently switched to Method Free & Clear because it takes up so much less space in our tiny apartment (though it is more expensive) and the pump feature is genius. It's funny to me that people like scented laundry since I've always used unscented detergents and like my clothes to smell like absolutely nothing!

 

[Hudson_Hawk]

We use All Free and Clear (though just bought the Target version and like it so far) because DH and I are sensitive and get itchy easily. I miss the smell of detergent to be honest, but it beats the itch. Anyway, I just plan to keep using the F&C detergent vs Dreft. If I have something delicate to wash I use Woolite.

ETA: For fabric softener we use white vinegar. It softens the fibers, removes chemicals and sizing in new clothes and maintains absorbency in towels. I'm not sure how/why but we don't really have static problems with it either. Dryer sheets leave residue on your lint screen cutting down on air flow over time and liquids coat the fibers reducing flame retardency and absorptive properties.

 

[janinegirly]

I second the others'..I used Dreft to start since I fell for the marketing but then switched to All Free & Clear which works just as well for alot less!

 

[Sha]

I don't live in the US but I use Purex Baby (hypoallergenic). It has a lovely mild scent, and is much cheaper than Dreft.

I wash my daughter's clothes separately from our own. You might be surprised how much laundry a baby can generate. Most of my daughter's clothes are soiled after one or two wears -(either witih spit-up/poop/dirt/milk/food) so there's usually a pile of laundry to be done by the end of the week. I think it's best to wash baby's clothes separately from yours, since you probably will be using a different detergent, and also so that 'adult' stuff from the wider world (inkstains, sweat, chemicals etc.) don't get mixed im with your baby's clothes.

 

[Puppmom]

Did you also see the video from 1991? If so, then YES, we were in the same class.

 

[turtledazzle]

Did you also see the video from 1991? If so, then YES, we were in the same class.

Yep, we saw that one, as well as the ones from 1981 and 1971!

Thanks for all of the replies, ladies. As usual you've been very helpful!