Special Detergent for Baby's Clothes

I was told by my pediatrician the opposite of what is traditionally believed - he said that it is NOT necessary to wash the baby's clothes seperately in its own Dreft dtergent. He said that hypoallergenic, dye free, and fragrance free detergents that are carried in all regular grocery stores (made by Tide and other name brand and trusted detergents) are the same as Dreft, and it allows the laundry doer in the house to do ALL the clothing in the same detergent, and can throw all the clothes in mixed at the same time.

With more than one child and a husband, its a pain in the butt to have to do a seperate or half load of laundry just for the baby's clothing. My child has VERY sensitive skin, but we use the hypoallergenic Tide since she was born, and its perfect.

I just switched to a detergent that is free of fragrance. I use All Free and CLear, I have sensitive skin too and since I started using it for everyones laundry, I have noticed a difference for me too. And the concentrated is smaller to store and the cost is about the same.

Hello,

I switched to Tide FREE at about the same time and I also use unsented dryer sheets. Hope this helps!

Hi M.,

I used Dreft for all 3 of my children for about the same time frame as yourself. When I switched over, for economical reason, I still washed my toddlers clothes separately with the detergent everyone else used but very limited amounts of detergent. I would not wash the clothes with everyone else's clothes due to the fact that older siblings and adults are exposed to alot of other elements. My children are now 22, 19 and 15 so times have changed, but I bet you can find a really good non allergenic, or dye/perfume free detergent for everyone.

Save time and save money. Good Luck!

Hi M.,

I am the happy mother of 7 children and you never needed to start with the "dreft" in the first place so anytime you want to stop is perfectly fine. Stains come out better with a spray bottle of water,rubbing alcohol,and a tiny touch of dish soap, then launder with any laundry soap. Special detergent is a waste on money unless your little one is allergic.
Best of luck,
C.

For my family, we use All Free and Clear or Purex detergent. It's best to use ones without fragrances. By the way, we've always used our regular fragrance free detergents even when our kids were newborns and it's been fine. But we don't use fabric softeners (bounce) due to all the chemicals and strong fragrances which can cause an allergic reaction. Good luck to you!

I still buy Dreft for my 9 month old. But for my girls (5 and 4 yrs old) I did buy Dreft for almost 2 years. I slowly did one load with our detergent then the next back to Dreft to make sure my daughters were not allergic to the detergent.

Hi M., we never used dreft, we did our research and decided to switch to the ALL free and clear as well. Its definitely the way to go, and we still use it after almost two years of having our little one! :)

Good luck!

If you want a truly natural chemical-free brand, use Trdaer Joes' Next to Godliness Liquid Laundry detergent. It is cheap. I am chemically sensitive, and it is perfect for sensitive skin and gets the job done for all of the laundry.

Hello M.,
My daughter is 4 months old and we just started using Tide for all our laundry. I put about a weeks worth of outfits in with ours and did a "test run". She didn't get a rash or anything. I do have a friend though who said her daughter started getting rashes a few weeks after she switched, so keep that in mind if anything happens.
Enjoy fewer loads of laundry =0) in my opinion.
C.

We use a detergent that is fragrance free and that is biodegradable and enviornmentally friendly and is great for the baby, and great for all around use. You can find one like this at Trader Joes.

I stopped using it after the first bottle ran out- I just couldn't justify the extra expense, and she never had enough laundry at the time to do a full load of just her clothes, plus I hate the smell of Dreft. My daughter has always had really sensitive skin, and she has never reacted to detergent. Of course, you should watch for skin irritation, but it's not bad to switch.

We actually never used "special" detergent for the baby because we've always used All Free & Clear (no fragrance, colors, etc.). That said, I would think it would be fine to switch to the family's detergent (your little guy's been exposed to it all this time when you hold him close anyway!), but I'd watch carefully for any rashes or what have you... Best Wishes!

My son is also 10 months old and we stopped using Dreft, not only for the reasons you mentioned but also because it doesn't really get food stains out.

i actually stopped using the dreft when my daughter was 2months old. what i did was that i combined the dreft with my regular detergent and checked to see if she had any sensitivity to it, she didn't, so i just slowly weened her off of the dreft. now, she's 5 1/2 months old and has no problem having her clothes washed with our detergent.

I've used Mela Power detergent too...it is great! Better than Gain & Tide :) Unfortunately you can't find it at a regular store...try Melaleuca.com

Most detergents aren't good for anybody due to toxic chemicals in them. I wash clothes using baking soda and Borax. Baking soda makes water "slick" and neutralizes odors. Borax is a natural fabric brightner. I usually add just a little bit, 1/8cup or less of commerical detergent for the "perfume" effect. If you use environment friendly detergents like Amway's SA8 or Mellaluca, they are safe for the whole family.

Hi M.,

I remember when I had my kids I have 3 boys I was told to use dreft with my two younger kids, so I did only once it seemed my middle child had a reaction to it when I dressed him so I switched to the laundry soap that the rest of the family used and he was fine and I switched when he was younger than 6 mnths and he is now a healthy boy who is going to be 8 yrs old next week. I think some doctors get endorsements from companys that have products for babies I remember I had a pediatrician tell me to use some lotion on one of my kids but the thing was I didn't have that brand I had johnson and johnson as you know that brand has been around for a very long time, he told me not to use it, he said it didn't work so I asked him why he said if I use the brand he told me to he would get benefits from that company. so of course I didn't I used the brand I wanted to use, go with your mothers instinct, use what brand you like, if your child doesn't agree with the product you are using they will tell you, and then you can switch, remember mothers instinct is always best, good luck hope this helps

I used Dreft for my 1st son, then gave up because it was expensive and too much of a hassle. I am now convinced that the whole thing is a marketing ploy. My 2 sons have done just fine with whatever laundry detergent is on sale that we are all using. I have now gone one step further with laundry efficiency which will doubtless horrify many - I wash everything in warm. No more separating clothes. The rule in my house is, if it doesn't survive the warm wash, it was not meant to be worn in my family!

I've always used the same detergent on everyone's clothes. I use a dye-free, perfume-free detergent, and everything turns out fine.

I normally used it for a year to my previous kids. However when I found my home base business I switch to our laundry detergent product. We did an experiment on most of the leading brand and our Mela Power detergent works like the special detergent for baby's clothes. The best thing is it is a lot cheaper. You can give it a try and make an experiment just like we did. You can call me at ###-###-#### or email me at ____@____.com you can visit my website at bv1712.myopportunity.net
Thank you for reading.

Dear M.

The best thing to do would be to wash one or two outfits of his in the "family" detergent then have him wear it and see if he has any skin reactions to it. Just like a food allergy. If he doesn't react you can go back to the normal detergent. That is what a girlfriend of mine did. We couldn't afford to do special detergent but since I never had skin problems and neither did hubby, we figured we would just watch closely, baby never had a problem and he is now 18 mos and has done fine w/ normal tide detergent his whole life.

I thought it seemed like a waste of money in the first place so have been using regular detergent from day one. No problem.

i used it for one year (the dreft) but i think as long as you don't have any allergies that run in your family then i wouldn't worry about it - or you could even go for the regular detergents that have no perfumes!

I've found since cloth diapering that Dreft is actually full of frangrance and other unnecessary items for my baby. It actually builds up on the cloth diapers so I don't use Dreft at all. Instead I use Kirkland's take on Cheers Free and Clear and use as little as I can. You really don't need to use as much as they say. Half of recommended amount is enough. I found this out since washing cloth diapers. It's amazing how much residual detergent is in your clothing if you use all they recommend. Try running a load without any detergent and you will see all the foam. Good luck! :)

I never used a special detergent. I read that you only need to use it if your baby gets a rash or something indicating sensitivity to whatever detergent your family uses regularly. She's 14 months old now and never had a reaction to her clothing.

M.- I would recommend the detergents that are 100% free of dyes and chemicals, etc. This I use for all of our laundry. You don't have to go to far out organic place to get it either. I think "All" makes a brand which is available at Safeway. Other big companies are beginning to catch on and I'm sure there will be more brands available in the future. As far as knowing when your baby is ready to graduate from Dreft... I waited until my baby's skin seemed a bit tougher. She was still getting little breakouts on her face and bum up until she was a year old. So I didn't take any chances...and stuck with the Dreft until then. (but I have to tell you that my kids have very sensitive skin!) Hope this helps!

Dreft, waste of money, just another product on the market that instills us with fear for our childrens well being. I use Tide, cause i get the big huge box from Coscto, or when its on sale at Targets. But if you are concerned, with chemicals and all that, then i can tell you that ALL Free and Clear is really good. They always have it on sale at Targets. Its not expensive either.
Take Care, A.!

I just use a natural detergent like Seventh Generation for everyone. Its unscented and I dont use fabric sheets. So they dont end up with a perfumey fresh smell but I know they are clean.

Truthfully, I stopped buying Dreft for my baby when she was 1 month old. I use the Costco brand Dye Free and Fragrance Free detergent and it doesnt seem to bother her skin at all (She hasnt had any kind of skin rashes or allergies at all) but I do have a nephew who has very sensitive skin, and the Costco brand detergent works well for him too. So, although Dreft is nice, and smells so good, unless your baby has super sensitive skin, I dont think you need to keep spending that kind of money on a special detergent.

HI, I'm a mom of 2 (3.5 yo and 1.5 yo boys). I know moms who are more comfortable using the special detergent. We stopped at about 4 mos with my first and 3 mos with my second. We all use the same detergent nothing special, Costco kirland brand. Certainly more econimical for us and easier now that I don't have to separate clothing anymore. I feel that it's a comfort thing when I talk to my mom friends. Try it out on a few pieces of clothing to see if your little one has a reaction = usual a skin irritation. If no allergies to lotions/soaps then most likely you'll be fine with the switch. Good Luck!

I only did for a couple months. Now I use non-toxic cleaners and detergent so it is great!

After my oldest (of 5) was about 6 weeks old I have never bought baby laundry soap. I buy a dye free and scent free soap on everyones clothes. I have 5 kids who break out with the slightest change, but the are fine with this. It is a waste of money, and time separating the laundry!

I understand how you feel...I have used Cal Ben laundry soap since my twins were born and now they are 2 and I plan to continue. They have never had an allergric reaction to it, it's economical....a 1 gallon jug is about 21.00 and it's concentrated so you only use 2oz for a giant load of laundry.
I use tide for the rest of the family and it's fine...try calben.com and check out the products they're all really wonderful and detergent free!!

Good luck!

G.