If you’re wondering how long to wash baby clothes in Dreft, it’s probably because Dreft costs you more than your weekly groceries. The smell of Dreft on your kiddos clothes is like heaven, and it keeps the fabric oh so soft. Do you really need to wash your baby’s clothes with a special detergent like Dreft, or is regular detergent okay?
Switching from Dreft to regular detergent requires more consideration than just cost-cutting. Dreft is recommended by pediatricians and dermatologists to be used in the first few months of your baby’s life, because of the quality of detergent. Regular detergents like Tide & Downy, while they smell great and soften clothes, can be a bit too strong for your baby’s sensitive skin. Consider keeping Dreft for at least 3-4 months, and doing a small sample wash after with regular detergent, and closely monitoring your kiddo to see if they are comfortable with the change.
At the time of writing, you can get a small 50oz container of Dreft, good for 32 loads, for about $24. You can a whopping 92oz container of Tide, good for 64 loads, for only $12.
Dreft costs more and does considerably fewer loads of laundry. I remember cringing every time we’d have to buy it for the first few months for our daughter. The cringe went away when I would smell that amazing just-washed-and-dried load of onesies, baby clothes, socks, and other things. I’ve never smelled anything like it.
About 8 months after our daughter’s birth, we started experimenting with a few of her clothes to be washed with Tide. She never had any skin issues like eczema and took it well, so from then on, we would wash her clothes with Tide too.
The divine smell was gone, and it’s definitely missed, but the big cost savings were welcomed.
Use Dreft for your newborn’s sensitive skin
Now, if your little one has one of many baby rashes or just has sensitive skin, you’ll definitely want to consider using Dreft for a longer period. This baby laundry detergent is ideal for delicate skin.
Newborns are prone to rashes, their skin is still getting comfortable in the new environment, so using Dreft throughout the entire newborn period (0-2 month) is ideal.
Most rashes that your newborn gets are harmless and go away on their own, you can talk to your pediatrician if you notice something on your baby’s skin that hasn’t gone away after a few days.
During this time period, your newborn baby needs the most gentle laundry detergent for their soft skin. Going with Dreft for as long as you can will reduce any chances of itches and irritation in your little one.
Is baby laundry detergent necessary?
You might also be wondering, does my baby even need laundry detergent washed clothes? It’s not like your little one is sweating heavily, and all that pee & poo mess is (mostly) contained in their diaper.
The answer is, yes you still definitely need laundry detergent for your baby, preferably one that’s good for sensitive skin.
Washing baby clothes helps clean away any spit-ups, dead skin that is released from your baby, and helps avoid any other skin irritation for your little one. You might think some things like baby socks can be reused, but others like burp cloths and their onesies definitely need regular washing, one use only!
Should I always pre-wash baby clothes?
Yes, absolutely. Even our adult bought clothes should ideally be washed before first wear.
The clothes that you buy end up in multiple hands during production, touched many times at the store, and then end up at your house. Dreft (and our team at 1 Happy Kiddo) recommends you definitely pre-wash all baby essentials.
In conclusion, do you need Dreft for your baby’s clothes?
As a big fan of Dreft myself, I give it the top rating for overall quality and smell to use for your newborn and infants’ sensitive skin.
As your baby gets older (around 6-8 months and up) you can choose to try other brands like Charlie’s Soap, or use your own laundry detergent (like we did with Tide) and see if your baby adapts well with general laundry detergent.
