Yesterday we finally dragged all of Katie's old baby gear (swings, bassinet, bouncy chair etc etc) out of the garage and I need to get them cleaned off and ready for this baby. The problem is the cloth parts are in desperate need of being washed. Has anyone taken off the seats etc and thrown them in the laundry?? Or should I just wipe it off with a wet cloth?

2nd question. We bought a front loading washer/dryer when we moved into the new house. It says you can only use HE detergent...so does that mean that you can't use gentle detergents like Zero? I don't mind using Tide, but I'm curious in case it causes a problem with baby's skin.

Last question! Are you washing all of the baby's clothes? I washed some of the new sleepers, onesies and some of Katie's hand me downs but I really don't want to wash all of the outfits. LOL, I can't remember what I did with katie!

__________________

I washed all of the newborn and 3 months clothes but no other sizes yet. I will wait til she gets bigger to wash more. I just have so many.

Yes i did wash the Moses basket and bouncy seat cushions but not the car seat. I just washed the car seat down with a wash cloth. I figured that was good enough.

I dont know about your washing machine. My mom has a front loader and she uses all kinds of detergents. I think they are just trying to get you to buy a certain kind or maybe you have to use it for the first few loads or somthing. It just doesnt seem right.

__________________

lmao at washing the carseat...we take ours to the Car Wash!!!! Seriously! Katie had reflux and barfed EVERYWHERE and it was the only we could get it clean. Actually, her seat is do for a clean...not for barf but she thinks the armrests are her own personal hand wipes. argh!

__________________

I took off the car seat pad and boucy seat material and washed it. The swing material said surface wash only...so I still need to wipe it off with a wet cloth or something...luckily it's not that dirty. I have no idea on those type of washers except that my sister has one and complains about finding appropriate detergents sometimes. And I have only washed any hand me downs I kept from Lina, but I haven't washed any of the new stuff yet. I probably won't wash all of it, at first.

__________________

We used Clorox disinfecting wipes for the surfaces and washed the padding and covers in the washer.

__________________
Rachel
Proud Mother of 2 Boys and a Girl
Isaac David born February 24th, 2004
Carson Eli born January 18th, 2006
Kianna Rachelle born May 25th, 2008







***Just Add Baby ACD***

***Host of Baby Dust Grads***

I washed all the 0-3m and 3-6 month clothes but that's it. Everything else went back into boxes. Regarding baby gear, I washed everything that came off easily - the bouncy seat, moses basket stuff, etc. The stuff that I couldn't take off I just wiped really well with a washcloth until they looked clean. I did that this weekend - pack and play, stroller, car seat are all clean and ready to go now.

And with Ava I washed everything in Dreft - this baby gets washed with Gain like everything else in the house LOL

__________________

The regular detergents sud too much for front loaders and will cause them to wear down/break much quicker. It might also leave soapy residue behind. We use Tide free & clear HE with no perfumes/dyes and that was fine with our last baby.

I'll wash all the clothes before baby wears them - on a short wash cycle.

__________________


Brooke -- 2004
Lizzie -- 2006
Samantha -- 2008

I have...and will again. Our swing has been downstairs in basement storage (in our unfinished part) and it tends to get damp down there. I will not dry it in the dryer though. Our car seat and bouncer seat are brand new this time, so no issue there. The inside of our exersaucer has gotten poo'ed and spit-up on and has therefore been washed more times that I can count. We've also pressure sprayed the outside of it at the car wash (LOL at whoever said that since we've done it, too).

We're in the market now for a new W/D and have talked to several 'experts' (if you will) on HE vs. non-HE models. We were told that using regular detergent in an HE machine would cause a scene like the one in "I Love Lucy"...bubbles, bubbles EVERYwhere! I don't know if I'd personally want to chance even a small amount of baby detergent in one of those, but good luck if you do. Otherwise, I'd say go the HE free and clear route.

I definitely am! Nothing came out of storage stinky (from any dampness), but I just like to be sure there are no dust mites or other allergens, etc. next to my baby's skin. I'm kind of anal about that. Plus, I'm a sucker for the mild scent of the baby soap - it smells so fresh and new to me.

__________________

Yes, I have washed bouncer and swing covers before. Kylie vomited all over her bouncer as a baby and it HAD to be washed. No problems whatsoever washing it.

I have no idea about your washer, sorry.

I washed all the baby clothes because I am in nesting mode (when the pain subsides long enough to let me accomplish anything!) and I felt like just doing all of it at once. I think I did the same with Kylie's clothes but can't remember.

__________________
Tasha & Scott (11/27/99)
Proud parents of:
Kylie Noel (5/5/05) & Cohen Blake (6/18/08)

I wash it all, on either gental or hand wash cycle and then hang to dry. I just did the carseat cover and will do the boucy seat and probably swing very soon. Oh while the carseat cover was in wash I scrubbed down the carseat in the bathtub and wiped dry with a towel and sat out in the sun for any spots I couldn't reach. I also washed a few little sizes in each gender and will do the rest once we know what baby is. Everything was clean and packed in totes in the basement and seemed okay when I unpacked it but made me feel better to wash it again anyway.
Sorry I have no info on a front loader.

__________________
Nikki ('78)
DH Chris ('73)
DD Madison 7/11/03
DS Colton 7/18/06

We washed all the seat covers as long as the directions said they could be washed. The ones that couldn't got wiped down.

We use Dreft in our front loading washer. I always use less detergent than suggested anyway. My mom washed a bunch of clothes for us last week and used Tide but Caroline broke out in a HUGE rash from her face being against our clothes so I will be sticking with Dreft for a while longer.

We usually wait until we get home to wash the clothes. I even have my mom wash the coming home outfit after we are sure it fits. I packed all of Kate's clothes away in those huge Ziploc bags and then put them in a storage tote to store them. When we got home yesterday, I had Matt put the entire Preemie/ Newborn bag in the washer and we got it all done in one load.

__________________
--Kristina

Thanks girls! I'm going wash the baby gear tomorrow...good call on not putting them in the dryer!

Pssst. I LOVE my front loader w&d, if you are in the market BUY ONE!!! THey use about the same amount of water as a coffee maker...no joke!

__________________

You know, we thought about it (also looked at HE top loaders), but with my big family, I almost always find a straggling garment or more that I have to throw in after the wash has begun. Picture me doing that with a front loader (cause I'd probably be a nuthead and try) -- FLOOOOOOD!

__________________

That's too funny, Melissa! We are only a family of 3 (soon to be 4) and we STILL have that problem so imagine if I was about to have my 5th kid like you are!

__________________
Tasha & Scott (11/27/99)
Proud parents of:
Kylie Noel (5/5/05) & Cohen Blake (6/18/08)