Any suggestions/experiences of the best characteristics for a baby clothes detergent would be appreciated. We are in the UK, in case that influences the options we should look for.
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We did buy special soap for our first child (it is very expensive) but by the time the third and fourth came around we didn't have time to wash their clothes separately and we found it completely unnecessary. I would use regular soap (without perfumes) and see what happens. If your child seems to be having a reaction (rash) then speak to the Doctor about suggestions (it may not be the laundry or he/she can tell you what to use) |
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I'm from the US, so I'm not familiar with the brands available where you live. Here, though, the most popular "baby detergent" is Dreft. If you compare the ingredients in Dreft with most other laundry detergents, you don't find much of a difference. I have the feeling that the same thing would be true of baby detergents in the UK. I agree with @morah; you should try regular detergent, and only consider switching if your baby has a reaction. Then take a look at the ingredient list yourself, to see if paying more for a special detergent is worth it. |
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Both of our children have sensitive skin (to the point that it seems like looking at their skin cross-eyed causes a breakout, and they would have rashes anywhere the clothing would touch) and we switched our whole family to Charlie's Laundry Soap (you can get it on Amazon for approximately the same cost as other detergents) on our pediatrician's recommendation. Haven't had any issues since. Edit: our pediatrician felt that the dyes and fragrance chemicals in 'standard' detergents were causing the problem. Since Charlie's is dye-free and fragrance-free, he felt it would be a good one to try. No more rashes since we switched! |
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I always avoided perfumed detergents, and any that had "Bio" in the name, but I do the same now they are older. The less of those unneccesary chemicals, the less likely it will be that something will irritate the skin or be an allergen for the baby. |
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It depends on the child. Our first one would get a rash from normal detergent, so we had to hand wash her clothes in Lux soap flakes (it clogs up washing machines). Very annoying. Our son had no such problems, so we used Amolin detergent which claims to be for sensitive skin. Luckily, our daughter can now handle Amolin so everything can be washed together. |
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