Laundry ?

I never washed my children's clothes separately. Who wants to do extra loads? I just got a scent-free, environmentally friendly detergent and use it for everyone's clothes. I use the one from Trader Joe's but they're everywhere. Target carries the Method brand, that's really gentle.

my kids age 15,9,6 ...never a problem with regular sented detergents. (Any Brand) Unless sensitive skin runs in the family then go perfume free. Congrats on having a soon to be 2yr old..what a great age!

I never used the baby detergent. From day one with my first baby I've been washin with out clothes, just separating colors....

It really depends on your child. My daughter has super sensitive skin and breaks out in a rash with anything but Tide Free and she's 28 months old! On the other hand, I've known people that just used regular detergent from day one without a problem. If your daughter doesn't have sensitive skin then I would say you could probably use regular detergent. Just choose one that doesn't have a really strong scent. I am a huge fan of Tide Free; I use it on my own clothes and it doesn't cost much more than regular Tide.

For both my kids, about 4 weeks old. I have never heard of using it until toddlerhood. If they have sensitive skin, use something with no perfumes.

S.,

I have 3 children and I think with the first I did his laundry separate, but then the 2nd and third I think after they hit 2. It was so much easier than.

Also, interested where/how you got into home transcription? is this something you used to do before kids? I am always looking at finding ways to make money, but also want them to be legit.

Good luck with the laundry!

L.

For my first child I followed the rules. However on the second child from birth I combined her clothes with ours. I use Tide Free and Bounce Free (powder OxiClean too) so there are no perfumes or dyes. She is now 2 and she hasn't had any reactions.

I never seperated our laundry when I had our daughter and she is now 3. I have always used Conklin's Waush detergent. It is hypoallergenic and concentrated so you use very little. It is cheaper than "over the counter" detergents and less harmful to your washing machine. Many detergents actually use fillers such as sand. It is formulated to use for High Efficiency washing machines also. My daughter is sensitive to lotions etc but we have never had a problem with detergent. I do take her clothes out of the dryer before I add a dryer sheet. Good luck and check out the Master Catalog on: http://conklin.com/

Hate to admit it but I have always tossed our laundry together. Baby and I get the delicate cycle; except for things that needed bleaching. Use a free & clear detergent and or softener.

If she has no allergies to your detergent, you can be switching her anytime. I thought the reason for washing them seperately was only because they go thru enough clothes to do a couple tubs of theirs only. We used Oxydol and other soft detergents back then. Now that all soaps come in liquid form they are even more mild (and better for your water pipes).

Hi S.,

I have 5 children and I have never washed my childrens clothing seperate. If there are special medical reasons, fine, but I'm real condifent that it would be fine to wash all clothing together.
J. J.

I use mrs meyers for all my laundry and put baby and adult together. I use tide for sheets, dishclothes etc.

Wow, Moms did you ever think about why detergents have age limit usage? Why are your babies having difficulty breathing at an early age? Think about the environement you are bringing them into when they first come home. Please read, " Your Health and Your House" by Nina Anderson, it may shed some light on some of the common questions and issues brought up on this sight.

I never used baby laundry detergent. My pediatrician said it was a huge waste of money. He recommended using half the suggested amount of regular unscented laundry detergent and skipping the fabric softener. None of my kids ever had a problem.

I've always used All Free and Clear for both my laundry and my son's, from day 1. Dreft is pretty heavily scented and the free and clear detergents are often recommended by peds and derms now over dreft and other baby detergents.

I never used baby detergenet. I'd read that it is a huge waste of money-- that you just use the Whatever Free & Clear for everyone in your family and you'll be fine. I mean, your baby touches your clothes too. It seems to be the easiest solution.

I have been using Dreft for my d's clothes. Like the other poster, I will keep doing it until her messy spill stage ends. I think with my first kids, I used it until they were 3 or 4. Since she has so many of her own clothes and it is enough to make a full load, I don't bother mixing hers with other clothes. Also, this gives me a chance to do an extra soak with a little added Oxyclean occasionally if needed. A box costs more than I pay for the regular soap I use but it lasts longer than the bottle so I figure I pretty much pay the same. I don't think you HAVE to use a special soap but I do because it works on those tough spots usually.

Since birth we have washed everything together in All Free and Clear.

1st child I washed like you....second one I sometimes separated and the 3rd eveyones is together....all are happy and well

With my first 2, I waited until they were 2 years old. Once my third was born, I started throwing all our clothes in together by the time he was six months old! I think it would only be a concern if your little one has sensitive skin.

I have been doing Josh's in regular laundry soap for a year now.. So at age 2...
I still do his seperate just cuz his stuff is small and his room is down stairs keep it simple to fold ya know...
but do a load.. Dont OVER soap it.. make sure no rash.. and it is ok to start now..

if your child doesnt react when their skin touches your clothes then they are fine. To be safer for the whole family switch to natural detergents which are far less toxic than the "baby" detergents

Hi S.!
As long as you use toxin free detergent, you are gonna be fine. Besides, it will benefit the whole family!
There ia a lot of new "green" products on the market.
Personally, I prefer Shaklee laundry products. They are Toxin free and so concetrated, few pumps is enough for the entire load. You save money:)
Visit Shaklee at www.shaklee.net/totalwellbeing to compare.
Good Luck!
D.

Like many Moms I stopped separating by the 2nd kid--but for different reasons. I really wanted to keep the clothes for the first looking as close to new as possible so we could use them again for another child. So I separated just so I could soak the clothes in a special "brew" and spend more time keeping them looking spotless. We knew the second girl was it for us--- so a few stubborn spots here and there wasn't a concern. I kept the clothes separate until the super messy phase was over.

Hi S.,
I am going to 2nd Dorothy's suggestion of Shaklee's Laundry products.

My oldest had sensitive skin and while Shaklee is a non-toxic soap (and there are SO many toxins in store brand cleaners, its scary...even Dreft).

Check them out and see what you think. I love them because they last so long! They are super concentrated and you only use a tiny bit (only an 1/8 of a cup for the powder). We bought a 5lb box in January and I probably do about 5-6 loads a week and we are still on the same box!!

Good Luck with your search!!
B.

I've never used a baby detergent on our daughter's (9 mon) clothes. Instead, I use a free and clear detergent and fragrance/dye free downy (also in a white bottle). As I have sensitive skin, I was already using those products, so I didn't have to change anything. She's never had any problems.

With my first daughter, I started around the one year mark making sure I used "free and clear" detergents. With my second, we were using regular detergent around 4-5 months with no problems.

I still use "free and clear" detergents and no fabric softner.

S.,

As long as you use free & clear detergent you can switch at any time. We've pretty much washed our clothes together from the beginning.

Best,
R.

I've never bought the baby detergent. I've always used the regular one & have never noticed an issue about it. I've washed it in cold water though....

I never separated the baby laundry...I just used All free and clear on everything, a lot simpler and worked well. :)

i have always mixed all the clothes together without any problems because we use scent free he detergent (kirkland) and no dryer sheets.

I've always put their laundry in with ours. Even if we used "special" detergent for their laundry, they'd still come in contact with our clothes when we hold them.

I've always washed my kids cloths with ours. We use the earth friendly products. Less chemicals & better for the environment.

I used Dreft for baby #1 and Arm & Hammer baking soda detergent for the other two. Arm & Hammer is what I use for everyone's laundry. I also use a generic Oxy-Clean booster as well.