Prewashing Baby Clothes

Okay I change my answer now that I've seen the clip about it from Bennyhannah. GROSS!!

Thanks for posting that! It doesn't seem like a waste now, after seeing that!

I prewash ALL new clothes for ALL ages. The chemicals and dyes used in making and the starch used in making them wrinkle free makes me and my kids itchy. Plus I always wonder how many hands they have been through by the time I'm going to put them on my kids. Its kind of like getting clothes from the thrift shop and not washing them. You never know where they have been!!!! A.

I always prewash largely because my boys have very sensitive skin, I have no idea who or what has touched the clothes, and they are softer and less likely to bleed colors onto their skin if they get caught in the rain. I know adults really "should" do it, too, but I am terrible at remembering. Most children's clothes are labelled as "wash before wear," just like towels are usually labelled to be washed before first use.

It is a pain sometimes for me to remember to wash my son's clothes before he wears them. So, I just got into the habit of removing the tags as soon as I got home and throw the clothes straight into the hamper. I now do that with all newly purchased clothes for my entire family. It is a personal preference for me, but you should definitely check out that video posted by bennyhannah... SHOCKING!

I usually didn't until I saw a clip on the Today show about how people use and return clothes (even underwear) they're not supposed to and the store just retags it and puts it back for sale on the shelf without a second thought.

Almost all major department and brand name stores were caught doing this. I now treat new clothes the same as if they were used. Eek. Here's the eye-opening investigation, you may never put on new clothes without washing them first (the video link is under the author's picture)

http://www.wptv.com/content/news/topstories/story/used-un...

The Today Show recently did an expose' on people who return clothes and the stores put them back on the shelves without even checking if they'd been worn. The undercover reporters actually returned "stained" underwear back to Victoria's Secret and the clerk put them right back in the pile on the sale table. YUK. I wash everything before wearing it for myself, but I would especially do this for kids.

Updated

I prewash all clothes, even my own before wearing for the first time. Other people try them on, who knows what touches them during transit, the people people who handle them to put them out??? Who knows if they wash their hands regularly. I know it sounds a little extreme, but I just feel better knowing that they're wearing clean clothes.

I wash even my own clothes before wearing them. They sometimes put chemicals in them to keep them wrinkle free, and all those people that have touched them, they could have fallen on the ground in transport, etc.

I have to agree with the chorus here - we pre-wash all clothes baby and adult.
Apart from not knowing whether your clothes may have been returned by someone else, most clothes are heavily treated with chemicals to stay wrinkle free and withstand pests, moisture and other influences during shipping (remember that most of the clothes commonly bought in the US are from China).
So we always wash first.

My daughter is 3.5 years old, and I still wash her clothes before she wears it. I used to work in the garment industry, and many of these clothes are tossed around on the floor, and in less than desirable conditions before they reach your home.

There are tons of chemicals used in the production of clothing...including fumigating the containers before they are shipped from overseas. I don't think they present an immediate or acute danger, but better safe than sorry.

I prewash most of the time - my son is 3. I DO NOT prewash my clothes b/c I think they aren't as nice after they are washed - LOL! I will say that I am not as dedicated to prewashing though as I was when he was younger...if I want something and its not prewashed I WILL put it on my son...I just feel like his clothes are nicer when they are washed - softer, broken in more...underwear and undershirts I do wash though for sure. I think your child will survive if you decide to stop prewashing! ; )

I didn't watch the post, but I prewash everything we buy. They could have chemicals on them or anything else. You don't know what could be on it from someone else touching it/trying it on at the store. They go straight from the shopping bag to the hamper.

I personally don't prewash my own clothes but still do for my 2 1/2 year old. I do this just to make them less stiff and smell good.

You should absolutely pre-wash baby clothes, and even your own new clothes before wearing them. Fabrics are treated with chemicals before being made into clothing that can be harmful.
Please continue washing before wearing

Always have and always will. The only time I did not prewash was if it was needed for something right away. I know a lot of people that have had issues or knew someone or read something. One example is a woman took a son to a special sale and bought him a bunch of jeans at a really great price (overstock sale or something). She did not wash them and her son got a horrible rash. They could not figure it out. It turned out--after a week or so--that there was a chemical in the jeans that burned his skin. If she had washed them first, it would have washed out the chemical. It was from where the jeans were stored before getting to the store for sale. Another is a friend I worked with had neighbors whose little girl always complained about a headache. They could not find anything wrong at the doc. Well, they took her to get braids taken out of her hair and she had a spiders nest in her hair. She had her hair braided up for a few weeks time. They had bought her some sweat shirts and did not wash first. One of them, or all, must have had eggs that were not seen. Awful even thinking about it. And of course there is the buy, wear, return issue.

I never prewashed my clothes when they were new...Then I told my friend that...She lived in China...went to a factory...Told me that many thing were lying on the floor...not too sterile of an enviornment..I do wash my under things.....I would wash the clothes...most of the time...If it touches their skin...PS The one who posted about the spider nest is not true...That is an urban legend....Spiders would never nest in your hair....

I usually just take the tags of of all new clothes (for all of us) and throw them in the chute for laundry. Just feels weird not washing them first. But that's just me.

Hi A., I think it all depends on your child's skin. My son (20 months) has very sensitive skin, light hair, light eyes and broke out into a rash when my mom washed his clothes with a different detergent than ours. We just received hand me downs from a friend of mine and he broke out in a terrible skin rash around his neck, wrists and back of legs. All places where the clothing rubbed up against sensitive areas. We always pre-wash clothing we buy from stores and from now on all clothing we receive as hand me downs. Good Luck!

We ALWAYS wash our clothes before wearing. As another poster posted you never know where those clothes have been before you purchase them. And I will admitt (eeks) I have had friends in the past wear clothes and return them. Eww... I personally would never do that... but some people think it is ok too.

Good Luck on your decison!

Always prewash every piece of clothing your buy. No matter if it's for the kids or the adults. You have no idea what may occur between the time the cloth is loomed/created to the sewing process, through shipping (overseas, more times than not) and hung in the store. Once the clothing is unpacked at the store, sometimes steam is used to help the wrinkles fall out -- so I know it looks tidy and clean. However, countless hands have handled the piece and it has, most likely been on floors or even worse (used as someone's tissue).

hi A.....unfortunately, i still have to wash my daughter's clothes in DREFT. she's 3 and ever since she was born, she has had issues with bad eczema. however, if your baby doesn't have a condition like that, i don't think you would have to wash the clothes. good luck! M.

I almost never wash my own clothes, but I ALWAYS do for our kids - no particular reason. Perhaps because our daughter (2) has eczema, I try to remove as many irritants as possible.

Things like underwear, though, always get washed before being worn.

My husband won't wear anything that hasn't been washed first.

I would not even think of wearing anything before washing it. People try stuff on and return stuff all the time. Plus you don't know what kind of factory it was made in. Yuck!

I definately would. I know it is a pain but you don't know what is on those clothes. Granted kids don't usually try on clothes but better safe then sorry. I just heard a report about this on the radio. You would not believe the things they found on clothes when they were tested at a lab. It is worth the inconvieniece!