baby laundry

I'm currently on a 10 day vacation, thanks to a religious holiday.  And this Mama needs it.  Little Guy is also excited to have some time off school.  During my vacations, I like to tackle projects around the house that I normally don't have time for during school days.  The list for this particular vacation includes a lot of what I like to call "Baby Prep".  So, I've begun washing for Baby Brother.  Baby clothes are so tiny and adorable.  They make Little Guy look not so little...lol.  But I must admit I've been having a lot of thinking moments.  Realizing that we're about to start from the beginning with a  new baby can weigh on the mind a bit.  However, we'll be fine.  Thinking about the baby on the way and actually handling the baby once he/she's here are completely different.  We tend to worry ourselves for nothing. 

So, back to my baby clothes washing...

We have a combination of clothes for Baby Brother.  Some things from Little Guy are in new condition and I held on to those just in case, which has now become very helpful.  However, there was still shopping to be done.  I'm the 2nd girl in my family so I'm used to hand-me-downs...lol.  And even though I feel no childhood trama from that, I still want each of my children to feel like an individual, starting from birth.  So some new pieces were needed.

Because we're living in the Middle East, my product options are a bit different than what I use in the U.S.  My only option for detergent is Pigeon.

And yes, I'm a firm believer that a baby detergent should be used for newborns.  I actually used it for Little Guy until he was about 1 year old.  Babies have such sensitive skin, and products like Tide seem too harsh in those early weeks and months.  When I'm in the U.S. I like to use Dreft detergent.

I also use baby fabric softner.  I prefer Baby Downy.

I have a front loading dryer (looks like a front loading washing machine, with a see-through door) so fabric sheets don't work all that well.  Although I have used them, they tend to get stuck in the front door/vent area and therefore are not moving about with the clothes like they should.  I have since found Bounce dryer bars which work great with a front loading dryer.  It looks like a bar of soap that hooks into a holder, that sticks inside the drum of the dryer.  They last 30-60 days, depending on which bar you buy.  But because these are fragranced, I just remove the bar during the baby clothes drying.  I figure with the Baby Downy, the clothes should be fine (which they are).  But when I'm staying in the U.S. with a standard drying machine, I buy fragrance-free fabric sheets.

And for all those cute teeny tiny baby accessories like socks and hats, I've been using my lingerie laundry bags.  They are perfect for small things.  I haven't lost a sock yet.  You can find these at a number of places.  I have several from different stores including Walmart, Target, and Dollar General.

And most importantly, don't forget to put these freshly washed clothes in a clean place like a closet, dresser, or container.  Baby Brother is not due until February.  We need to keep his clothes clean.  :)

And with that I'm off to continue the washing.  Next up, towels and blankets.

all images found thru google search