Hi Ladies, I have a question for those of you who have children.
What laundry detergent do you use for baby clothes?
I need to get started on washing and am not sure what to purchase. When I google baby laundry detergent the first one that pops up is Dreft. Its pricey but what bothers me more is that it has fragrance which I really want to avoid.
Next up is All Free and Clear which seems to be very reasonably priced and "pediatrician recommended" and seems quite popular.
Last is Sev.enth Gene.ration which is free and clear and plant based so no phosphates and good for the environment too. I use the dishwasher detergent which I really like.
Right now I am washing new sheets/clothes, but I also need to consider what would remove stains in the future. I plan to use the same detergent for my clothes as well for simplicity sake.
Any thoughts...preferences?
My next conundrum is to "bank or not to bank" - cord blood that is. I have researched the companies and picked the one I want to use, but I am still unsure if its worth doing.
My original plan was to bank (for sure) given I am using two donors with unknown genetics. But from what I have since read and my chat with my OB, basically if its a genetic disease the same blood cannot be used. Nor can it be used for malignant diseases for the same child e.g. leukemia.
The American Academy of Pediatrics and the American College of Obstetrics don't recommend it. Its usually most useful for siblings or other family members who may have some known genetic disease which not in the cord blood. In this case there will be no sibling and the "family members" will be the donors families who I have no contact with anyway.
http://www.parents.com/pregnancy/my-baby/cord-blood-banking/the-cord-blood-controversy/?page=1
Of course one side of me wants to collect it (which is the most expensive part) and then give myself the option of keeping it or maybe in a year or two letting it go. The thinking being once its gone, its gone.
But we are talking a couple thousand dollars if not more just for private collection alone. So its a LOT of money. Not many places do public collection so that option is out.
Again what are your thoughts? Have you heard anything different or done it yourselves?
I've used Baby Soft by Purex for all of Elena's clothes but though it is hypoallergenic, it does have fragrance...but I am addicted to the smell, lol :)
ReplyDeleteFor detergent, I've used the first two. Dreft was expensive, all free was a preference and I hate the way 7th Gen. smelled in other products (minus the detergent for some reason) so I didn't use it. I didn't use a certain kind for very long though. I switched to what I use and/or just made my own.
ReplyDeleteI didn't bank blood. The company that I looked into was expensive but I was to be a home birth so that was my option. I checked with a backup hospital and they did it but it was more of a pool. Put blood in and get blood out when needed. I preferred that but wasn't able to do it in the end. If it won't be used, I wouldn't pay to save it. It wouldn't be your only hope in an emergency.
I use All Free and Clear and have never had a problem.
ReplyDeleteI didn't bank the cord blood either. Basically I found out the same thing, that for the general population, it isn't very useful so i dec ided not to spend the money. So far, no regrets,
Hi Sunflower. I use Tide Free & Clear and it seems to be working well. I read some places that Tide Free & Clear cleans better than All. It's a bit more expensive but less than Dreft.
ReplyDeleteI decided not to do cord blood banking, because of the expense and the fact that I would most likely not need to use it. It's a personal choice though, and I can totally understand why one would consider doing it.
I use 7th generation free and clear. I am assuming that the used baby clothes I have bought were washed in Dreft and I despise that smell, personally.
ReplyDeleteI opted to not to cord blood bank, but didn't really have to consider it as I was in a research study that was taking that umbilical blood. Although I once had a student who ended up needing it twice (for each of her two children), I have never heard of anyone else that has used the blood.
I used Dreft on her clothes only. I was able to get a store brand version that was half as much. I liked the smell (I always associate it with babies), and she never had any skin sensitivities so I never needed to try a non fragrance brand. Now that she's a year old as soon as what we have is gone I'll start putting her clothes in with mine. I did wash her cloth diapers in good old fashion Tide powder and that worked well.
ReplyDeleteI didn't bank cord blood, it was just too expensive to consider.
Believe it or not I make my own detergent - I grate one bar of Dr Bronner's soap and add 1 cup washing soda and 1 cup Borax, use 1 to 2 tablespoons per wash, and voila! It's WAY cheaper than any detergent and can have whatever scent you want based on the Dr Bronner's soap (I opt for no scent personally). And grating the soap is a fun in front of the TV activity (I've only had to make one batch since B was born - and he's ten months now).
ReplyDeleteLike previous posters I didn't do cord banking because I just plain couldn't afford it.
I use Tide HE Free & Clear. I don't think All has a HE version of the free, so that's why we use the Tide version (front load washer). No complaints and we can wash all our clothes together at the same time (very important when you need to wash one onesie that had poopsplosion but you just washed all the baby clothes an hour ago).
ReplyDeleteWe didn't bank, but we did donate. You can do some research to see if your hospital participates. Ours did not, but the state had a program where they shipped me all the goods and then my OB did the work. Honestly, it was a huge pain and I wouldn't do it again, but I hope the donation worked out for someone out there.
I use all clear and free for the whole family - works great and I use a small amount since " baby" loads are small. Many items I just washed with "hot" water and a drop of soap for new clothing and bedding.
ReplyDeleteI use cord blood registry for cord blood and I've been very happy. I think it is a valuable gift if you can afford it .
I hate the way Dreft smells, so I use Tide Free & Clear, too.
ReplyDeleteI didn't bank cord blood; there just isn't enough evidence out there to support the expense. (Though, of course, when Finn got his cancer diagnosis I did fleetingly wonder if I'd made a mistake. Luckily, it was never an issue.)
I used the All Free and Clear - Deft smells so strong and perfumy.
ReplyDeleteI did not bank cord blood either. I just don't think the technology is to the point where it makes sense to do it and by the time they figure it out they will probably be able to take stem cells from breast milk, etc. I asked my doctor if she did and she said no - if doctors are not doing it, that tells you alot.