Have you given any thought to what detergent for baby clothes you are going to use? You can go ahead and drop them in the washer along with your own clothes, pour in the Tide, Cheer, or Era detergent and then cross your fingers. You can even dump in the bleach and the fabric softener. After all, it is just your baby’s skin.

Hopefully you are beginning to think about your choice of detergent a little bit. While using all of the normal detergents may work fine for some babies, you will discover many other babies develop rashes or irritated skin. Our normal cleaning products are fairly harsh and intended to clean out all the oils, soil, and grime adults and older kids get into their clothes during the day. The problem is baby clothes do not get very dirty. The get a little spit-up milk, a little baby lotion, and sometime a bit of baby urine or poo. They can be cleaned very gently.

What kind of detergent for baby clothes should you choose? One of the most commonly used and widely available baby detergents is Dreft. You will find it in almost every store in their pretty pink bottles. It is a great choice for most parents and can do a good job. It is gentle and effective, but there might be an even better choice.

If you really want to protect your baby’s skin even further, you may want to go with an all organic product. This may take you away from the grocery store and super center and have you shopping in specialty stores or online. Products like Babyganics are extremely gentle, and being completely organic are very safe.

There is another specialty washing concern for babies many parents choose to face. If you have decided to use cloth diapers you have a very unique challenge on your hands. You want the diapers to come out of the wash extremely clean and get rid of the stains, but you must also protect your baby’s bottom. There are some great products like Thirsties Diaper Wash and Pre-Soak which are both highly effective and very safe on our baby’s skin.

Now you might be wondering how important it is to try special detergent for baby clothes. In many situations your baby will be very tolerant of washing with normal detergents, especially if you are willing to double rinse to remove excess soap and chemicals. The added cost of a second rinse will quickly offset the cost of baby detergents. The second concern comes in a habit you may develop. If you use the same soap you may start to mix clothing more often. This can save time, but adds another mild risk. Where have those clothes been? What is on them? You might be adding new chemicals or allergens to the wash you are not even aware of.

For the safest way to wash, use special detergent for baby clothes and wash your baby’s laundry separately. You will be happy you did. The clothes smell nicer, and their skin will love the softer touch.