Any tips for washing/organizing baby clothes?

JessieCupcake · May 2012

I received lots of baby clothes at my shower yesterday. I got lots of different sizes too which is great!

I'm just a little overwhelmed. I started separating the loose clothes into piles of like colors. I still have lots of clothes on hangers to sort.

I'm nervous about washing them. I'm afraid I'll ruin them. Any advice? I have Dreft but other than that, do I just wash them like normal clothes?

Also any tips on organizing the clothes? I have 3 drawers for baby to use and some closet space to hang things. I was thinking maybe keeping the smaller clothes in the top drawer for easy access.

Katie829 · May 2012

I don't know if I did it wrong, but this is what I did.

I washed like colors on a delicate cycle. I figured it would cause no harm considering they were originally clean. I dried on delicate too, low heat to avoid shrinkage.

I organized all onesies (that would strictly be under the clothes) in one draw according to size. Pjs in another, all shirts (including onesies styles that would be the actual shirt) in another draw. We have tons of draw space.

In the closet we kept things we were not sure we wanted to keep, NB sizes (we might take them back and get bigger), older clothes, etc.

PrincessMenace · May 2012

i washed everything together in cold, dried on low. the only thing you really have to worry about is dark wash denims. they have dyes that come out in the was and get into brights.

also, i got a lot of different sizes too, i categorized and labelled the drawers according to size. lol. my husband thinks i'm "power happy" with the label maker.

luvtodanz · May 2012

I started washing baby's clothes/blankets this weekend and I separated them into piles of like colors (1 load of blankets, 1 load of handmade blankets, 1 load of bedding, 1 load of whites, 1 load of lights, and 1 load of darks). I washed everyhing with ALL Free and Clear on the delecate cycle and then dried them with the delicate cycle.

I haven't actually started folding yet, but I plan to have 1 drawer for socks/hats/misc things like sunglasses, 1 drawer for onsies that go under clothes, 1 drawer for swaddlers/sleep sacks, 1 drawer for blankets, 1 drawer for sheets/mattress covers, and then the rest of the drawers will be newborn/0-3 months, 3-6 months, 6-9 months, and 9+ months.

We have a decent sized closet as well, so I can hang some stuff if I need/want.

MWM0903 · May 2012

Their tiny little clothes can be VERY overwhelming so don't think you are alone in that aspect! Wash all of the clothes like you would your clothes, except make sure your soap is dye and scent free (Dreft, All Baby, All Clean and Clear, Purex Baby any of those will work). If the outift looks a little questionable to you as to how you should care for it just read the tag and it will tell you the best way to wash and dry that item.

As far as organization goes...In my daughter's dresser I have her clothes seperate by type. Her top drawer is sleepers and day gowns, because that is what we will use the most at first. The second drawer is all of her onesie's. I have seperate those stacks by size in that drawer. The third drawer is all of her bottoms like bloomers, pants and shorts. There is also another drawer for hats, mittens, socks, burp cloths and blankets. Anything that is an outfit is on a hanger in her closet. The bottoms of the outfit is drapped over the hanger with the shirt hanging over the top. If she has specialty outfits that I have purchased for her they are also on hangers but in a different part of her closet not with her every day clothes.

Since you did say you were limited on drawer/closet space I recommend washing and folding only the size clothes he/she will need at the beginning. All other articles of clothing can wait to be transitioned in as your baby needs that size. If you were are wanting to get it all done at once, I reccommend going to Walmart or Target to get some storage drawers. You can organize those drawers/bins by size and as your baby needs that size you can pull them out. They will be washed and ready to wear! Biggest tip is do what you think will work for you!

Katie829 · May 2012

Also, I recommend a lingerie bag. I put all her socks and bibs in. That way I never lost any of the cute little socks.

MWM0903 · May 2012

Katie829:
Also, I recommend a lingerie bag. I put all her socks and bibs in. That way I never lost any of the cute little socks.

I totally agree with this! We have a lingerie bag fastened to her clothes hamper. All bibs and socks will go in there to be washed instead of being tossed around the washer and dryer. There is no telling how many socks I would misplace or find stuck in an outfit if I didn't do this!

katmacwv · May 2012

First, in the future, you don't need to waste $ on Dreft. We use All and Tide just in the Free & Clear versions, so we don't need special detergent for baby or toddler clothes. NEVER use a dryer sheet or fabric softener with baby stuff because it reduces the flame retardant on the clothes. Wash on delicate and dry on either low or delicate. Some brands suggest washing inside out, including my favorite- Hanna Andersson- so I follow that direction when it is recommended.

In terms of organizing, that is really up to you. I put all of the outfits on hangers (in part so DH can figure out what goes together). I have things divided into 5 drawers with some organization inside of each of those. I have the 0-3 month onesies in 1 drawer with the plain, white ones in 1 pile, the other ones in another pile and the long sleeved ones in another pile. The same is true for the drawer of 3-6 month onesies. I have the cutesy burp clothes, socks and hats in 1 drawer. I have the 0-3 month sleepers in their own drawer divided by terry cloth and cotton. The same is true for the 3-6 month sleepers, though I have a third pile there for the fleece ones.

snicksnack · May 2012

One additional tip. Don?t wash everything, especially newborn sizes. My friend did this and wasted a lot of clothes because her baby was over 9 pounds. You only need a few clean items to start you off everything else can wait, which will allow you to exchange items that may be too small.

JessieCupcake · May 2012

Thank you so much for all of your tips! Now I'll get to washing. Smile

I think the organizing will be trial and error since I have limited space. I like the idea of putting outfits on hangers. Then maybe I'll use the drawers for individual pieces.

strawberrytree · May 2012

Katie829:
Also, I recommend a lingerie bag. I put all her socks and bibs in. That way I never lost any of the cute little socks.

Yup! I just finished doing the baby's laundry and it was a PITA picking up all the tiny little socks out of the washer and dryer. I'm stopping by Wal-mart tonight to pick one up.

I just washed them with like colours on the delicate cycle and they seem to have turned out just fine! I didn't use Dreft either- just a generic brand fragrance/dye free baby detergent.

katmacwv · May 2012

BTW- If you're short on drawer space, baskets for bibs and sleepers is an option. We did that with DD, and with LO, we have more drawer space but are still doing a basket for the bibs.

JessieCupcake · May 2012

katmacwv:
BTW- If you're short on drawer space, baskets for bibs and sleepers is an option. We did that with DD, and with LO, we have more drawer space but are still doing a basket for the bibs.

This is a great idea! I received some gift baskets at the shower so this will be a great use for the baskets.

mkflower3000 · May 2012

I'm a FTM, but I'm going to wash all of my newborn/0-3 month clothes first and put those in her drawers - everything else can wait and be put away until she gets a little bit bigger. From everything I've heard, buying special baby detergent is not THAT important, but you do want to use liquid instead of powder (especially if you have a top loader) - the liquid washes out better, so there's less of a chance of the detergent staying on the clothes.

kdjudd · May 2012

I washed all of her clothes in Arm & Hammer Free and Clear and dried them on low. Today I organized them all according to the month on the tag. I hung up most of her clothes in the closet, but I put onesies in a drawer under her changing table!

sheilatakesabow · May 2012

Katie829:
Also, I recommend a lingerie bag. I put all her socks and bibs in. That way I never lost any of the cute little socks.

Brilliant! I am going to steal this idea! Thanks!

notfrancie · May 2012

This website made life worth living, esp if you are on a budget:

https://getsetorganize.com/custom-baby-closet-organizer-system/

I bought a bunch of clear target rubbermaid bins and stacked them on the shelf in her closet. THen I labeled the bins. I already washed and sorted everything in the bins by size.

I also bought a sweater hanging organizer thingie that has 6 pockets and fits the clear bins. Then I could hang it in her closet and labeled them, blankets, swaddlers, onesies, gowns, etc... in the current size.

Another brilliant idea I stole from this site was a clear, over the door, shoe pocket organizer. It was only $15 and I can keep all her socks, burp cloths, shoes, hair dealies, etc. in it and see it all right away without really using closet space.

Her closet is SO tiny, but I was able to organize it all for under $40 and feel much better. Whatever you do, don't type in BABY when searching for organizers...or you will get ripped off by 30%.

laurendom · May 2012

I use method detergent and I am not really washing anything until LO arrives (except socks and bibs, blankets etc).

I will wash a few outfits and then the rest will all go when I get home. I have already organized them so I can just grab the newborn or 0/3 mos and throw a load or 2 on. and then put them right back. I do not want to waste clothes that may not fit, but willing to sacrifice a few outfits. I will also use a lingerie bag.

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