Caring for Your Baby’s Wardrobe

Babies might be the most beautiful sight in the world to family members, but mommies and daddies know the truth-babies are downright messy. They can stain anything in a heartbeat (and a baby's heartbeat is pretty fast at an average 70-80 beats per minute). Just by fooling around, burping, spitting up, or one of a thousand other gestures babies make on a regular basis, they can ruin a household item, or damage expensive clothing.

For all the new parents on the block, this resource will help you defend your clothes against stains likely to be caused by bringing up a baby.

Baby clothes are not cheap, especially since you have to buy so many outfits to keep up with the exceptional rate of growth your young one is undergoing. Adult clothes aren't cheap either, and when your baby burps up a big helping of undigested formula all over daddy's suit in the morning, daddy might have to miss out on his carpool.

Chris Allsbrooks, a textile analyst for the International Fabricare Institute, is an expert on problems with garments and also a new mother. Her son, Her son, Robert Clyde "Little C" Allsbrooks, will soon complete his first trip around the sun. During this first year of his life, Little C has made his mother proud, and managed to take out a few garments along the way. Allsbrooks was kind enough to offer a tour of different stains babies can cause, and how to handle them.

Allsbrooks delivered Little Allsbrooks delivered Little C on September 12, 2001, and prior to that she conducted tons of research and found out everything she could to help her care for her child. Allsbrooks found that it's best to cover areas around the baby to keep him from causing stains.

"For example, I put a cloth over my shoulder to keep him from staining my blouse," Allsbrooks said. "We have a dark section of carpet for him to play on, because our home carpets are tan and off white, so he can easily stain them."

Warrior Mothers
Though it may show a willingness to persevere, baby stains aren't usually worn to the office. "You can always tell a warrior mother," Allsbrooks said. "She's the one with the stains going all the way down her back from her baby spitting up, but she just keeps on going."

Baby Stains
Babies can stain just about anything. The good news is most of the stains come out easily in washing, and often don't cause permanent damage, if they are treated immediately. Bibs are quickly stained, baby clothes often develop stains, and car seats, towels, blankets, and pretty much anything they come into contact with are likely targets for a stain.

Baby Blowouts
"Baby blowouts are probably the worst," Allsbrooks said. "I had no idea what my mother was talking about when she first mentioned this, but now I know." A blowout is when a baby's, ahem, waste, is too much for the diaper, and it finds a way out.
"This happened to a friend of ours on his way to daycare before going to work one morning. He had to turn around, go back, clean up the baby, change car seats, and then get back on the road to work," Allsbrooks said.

Cleaning up after something catastrophic like that requires patience and a tough stomach. "First you have to get the baby out of those clothes and cleaned up, then you have to deal with the stained clothes," she said.

In order to clean soiled baby clothing, remove as much as possible, then soak the garments in a sink full of hot water and detergent. Rinse thoroughly and wash the garments regularly. To get it off the carseat, remove the cover and wash according to manufacturer instructions, or if there is no cover, spray with a bottle of warm water and detergent and scrub.

Bibs
"Bibs are the most commonly soiled baby item," Allbrooks said. "I soak Little C's bibs in a sink full of warm to hot water with four ounces of 3% hydrogen peroxide in it. I let it soak overnight, then I air dry the bibs and re-wash them with his other clothes."

Other Stains
Most of the stains babies cause will come out in a regular load of wash, but only if you act quickly. If your child causes a stain to a valuable article of clothing, you can always take it to your cleaner for some attempted stain removal. If your cleaner can't get it out it probably won't ever come out, so try them before you give up.

Protect Yourself and Your Baby
"Fungus or mildew can cause skin irritations or make your baby sick," Allsbrooks said. "I only use the detergents they make specifically for sensitive baby skin. Always put your wash right into the dryer as soon as the wash cycle is complete, that way you can prevent fungus or mildew growths from forming."

Allsbrooks also uses another precaution with Little C's toiletries. "I make sure his washcloths are clean so I don't expose him to fungus or mildew. When we're done in the tub, I set his washcloths out to air dry, then I wash them in a regular load. The baby books say you only need a few wash cloths, but he has a lot because I don't like to do wash every day," she said.

To protect herself, Allsbrooks covers areas she knows are likely to get stained with a cloth diaper, or a towel. This way, she can hold her son and not worry too much about getting anything on her. "That's the key, to be able to just look into his eyes and not be thinking about anything else. He's my son, and I love him. I don't want to be thinking about stains and stuff like that. I want to be thinking about him," she said.

Taking Care of Your Community
Babies outgrow their clothing so fast it seems parents need to go back to the store every weekend. While this may be an exaggeration, the costs of clothing a child are often more than new parents expect. Then, there's the question of what to do with the clothes and shoes that won't fit anymore.

"There's an old wives' tale that says when you start giving away the baby's clothes you end up getting pregnant again," Allsbrooks said. "I still have Little C's baby outfits in a box."
Baby clothes can be given to friends, sold at yard sales, or even at baby consignment shops, where the proprietor will take a percentage of the amount of money a garment brings. "I'm thinking about giving mine to charity for less fortunate mothers out there," Allsbrooks said. Whatever the case, you don't have to worry about your child shrinking and fitting back into those clothes-you'll be too busy keeping up with new outfits.