Only Dreft?

I used Dreft that I got free at my shower with my first son. Otherwise, I just bought All Free & Clear. Works great! Haven't had any issues with my sons' skin breaking out. You would actually think that Dreft was worse since there is soooo much fragrance in it! Plus it is entirely too expensive. Though, I will say, the Dreft stain spray---OMG, it works WONDERFULLY!!! No stain on my baby's clothes is too much for it. It gets out everything! And it's only $4. So I would recommend cheaper detergent that is made for sensitive skin and the Dreft stain remover. Also, I've never heard laundry detergent causes SIDS either...

I have never heard that laundry soaps contribute to SIDS. I was always under the assumption that Dreft was more gentle on baby's skin. I used one bottle I got as a gift with my son, from then on we used Tide without issue. I know many mommies who did not use Dreft at all.

Dreft is gross! Its so full of dyes and perfumes, and it fades clothes horribly. if you want something truly safe and gentle, look at Charlies Soap (www.charliesoap.com) or Rockin' Green. Both rinse clean and leave no residue, and they are very cost effective because you use so little for each load.

We never used Dreft, its expensive, full of dyes and perfumes, fades clothes, and is compltely unnecessary.

We use and love Purex – I decided to give it a try once when we were running low on funds and I just couldn’t afford the Dreft…turned out to be a blessing in disguise! It costs less than half of what the Dreft sells for, gets things clean (even our seven year old child’s clothes, which we mix with the baby’s at times), smells good, and does not break either of our children's skin out, who both tend to get dry patches. Our first child is no longer a baby, but still has sensitive skin. She is fine with her clothes washed in our regular brand now, which is Arm & Hammer, or the Purex. However, I use detergent on her clothes only if they are being combined with a load of ours or the baby’s; in both cases I use the detergent only for the scent (the smell of the Purex seems to be a comfort, and my hubby likes the smell the A&H has too). However, I don't need hardly any of either, which I will tell you more about why that is the case here in a second. In short, Purex is what I personally recommend, from my own experience.

I have never heard of laundry detergent causing SIDS, so I cannot speak to that. However, it could be that too many perfumes aggravate breathing perhaps...??? That is just me thinking out loud - it's all I can think of that would make any sense. And if that is the case, Dreft would seem to be harmful as well, since it also has fragrance on the ingredient list.

Okay, so back to why I don’t use much detergent: Detergent isn't necessary at all in my case b/c we purchased a unit called a Laundry Pure. It requires no detergents at all; it oxygenates the water to get the clothes clean - so they last a whole lot longer, don't fade as much, and don't bleed (yes, you can mix all colors!). It uses a UV bulb and a silver probe, which come with the unit and lasts for about 750-800 loads. Replacements are easily purchased online for about $80 for both. It runs on the cold water supply only (saves money on hot water, which isn’t necessary either), but you can still use the hot water – it just won’t go through the LP. So what I like to do is run the baby’s load with hot water and Purex, and then run them again with cold water/LP. Since her loads are often small, it ends up using about the same amount of water as one of our large loads. We have an older model W/D set – we’ve had it for @ 15 years, and we’ve had the LP for about five – so I’m not sure if it’s helped, but it is supposed to lengthen the life of your W/D since it keeps it cleaner and uses no chemicals. I believe they make one for HE washers now as well. They keep themselves clean too, so there is no maintenance at all (except the light & probe every so often – when the indicator light comes on – we’ve changed ours once in the five years we’ve had it). So, we could quit buying detergent altogether if we wanted, which is nice when we are running low; it's not a crisis. If you want info on how to buy a Laundry Pure, just let me know - I'm sure I can dig it up. They are a bit pricy, but well worth it in the long run.

Anyway, good luck - and don't hesitate to ask for more info on the LP if you need/want it :)!

I have never used Dreft or any other special "free" detergent for my kids. I use the kinds that have perfurme in it also. All of my kids have been fine and never had any kind of reaction to them, even as newborns.

If your baby doesn't have any sensitivities then you can use whatever you wash everyone else's clothes in. I was my baby's and kid's clothes in the same detergent I use for my husband's and mine. We use a dye and scent-free detergent.
Laundry detergent doesn't cause SIDS.

I've never bought Dreft, I used Tide Free for all of our laundry. I had never heard of any connection between detergents and an increase in SIDS risk. I have not yet found any scientific evidence that a connection exits.

I second Becky W. and say try Charlie's Soap or All Free and Clear like many others are saying. Anything that has a pretty color and a nice smell to it is full of chemicals which you don't want on your babies skin anyway. I use Charlies Soap, and it is very cost effective. A bucket of it has lasted me over two years!

Did Dreft really say that other laundry detergents cause SIDS? That makes me angry! If a detergent was going to cause SIDS, I would think it would be Dreft. The perfume is not good for the baby. I'm not saying it's bad for most babies, but is certainly isn't helpful.

I used Cheer Free with my son. With my daughter, I thought it might be nice to have the baby smell of Dreft. Then she developed eczema when she was just a few weeks old. My ped. said that Dreft can cause it, so I stopped using it. Once I switched her to our regular Free detergent, her eczema went away.

I think of Dreft as a "for fun" thing if you want to get another baby product. Get it if it's something you would like to do, but it certainly isn't necessary.

I used one bottle just because I liked the smell. We use All free and clear now or Melaleuca.

Never heard the SIDS argument for detergents.....Anyways, I use Dreft because I like the smell and to make sure baby doesn't have skin issues first. I wash baby's clothes in Dreft and the rest of our clothes in other laundry detergent (I buy whatever is cheapest, so it varies).

What I did was went to BabiesRUs and bought the huge bottle of Dreft when it was on sale. I did this with my daughter and by the time the Dreft ran out (many months later), she was old enough and exposed to enough that I knew we were clear of the "sensitive skin" issue and started washing her stuff along with ours. Plan to do the same with this baby.

Now, my MIL (who is a little nuts, lol) washed EVERYONE's clothes in Dreft for the first two years of her younger kid's lives, 4 straight years. It was a bit much as neither had any skin issues and EVERYONE's clothes smelled "baby fresh". I thought it was a HUGE money waster, but I was in highschool at the time and not about to tell her I thought she was crazy! LOL!

To each their own, but I would use what you can afford and not worry about detergent being a factor with SIDS.

Blessings!

Good lord, no! Most people don't use anything special, but if you're concerned, use any brand's "free" type with no perfumes or dyes or good old baking soda. Dreft is ridiculously overpriced!

I only used one bottle of Dreft with my first. Never used it again. It was more expensive and neither of my kids ever had a problem with regular detergent.

As others have stated, if your child doesn't have any sensitivities, you can use whatever you use for your clothes... if you want to be cautious about sensitivities, use the free & clear types. No need for special 'baby' detergent.

Dreft is a bunch of chemicals---I wouldn't call it safe. You actually can make your own detergent from baking soda and a few other ingredients (you'll have to google it). It will be cheaper and healthier!
J.

They market it that way, but frankly Dreft has tons of additives making them actually not as baby-friendly because of those.

We've been using Charlies Soap since before our son was born. At 1 T per load, it s a great cost savings, and is safe for the environment & works well on the clothes.

A lobbyist tied to the industry probably made that claim. LOL.

Seriously, I started with Dreft, and then immediately switched to Purex Baby which costs 20% the cost of Dreft and I have had no allergic reactions, etc.

http://www.walmart.com/search/search-ng.do?search_query=b...

I have a 2 year old and an 8 month old and we have NEVER used dreft. I use plain detergents, with as few additives as I can find.

We used Dreft but recently switched to Tide Free and Clear. We have had no issues. I never heard other detergents caused SIDS.

ACTUALLY No my children have the most sensitive skin i have ever seen and i had to take them to the dermitologist and they said to use ALL FREE CLEAR and let me tell you it works wonders!!!! they break out in eczema arashes when they come into contat with mostly any foriegn substance i mean down to my scented lotion and body wash so the family had to make HUGe smell good sacrifices lol any ways i get the humungo bottle of the ALL FREE CLEAR and its 10 bux but last months and i have a just shy of 3 years active girl and very active gonna be 1 next month boy. MAKE THE SWITCH TO ALL FREE CLEAR AND YOUR WALLET WILL THANK YOU

I always thought Dreft smelled. The perfumes in it gave me a headache. I use ALL Free and Clear and the Oxyclean Free for stains. My son had eczema as a newborn, and anything with dues or perfumes made it worse.
I've never heard of the SIDS thing with detergents.

I use Tide with no perfumes - nothing in it. It's wonderful!! I actually use it for everyone in the family!

NONE of my children were able to tolerate dreft - it has fake coloring, perfume, phosphates, etc. The only thing that worked for mine was Tide Free, Crunchy Clean, Soap Nuts, Rockin Green, or homemade detergent. I'd start with the Tide Free if you're not familiar with the others. The latter for are all toxin free and publish their ingredients (whereas Tide contains toxins for humans, animals, and the planet and refuses to publish their ingredients). Charlie's soap is a great suggestion as I know ppl who LOVE it but we've not tried it as I was happy with my homemade stuff or Rockin Green. I don't know of any babies locally that were able to handle Dreft. All I know of had rxns - whether eczema or rashes or hives....

I used Dreft for my first (& spent way too much money on it). For our 2nd, I started using All Free & Clear....a whole lot cheaper & the same results.

wha? Wow...I am lucky my kids are alive then! I have NEVER used Dreft. We have used Arm and Hammer Free in the past. But now, I just use Tide. I have used it since my kids were young and I have used it since my daughter was born. I don't even get the fragrance free kind! I just wash hers like I was everyone else's.
L.

I have never used Dreft, and my 4 kids are doing great. My kids have never had sensitive skin so I just wash all our clothes together with a regular detergent, from the time they were born. If we ever had to deal with sensitive skin issues I would have laundered the babies clothes separately in a "free and clear" detergent. A lot of babies with sensitive skin will react even to Dreft, it is full of dyes and fragrances, that is why it is pink and smells nice. I have not heard the claim that other detergents cause SIDS, I would love to see the research on that! Sounds like a marketing ploy to me.

i was so excited to see that purex has a baby version for 3 dollars...and there was also an all baby...i believe it was 4 o5 ...

I never used it. I always used one of the ones with no perfume or dye. Never had any trouble.

After my first, I always washed my babies clothes in the same detergent I used for the whole family. I hated Dreft. It made the clothes smell like wet dog...when they were DRY!

Personally, I thought Dreft stank. We'd been using dye/fragrance free for my husband, and I couldn't stand Dreft, it had such a strong smell. We tried Ivory Snow, which was better. Then we just started washing my daughter's clothes with the same detergent we used. Made life a lot easier, and I felt I was putting less junk on her skin.

Shaklee's laundry products are much better. They are the leader in safe, nontoxic and bio-degradeable products. They are also very concentrated so they cost less per load.

Melaluca, organic and laundry soda.

I used Dreft once...because someone bought me a bottle of it at my baby shower. :)

I actually like the smell of Dreft but it is SO expensive, so ridiculous. Anyway we switched to All Free & Clear (which my pediatrician likes better anyway), and we used the Bounce Free (no perfume/white box) dryer sheets. The baby clothes come out smelling neutral...I kind of missed that baby detergent smell...but that's all chemical anyway so it's better to just use a mild soap.

I've never heard of detergent causing SIDS so that's a new one on me. I think any detergent that's free of fragrance, dyes, etc. should be OK.

We use All "free and clear". My kids never had a problem with it when they were babies. I think if you stick with one that has no dyes and perfumes that will work fine.

I second Charlie's Soap!!! And, again, no, laundry detergent doesn't cause SIDS. The key is to make sure there isn't any residual stuff on the baby clothes to prevent a bad reaction. Rinsing twice is always a good idea, and using a "free and clear" type detergent is a good idea. ALL my kids have sensitive skin and are crazy sensitive to dyes and perfumes. Charlie's Soap is great!

we used the babies r us brand initially. little one has shown no sensitivity issues, we are no longer laundering his stuff separately and are working through the rest of the giant tub that we bought. Everything of ours, now gets the special baby soap. I hope the bath mat appreciates the special treatment.

I used all clear...i think it was by gain...you can use any detergent the main issue is not SIDS it is that babies' skin is sensitive and the detergent can cause skin reactions. My two had eczema so I used a sensitive detergent to help with the allergies. My daughter's got better as she got older and by about 6 months I washed all our laundry together.

I used either Dreft or one with no dyes and perfumes. If you can't afford it, just use whatever you can and use a lot less. You don't need that much for an infant.

I have never tried Dreft before, but i was ordering my from my mom when she was getting Melaleuca products....my kids have very sensitive skin and never broke out. The value she got it for actually was cheaper than any Major brand. Now she dont get their stuff anymore and i have gone to making my own with phels naptha soap.

omg yes their are other ones that are safe! who the heck told you it would cause sids?!?!? I used tide and gain and both my kids are fine if they seem to have any reaction just use the free and clear brand of any detergent

I used Dreft when I had my first baby. After a year I switched to ALL FREE CLEAR and continued it for my second baby too. I have never heard it related to SIDS..just that some detergents can cause skin allergies.

just a ploy. my doctor told me that dreft is the same as using the laundry detergents out there that have no perfumes and dyes. My fave is All Free & Clear or Tide Free.

Never used Dreft with either child. Just bought the less expensive dye/scent free versions of regular detergent. No problems.