Getting newborn clothes ready: what to wash and keep aside

Wash the first size, not everything

Somewhere in the third trimester, most parents feel the urge to wash every tiny piece they own and line them up in drawers. Wash the clothes your baby will wear first, the 0–3M bodysuits, sleepsuits, cardigans, mittens and blankets. Leave the bigger sizes and any special outfits unwashed in their packaging, with the tags on and the bills together in one envelope.

There are two reasons. You may not need them all: your baby might be bigger or smaller than expected, or relatives may give you the same thing. And a washed piece is no longer in its original condition, which usually rules out an exchange. At our shop, unused pieces in their original condition can be exchanged within 7 days with the original bill, so check new pieces from us as soon as they arrive rather than months later.

The first wash

Our guide to washing baby clothes explains temperatures and care for knits and sherpa.

• Use a mild, fragrance-free detergent, and less than you would for adult clothes.
• Fasten snaps and zips, and turn printed or appliquéd pieces inside out.
• Put mittens and socks in a mesh laundry bag so they don’t disappear.
• Rinse well. Leftover detergent is more likely to bother new skin than the clothes themselves.
• Dry in the air, in the sun for whites and in the shade or inside out for colours.

Check each piece as you fold it

Folding is the perfect moment to check every piece. Pull out any pins, clips and plastic tags left from packaging, trim loose threads inside the feet of sleepsuits and inside mittens, and give buttons and appliqués a gentle tug to make sure they are firmly attached.

Sort by size and by job

Put a few ready-made outfits at the changing area too.

• Top drawer, 0–3M: bodysuits on one side, sleepsuits on the other, cardigans and mittens at the front.
• Second drawer: blankets, muslins and cot sheets.
• A labelled box or bag for 3–6M, still in packaging, and another for anything larger.
• Special outfits hung up or folded flat in tissue, away from everyday clothes.

Storing clothes in Pakistan’s climate

Make sure everything is completely dry before it goes into a drawer or box. In Karachi’s humidity, and anywhere during the monsoon, clothes put away slightly damp soon smell musty or grow mildew spots. Cotton bags or pillowcases let clothes breathe better than sealed plastic in humid weather. Keep mothballs and naphthalene well away from baby clothes and the nursery, since they are harmful to babies, and air any clothes that have been stored near them before use.

When to do it

A few weeks before your due date is a good time: early enough that you are ready if the baby comes early, late enough that the clothes stay fresh. Ask for help with the lifting and the laundry if you are tired. Then pack the hospital bag from the washed pile; our post on which baby clothes to pack in your hospital bag has the list. If you are still deciding what else to buy, see the babywear range and our guide to what clothes a newborn needs.

If you are going to your mother’s house for the birth, wash and pack the clothes you will take there first, and leave the rest sorted at home for when you return.

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