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How Often You Should Wash Your Baby's PJs

by Emily Westbrooks

As a parent, it doesn't take long to realize just how quickly the laundry can pile up. As a result, you start to think about ways you can reasonably and safely cut down on your washing workload. So, how often do you need to wash your baby's pajamas? The answer seems to be, unfortunately, just a little elusive and not often addressed by parenting experts. Either way, and in my experience as a mom, it doesn't hurt to get the detergent ready.

Since there hasn't been much research done into how often you need to wash a baby's pajamas, let's take a look at how often adults should wash their clothes. According to Good Housekeeping, women typically wash their pajamas every 17 days, while and men was theirs every two weeks. That's much longer than the recommended three-day wash the publication recommends, as a result of how many skin cells we lose while we're sleeping and how long pajamas can hold onto bacteria like, E.coli and staphylococcus, which can cause things like urinary tract infections, according to, according to the Mayo Clinic.

So if adults are supposed to wash their pajamas every three days, consider a drooling, sweating, spitting-up baby. There seems to be a pretty good argument for washing a baby's pajamas every night. Many parents report washing their baby's pajamas every other night, which would seem reasonable, especially if your baby has a bath every night before bed.

Until my daughter was about 9 months old, and stopped dripping over her bottle before bed every night, my partner and I washed her pajamas after every wear. We washed her sleep sack once a week, especially, if it looked and smelled clean, because she typically didn't drool on it and it didn't touch her skin.

There are, however, great recommendations for what your baby should be wearing to sleep for his or her safety, comfort, and optimum sleep. For very young babies, Sleep.org recommends pajamas that aren't too lose so as to avoid Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) risks, going on to state, "The most important thing is to avoid any clothing that can ride up over the baby’s face, like tops that are loose around the neck." Keeping blankets out of the crib until a baby turns 1 year old is another recommendation to protect from SIDS.

The best detergent for washing your baby's pajamas and clothes is another element to this puzzle as well. You want something that's tough on milk, formula ,or baby food stains, but also gentle for your baby's more sensitive skin. According to Parent Guide, Charlie's Soap Laundry Powder is the best for baby and adult clothes alike, followed by Biokeen Laundry Liquid Free & Clean. Free from harsh chemical ingredients, they're the toughest on stains while keeping your skin from getting irritated.

In the end, parenthood and boatloads of laundry piles will go hand-in-hand. The best thing to do is stay prepared, well-stocked, and don't be afraid to buy a few additional baby pajamas to have on hand (and because they're really, really cute.)