Clean babies in clean clothes may look cute and cuddly, but all parents will appreciate the challenges of weaning a child and introducing them to a full diet. Feeding a baby usually means a lot of mess and cleaning this mess may prove just as challenging a part of the weaning process.
Baby Food Jars
These products almost always appear to be orange and in fact baby food is known notoriously for this. Manufacturers are not permitted to use excessive additives if any at all in their products so it can seem incredible that so many baby foods are so brightly coloured and hence so troublesome. Many of the baby foods that are pre-packaged in jars contain high levels or carrots and tomatoes which can contribute to the high colouring and difficult stain removal. If these stains do mark your baby’s clothes, rinse the affected area in warm water as soon as possible, preferably before it has a chance to dry. It may help to use a stain removal product at the same time to help shift the mark. If the stain is allowed to dry and damage the fabric more permanently, it should be soaked in hot water for at least four hours in order to let the water soften and lift the stain. Following this, items should be washed in the normal way.
Homemade Foods
If you have decided to prepare your baby’s food yourself you can be more selective about the ingredients and make the food items less highly coloured. Cheese, white sauce and fish based items are often more simple to make and will leave less of a stain if the mark the clothes. Carrots and tomatoes should still of course be included in your baby’s diet but if you make your own you can be more careful which clothes items are worn on the days the baby will receive these products. Try to avoid white of light clothes on these days and any stains that cannot be totally removed will be less obvious.
The Importance Of Bib Selection
The best way to avoid any stains appearing on baby clothes is to prevent the food from coming into contact with the fabric in the first place. When possible use a bib to catch any spillage. These are relatively cheap and will help protect both the clothes and the child’s skin from contact with the product. When choosing a bib it is advised that a plastic or waterproofed backed one is selected as this will help prevent breakthrough of the food onto the clothes. This also helps prevent the child’s clothes from becoming wet which may be uncomfortable for them.
Bibs can be either tied at the neck or have a Velcro fastening. If using a tied bib, make sure the tie is not too tight and do not leave your child unattended whilst wearing anything with ties as they may injure themselves. If using a Velcro fastening, try to make sure the roughest side of the Velcro is placed away from the baby’s skin as this can cause friction and be uncomfortable for the child. Most bibs come in white or light colours so they can be washed on a higher temperature than everyday clothes although it is not eco-friendly to wash on extremely high temperatures as we used to. For the best effect when washing follow both the manufacturer of the bib instructions and those written on the washing powder packaging.
Not all stains will be removable by any of the methods suggested and it seems unrealistic in today’s financial climate to warrant discarding clothes purely because of a stain. All parents will know and understand how easy a stain can appear on a child’s clothes so try not to become too worried about the appearance of clothes as it happens to everyone with a child.