Blog

Oh, Baby! Which is the Best Baby Laundry Detergent?

 

Choosing the right baby laundry detergent can seem overwhelming, but fear not! Our comprehensive guide will help you choose the best option for your whole family.

New parents know: adding a little one to your family can end up adding a whole lot of laundry. Baby laundry is another level of laundry many parents don't anticipate until they're knee-deep in soiled diapers, crusty baby bibs, and too many onesies to count. Between spit up messes and diaper changes (and everything in between!), caring for an infant can be a messy job, especially when you consider a new baby’s sensitive skin. Finding a laundry detergent that cares for your baby while getting out those tough stains can be a difficult task. Luckily, with Dropps Sensitive Skin & Baby Laundry Detergent pods, you don’t have to make sacrifices. Dropps Sensitive Skin & Baby Laundry Detergent pods are tough on messes while being gentle on skin, making it the perfect choice for newborns, toddlers, and anyone with eczema or sensitive skin.

 

What is the best baby laundry detergent?

The detergent aisle may be full of products marketed towards your baby, but that doesn’t mean those products are truly safe to use--or the best choice for your wallet. A baby’s skin is more sensitive than an adult’s, and harsh dyes and fragrances can cause rashes, outbreaks, and allergies. The American Academy of Pediatrics reports that at least 10% of children in the United States have eczema, and a third of those cases are moderate to severe. When choosing a detergent, you want to limit the amount of potentially harmful ingredients or allergens. Most babies do experience rashes, dry skin, or other sensitivities in their first few months, but triggers for skin sensitivity can make a simple rash into a bigger problem. Avoiding triggers will help prevent rashes and other skin issues from returning, so your baby can be as healthy and as comfortable as possible. The ideal detergent is free of fragrances, dyes, enzymes and optical brighteners to avoid skin irritation. 


Dropps Sensitive Skin & Baby Laundry Detergent contains plant-based ingredients that are tough on stains, gentle on skin, and friendly towards the environment. No added dyes, fragrances, or other fillers--just simple ingredients that work. Plus, Dropps’ perfectly portioned pod makes laundry easy. Liquid detergent is messy, and it’s easy to over pour. Dropps laundry pods are small, concentrated portions, with no excess water (because why pay for that?). Using excess detergent can leave residue on your laundry which attracts dirt to your clothes--and your skin. Dropps pods take away the guesswork, and the detergent washes away along with the dirt, leaving behind clean, fresh, ready to wear clothing. And when your child is a few years older? Dropps makes it easy for your children to help with chores--just take a pod and drop it in the drum!
(Looking for more than just laundry? Dropps also offers pods for household cleaning and the dishwasher. Wondering what dish soap is best for baby bottles? Look no further than Dropps Dishwasher Detergent Pods!)

 

Do I need to buy a separate laundry detergent for my baby?

Not necessarily! The right detergent can work for your entire household. While shopping for babies or those with sensitive skin do have specific needs when it comes to detergent, it’s not necessary to succumb to baby “pink tax”. It’s a well reported fact that, when marketed towards women, every day and household products are significantly marked up. This phenomenon is called pink tax, named after the colorful, often pink packaging that accompanies these products. In 2010, a study by Consumer Reports found that products directed at women might cost up to 50% more than a similar product marketed towards men--despite nearly identical formulations. In recent years, consumers have been directed to look past the pink packaging and choose products based on price and performance. But did you know this pink tax starts at birth? There’s no need to pay a premium just for pastel packaging. Some brands offer Baby Laundry Detergent that is nearly identical to their Sensitive Skin detergent--just in a different bottle at a higher price.

 

Dropps takes a more straightforward approach. Rather than marketing the same product in two different boxes, Dropps Sensitive Skin & Baby Detergent is designed for the whole family. Dropps laundry pods are tough on stains and odors (yes, even your stinky workout clothes!) while being gentle on the most sensitive of skin. No pink tax here--Dropps Baby & Sensitive Skin Laundry pods are packaged in simple, biodegradable boxes free of single use plastic. No fancy marketing labels and no price markups--just simple, eco-friendly detergent that’s super effective. After all, if your detergent can clean cloth diapers, you know it can clean your workout clothes and dirty kitchen rags too. 

That’s right--Dropps Sensitive Skin & Baby Laundry Detergent is strong enough to clean cloth diapers, but sensitive enough for a newborn’s skin. New to cloth diapering? While there are many innovative products on the market designed to make this task a bit better, the concept behind cloth diapers hasn’t changed since our mothers used them. Many parents are drawn to the idea of cloth diapers in an effort to save money and prevent waste, but are turned off by the potential mess. Luckily, Dropps makes cloth diaper washing easy. Simply dump any solid waste from the diaper into the toilet and place the diaper in a lined pail until ready to wash. Prepare a “diaper-only” load according to the diaper care directions--just one Dropps pod should do the trick! While estimates will vary depending on factors such as the price of your cloth diapers and whether you launder them yourself, there is a significant cost savings to those who switch to cloth. The Bump estimates a $1,000 - $2,200 savings opportunity over the first two years of baby’s life. If you continue to use cloth through the potty-training years – or have multiples in diapers -- you’ll save even more. Add in the significant savings of resources from plastic that isn’t made or introduced into our natural environment, and it's easy to see why the cloth diaper trend has made a comeback!

Sustainable Choices for your Child’s Future

Dropps’ sustainable focus helps build a better world, for your children and beyond. Sustainability is one of Dropps’ top priorities.  Dropps Sensitive Skin & Baby Detergent pods are free of any extra unnecessary ingredients--and this is true of the packaging as well!


Traditional liquid laundry detergents are usually packaged in high density polyethylene (HDPE plastic jugs). A shocking 68% of these bottles are not recycled, and contribute to the approximately 275 metric tons of plastic waste generated on land that goes into our oceans and waterways annually. By offering a recyclable, repulpable, and biodegradable box for their packaging, Dropps helps leave the planet in better shape for future generations! As of 2021 they have prevented over 2 million plastic laundry detergent bottles from entering the waste cycle. And of course, the cardboard boxes are small, easy to store, and look great in any laundry room or closet.


Dropps also provides Carbon Neutral shipping through their purchase of Carbon Offsets. Not sure what this means? Carbon offsets enable organizations to reduce their environmental impact by supporting projects that are actively working to reduce, absorb or prevent carbon and other emissions from entering the atmosphere. These projects can be in the form of forestry conservation efforts or based on a technology that captures gas before it is released such as at a landfill or farm with decomposing waste. Carbon offsets are tools that help to make these projects financially viable. Dropps’ purchase has an environmental impact equivalent to taking 138 cars off the road for one year! 

The Best Laundry Detergent for your Baby

Dropps Sensitive Skin & Baby Detergent pods are tough on stains, gentle on skin, and kind to the environment--the perfect combination for any new parent or anyone with sensitive skin. These sensitive, eco detergent pods tackle the toughest stains without irritating your child’s sensitive skin. This groundbreaking, simple formula alongside Dropps’ sustainability commitment and easy subscription service (one less thing for your shopping list!) makes choosing Dropps Detergent Pods a no-brainer. 

Frequently Asked Questions

Do you have more questions about baby laundry detergent? We have answers!

Do babies need special laundry detergent?

Babies have very sensitive skin, and require a detergent that is tough on stains without causing any skin irritation. The best baby detergent is free of dyes, fragrances, and other harsh chemicals that could cause a reaction. However, while babies do have special laundry needs, there is no need to reserve their detergent for baby clothes alone! A product like Dropps Baby & Sensitive Skin Laundry Detergent can be used by the whole family.

Is laundry detergent safe for newborns?

Trying to decide on a laundry detergent for newborns? No need to invest in a special detergent for your baby’s first few weeks of life. While many companies do market a specific detergent for babies, a non-irritating, sensitive skin detergent will do the trick–without the baby markup.

At what age can you wash baby clothes in regular detergent?

If your child has not displayed signs of particularly sensitive skin or eczema, you can begin transitioning their laundry detergent at 6 months old. If the detergent causes a reaction, you may want to go back to their previous detergent until they are a year old. In general, we recommend choosing a detergent for your whole family that is free of dyes and other harsh chemicals. A more natural detergent like those from Dropps will be an easier transition for your baby than one made from toxic ingredients.