Washing the comforter is a moment often apprehended by parents, because the child does not always want to part with it. However, cleaning the baby comforter is important. When should you wash your child’s stuffed animal and how? Answers with Catherine Salinier, pediatrician.
How often should the baby comforter be washed? This is a question that parents often ask themselves. I have to say that a child’s comforter gets dirty quickly and can smell bad. Baby takes him everywhere with him and drags him around the house, to the nursery, sometimes outside and inevitably, he picks up an incalculable amount of dirt. He is also chewed and wet all day long, and sometimes the cuddly toy is even invited to the child’s meals. Result: the your baby’s plush finds itself stained with tomato sauce, or with lots of bits of food stuck in it. And a cuddly toy in this state is not always very hygienic for the child’s health. It is therefore important to wash it regularly, but should it be cleaned every week, every month? How to wash it? Elements of answers with Catherine Salinier, pediatrician and member of the AFPA (French Association of Ambulatory Pediatrics).
How often is it advisable to wash the baby comforter?
Unlike a pacifier, a baby’s cuddly toy does not need to be washed systematically every day. It can be washed fortnightly or even once a month. “It depends on the uses. If the cuddly toy lies everywhere on the floor, and is taken to the supermarket for example, it will have to be washed very often. , it won’t really get dirty, so you can space out the washes”, explains the pediatrician.
The specialist would also like to point out that microbes are not only present on the ground. “The germs are mainly in the mouth and are transmitted from person to person. In the end, it’s less dangerous to chew a blanket that has fallen on the ground than to kiss some babies on the mouth”, explains Catherine Salinier. Of course, if the stuffed toy falls on the ground in the middle of the street, it should also be washed when you get home.
“The frequency of washing the cuddly toy depends on the use made of it by the child.”
The washing of the baby comforter can be done in the washing machine, low temperature program at 30°C or 40°C. Regarding laundry, opt for a special baby odorless detergentcombined if necessary with a stain remover suitable for baby skin. In general, children do not like when their comforter smells “clean” or “perfume”.
To avoid damaging your child’s soft toy, especially if it has already been weakened by many washes, you can use a laundry net. All you have to do is place the comforter inside, close it and put the net in your washing machine drum with your other clothes. It will thus be protected from any closing snags and holes in the drum.
The trick to avoid the crisis of separation child and cuddly toy
The moment of washing the cuddly toy can be dreaded by children, who refuse to be separated from their faithful cuddly toy. To avoid the drama of separation, you have several options.
- Either you wash the baby comforter when he sleeps,
- or you plan to take out the duplicate cuddly toy (that you bought in several copies in case of loss in particular).
- You can also wash the comforter at home with the help of your child. This will allow him to be reassured by always having his beloved cuddly toy close at hand.
Thanks to Catherine Salinier, pediatrician and member of the AFPA.