Babies are really cute when they eat, but also very messy while doing it. As their coordination is not so great at the beginning, food stains are easy to appear. I have thrown out quite a few garments because they are ruined by stains.
Over the last year, I have become more effective in fighting with smudges and stains. Here are some guidelines I have been using to save my daughter’s clothes from their way to the trash.
Prevent!
The best way to deal with stains is prevention. Try to make everything to avert those stubborn food stains.
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Use bibs/coveralls bibs – it helps you to avoid getting stains in the first place.
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Remove your baby’s clothing before eating – this way you don’t have to worry about your kids ruining their clothes. Let them play with food, discover new textures and tastes without being worried about their wardrobe.
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Use old clothes – if you don’t want to let your kids eat without clothing, use old or cheap apparel during the mealtime. I have saved some old stained bodies and use them when Sofia is eating. That way I don’t have to bother to get those stains out later.
Deal with it!
Prevention is important, but it is not always possible to keep kids completely stain free. When treating stained clothes, select carefully the products you use. Baby skin is very sensitive and not all cleaners may be suitable for babies. Removing baby food stains from clothing is not difficult if dealt with right away.
Here are some tips that have helped me to fight with those dreaded baby food stains:
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Soak – rinse the stained area in cold water as soon as possible and let it soak. Dried out stains are much harder to treat.
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Sunshine – it’s the cheapest and easiest way to get rid of almost any baby food stain. I wash stained clothes as usual and then hang them to dry in a sunny spot. Stains are gone in no time! The only bad thing is, that over the time the sun bleaches the colors. This works well for stained cloth diapers too.
Sunshine is a great stain remover!
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Washing up liquid – add some washing liquid to the stain, rub it in and let it soak for some time, then wash as usual. Helps to remove grease stains.
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Shaving cream – spray (don’t rub in) the shaving cream (foaming one) onto the stain and allow the cream to work about 30 – 60 minutes.
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Hydrogen peroxide – use 50% water and 50% hydrogen peroxide. Spray the mixture on the stain and let it stand for 30 minutes. Rinse the stain with a mixture of 50/50 water and vinegar. Then launder as normal.
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Before using a dryer, check if the stains are removed. Tumble dried stains become practically impossible to remove.
