I buy exclusively cheap stuff for my kids..Target, Carters Outlet, etc. My 6 month old is in hand me downs from my preschooler, much of which was hand-me-downs to begin with. That all said, I have thrown more things away from stains than pilling. And I am *really* bad at laundry so its not my laundering skills saving the clothes.

Because of my personal experience, this whole conversation is shocking to me on so many levels. Perhaps we are all using different definitions of "baby", but in my book, baby is under 1 year old. Which means someone who wears clothes for somewhere btw 3-6 months before outgrowing them. Yet, there are people dressing babies in linen? Spending up to $25 on an outfit for their baby? Hanging baby clothes up to dry?

My kid wears all of those lines and nothing pills - we wash regularly and put in the dryer. so, IDK

I never had this problem and my kids' clothes came from Gymboree, Old Navy, Gap, TCP, etc. Plus, your kid's a baby. Why is this an issue?

Anonymous wrote:OP here. I'm starting to wonder if actually more of the pilling happens because DD sort of "army crawls" all over the place. (Like literally almost every waking moment not spent feeding, she's scooting around on her belly) The pilling is happening on 100% cotton onesies-- I think cat & jack are the worst offenders.

Adult clothes in the washer/dryer aren't having problems.

Um then it's. It the washing that's the problem. It's the wearing out of clothes by using them! I wouldn't invest in many more. It's a short phase. Even if it's a couple months, she'll probably grow out of it by the next size.

I also hang dry baby clothes for my son. I put him in a lot of knits, so I hang all of those dry. Bedding, bibs, plain cotton onesies and leggings -- all of those I put in the dryer. Hanging dry is not a big deal for me because I also hang most of my own clothes dry (and then touch them up with a steamer). Makes them last longer!

For high quality clothes, I tend to buy a lot on eBay because I prefer the expensive brands (sigh!!!). I find great deals on gently used Jacadi, Bonpoint and Petit Bateau. Zara can be really good if you check the fabric content (avoid polyester). I also buy Hanna PJs on sale frequently in bigger sizes.

OP here. I'm starting to wonder if actually more of the pilling happens because DD sort of "army crawls" all over the place. (Like literally almost every waking moment not spent feeding, she's scooting around on her belly) The pilling is happening on 100% cotton onesies-- I think cat & jack are the worst offenders.

Adult clothes in the washer/dryer aren't having problems.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm amazed with all of the people who have the time and space to hang dry all of their kids' clothing.

I only do one load at a time and then I hang them dry overnight. It's really not a big deal. My kid wears the same pjs for like 3 nights and only one outfit a day. At most there's 12 outfits for 2 weeks worth of laundry. I hang dry dh's clothes and mine as well.

How old is your kid? My 16 month old was a happy spitter until a year (so lots of outfit changes) and now is getting food/paint/mud on her clothes. She usually goes through two outfits a day at this age and I'm not super fussy about dirt and stains. Much better for the environment to hang dry though!!

How are you washing? I have literally never had anything fray, and had very little pilling. I separate items that are stained and wash those on the heavy cycle. I separate out "hard" fabrics - jeans, khakis, etc and wash those in a separate load. I wash what is left over on the low cycle in cold water.

Hanna Andersen and Janie and Jack - on sale. Always and only on sale. Out of season and any bigger size.

If you keep an eye on Amazon sales, Burts Bees and other higher quality brands often go on sale. Nordstrom Rack, Marshalls, etc. also have discounted nicer brands for reasonable prices.

Check the fabric content before buying. My 100% cotton Carter's clothing is washing and drying just fine. My baby has grown out of everything before any pilling has occured... although I can't vouch for how long it will last for a future second child.

I don't really have a problem with Carters stuff. I have never had anything pill? I mostly buy just cotton things from them, but have also don't fleece pjs. I stay away from their poly blend pjs because those are awful.

The one thing I had that faded was a patterned dress. But honestly, it was the one issue of many many things I've bought there.

I've also never had problems with Old Navy. Childrens Place does shrink a lot, so I always buy really big from there.

What type of outfits are you buying? Try to stick to cotton. If it seems like it might pill, hang dry. But honestly I have almost never done that, even with sweaters, and been fine.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I like the quality of Primary clothes, and I think they're a good value. They don't sell anything with prints or patterns though, so I don't buy from them exclusively.

+1


I love the Primary fabric, it stays smooth & soft, no pilling.

I wash on normal and dry on med-high--no special care needed.

yes, washes great! FWIW, I wash everything on the cotton setting and dry on the cotton setting. Primary has washed really well as has Burt's bees baby from amazon. My dd is slim, and both of those brands fit her well. I haven't had a problem with the carters stuff or the baby gap stuff using these settings either. I would check your washer and dryer to make sure there is nothing that snags (how do your adult clothes fair?) and also lock down the velcro--that will cause pilling on certain fabrics.

Anonymous wrote:I'm amazed with all of the people who have the time and space to hang dry all of their kids' clothing.

I only do one load at a time and then I hang them dry overnight. It's really not a big deal. My kid wears the same pjs for like 3 nights and only one outfit a day. At most there's 12 outfits for 2 weeks worth of laundry. I hang dry dh's clothes and mine as well.

I dry all those brands in the dryer on low. Have not had any problems.