With a brand new baby comes an influx of chores and a whole lot less time to do them. This is especially true for laundry. And somehow, that tiny baby is going to make way more laundry for you than you thought. From burp rags to onesies to your own spit-up covered sweats, the laundry is bound to pile up pretty quickly.
We love to encourage expectant moms to consider putting laundry services onto their registry, because no matter what– there’s going to be laundry and you’re probably not going to want to do it. Adding laundry services to your BeHerVillage registry is a great form of self-care while also ensuring you and your family have clean clothes, towels and bedding in the early days and weeks postpartum.
Reasons to Add Laundry Services to Your Registry
Laundry Is Time Consuming
Laundry is a never-ending chore, especially with a newborn. A laundry service frees up your time so you can focus on other things like resting, healing, and bonding with your baby.
Focus On Your Healing
The early weeks postpartum is really important for healing– whether it be from a vaginal birth or a cesarean birth. It’s crucial that you’re resting as much as you can to have a full recovery. While it’s not an olympic sport, lifting laundry baskets and bending over a washing machine can hinder your recovery. Hiring a laundry service helps you avoid these physical tasks.
Laundry Is Overwhelming
When you’re learning your new baby and stepping into your role as new parent, there are plenty of stressful moments to go along with the beautiful ones. When you add in sleep deprivation, the lack of routine, and a total learning curve, it might feel completely overwhelming to do anything with your laundry except look at it and cry (or was that just me? lol). There is the stress of staying on top of laundry to eliminate the extra piles, plus the worry of running out of clean clothes, onesies and towels. When you register for laundry services, you’re removing an overwhelming task from the plethora of already overwhelming things that come with postpartum.
You Should Be Snuggling
The early days and weeks postpartum, you should be able to spend as much time as you want snuggling your baby. Whether you’re in your bed or on the couch, your time should not be spent bouncing back and forth between your hamper and the washing machine. Adding laundry services to your registry is basically the same as registering for more time cozying up with your newborn. Someone else can take care of your laundry so you can be with your baby, soaking up the grunts, stretches and baby toots.
Laundry Services To Consider
In-Home Laundry Service
A professional comes to your home to take care of your laundry using your detergents, laundry room and machines.
Pros:
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You don’t have to leave your home to get your laundry done
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You can be sure of the detergent being used
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Quick turn-around time
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Laundry isn’t in any other location but your own home
Cons:
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You might not want a stranger or a person in your home while you’re newly postpartum
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The extra activity in your home might feel overwhelming
Drop-Off Laundry Service
You drop off your laundry at a designated location and pick it up clean and folded– ready to be put away, or at the very least, ready to be used again.
Pros:
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Many services offer same-day or next-day service
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Getting the piles of laundry out of your house to be serviced can give you peace of mind
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You have to do very little prep work other than piling up your laundry
Cons:
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It can be tricky to get out of the house with a newborn to drop off and pick up your laundry
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You have less control over who/what your laundry comes into contact with
Pick-Up and Delivery Laundry Service
With this service, your laundry gets picked up from your doorstep and is delivered back to you clean and folded.
Pros:
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Very little prep work is required to get your laundry ready
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You don’t have to go anywhere else to get clean laundry
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Services are often very timely
Cons:
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You might feel nervous about a stranger coming to your home to pick up your laundry
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Having to schedule a pick up (and then remembering to get everything together in time) might feel overwhelming in the early postpartum period
Other Ways To Get Your Laundry Done
If you don’t want to register for laundry services, or if you want to register for other things instead, there are still some ways you can get your laundry done that don’t involve your immediate attention.
Ask a local friend to pick it up
When I had my second baby at home, it was a water birth and we ended up using almost every towel and baby blanket in the house. The day before, the washer broke. When my good friend asked if she could do anything for me after I had my baby, I was honest and told her that I needed my towels and blankets washed. She stopped by within a couple hours with a snack for me, picked up my laundry, washed it and brought it back within a couple hours.
Leave it for your visitors
If you have people coming by after you give birth, before you let them hold your baby (if you want them to), it’s perfectly reasonable to ask them to throw in a load of laundry for you. If you’ve given birth, it’s not up to you to entertain anybody, so asking them for laundry help is totally fine. If they love you and want you and your baby to have clean clothes, they’ll probably do it no questions asked. Here’s a blog about other ways your visitors can help you when they stop by.
Hire a postpartum doula
Depending on who you’ve hired as your postpartum doula, it’s totally possible that they will be able to take care of some basic washing, drying and folding for you. A postpartum doula’s goal is to help you rest and bond with your baby, and if it means that they’re taking on the task of laundry– they’re willing to help!
More Than Convenience and Clean Laundry
Adding a laundry service to your BeHerVillage registry is about prioritizing your well-being and the precious time with your newborn and your new family unit. When you consider different types of laundry services and understand the benefits for you and your family– you can make a choice that best supports you during this postpartum period.
BeHerVillage is helping parents like you get the funds they need for the support they deserve! Are you having a baby and are looking for support? Create a registry for support today and get gifted funds directly into your bank account to pay for your support team. You deserve this.
Are you a birthworker who supports new moms? Use BeHerVillage to help your clients pay for your support. Create your free profile here and you can be the best baby shower gift a mom will ever get!
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