Bath Time for A Little Friend

The other night Baby Boy's Flannel Friend was the unfortunate victim of a wardrobe malfunction that left Baby Boy, his bedding and his flannel friend soaked. That's the last time I buy a brand of disposable pull ups just because they're on sale so much cheaper than our usual brand. Apparently there's a reason they're so much cheaper! Nothing like a late night complete change for a sad and soggy toddler.

Anyways, poor Flannel Friend needed a bath in a big way! Surface washing was not going to even come close to fixing what ailed this little guy. So yesterday he got one. You can't just throw them in the washing machine and dryer, they need a bit more special treatment than that given they are stuffed with 100% wool. Felting the stuffing would lead to a very sorry looking (and feeling)friend. So here's how we do it here at our house in three easy little steps.

1) I filled the kitchen sink with lukewarm water and added some detergent - use whatever you like as long as it's not too harsh, what you would hand wash your wool sweaters in is fine. (ahem, confession time... I used a squirt of Dawn dish soap)

2)Then Baby Boy's little friend was placed in the soapy water and gently swished about. You don't want to be too vigorous with your swishing because too much agitation can cause the wool stuffing inside to felt and get lumpy.

Rub a dub dub, Flannel Friend's in the tub

3)Once you feel bath time has been long enough, you need to rinse well to get all traces of soap out. To do this I ran clear water over him, gently squeezing as I went until the water ran clear with no bubbles. Then he went outside to the deck to sunbathe (more commonly known as air dry).

Basking in the sunshine

And there you have it! Easy as one, two, three.

A fresh, clean, smells much better than it did friend all ready for bedtime snuggles again!

By the way, if anyone is interested in ordering a Flannel Friend for themselves or a little person they know, please don't hesitate to contact me and we can discuss details. I am always happy to do custom orders and turn around time is about a week or less (not including the time it takes to ship through the post)