i always wash my finished quilts exactly how i think the person receiving it will care for it---a baby quilt gets washed ALOT- and takes abuse---i wash them in warm water- with detergent- with fabric softener= and i dry them in a nice regular setting dryer=
you want a baby quilt to be soft and fluffy- the hot dryer does that-
it's not an heirloom to live in a box under the bed- it's a baby quilt- to wrap a baby in- to put down for a baby to lay on--in other words- to be used- treat it as such---(save the timid----'i'm afraid to look crosseyed at it---don't want to even get it wet---treatment for the heirloom that will live in a box under the bed---until some future generation finds it- hauls it out- and throws it into a washer.