Home And Family

One of the most exciting aspects of anticipating baby’s arrival is the dreams you have about baby’s nursery. There are so many choices in baby bedding today in themes, color schemes, fabrics and patterns. What fun to imagine what your nursery will be like!

Before you start your shopping for baby bedding, it’s a good idea to understand the various pieces of baby bedding and the role they play in a safe and healthy nursery. Baby Fashion & Bedding offers this review:

Fitted Sheets
Fitted sheets are designed to provide a smooth, flat surface for sleeping and to keep from having a lot of loose linens under baby. You will want to purchase plenty of extra sheets so that you do not have to do laundry several times a day – or even every day.

Mattress Pads
Mattress pads with waterproof backing keep the mattress dry when accidents occur. This makes it easy to quickly change the crib when needed and get baby back to bed as soon as possible. It’s a good idea to have 2-3 mattress pads on hand.

Mattress Cover
A cover for the mattress goes on first, before any pads or sheets. Think of it as a dust cover, though it serves more roles than that. Mattress covers do not get changed with the same frequency as mattress pads and fitted sheets.

Bumpers
Originally designed to keep baby from pushing their head between the railings on a crib, regulations now control the amount of space between the railings on a crib and bumpers help to prevent baby from hitting their head against the crib rails. They are also decorative. Your bumper should be designed to fit the crib all the way around and not just on one end or side.

Blankets
Blankets come in all types of fabrics and provide different levels of warmth and air circulation based on the materials from which they are made as well as the pattern used to weave the fabric. Blankets can run from inexpensive to pricey, depending on these factors. You will want different weights for different seasons. You may also use blankets in layers on baby, removing or adding as the temperature warrants.

Quilts
Quilts, usually decorative, provide another layer of covering for baby. Layers allow you to adjust the covering as needed to control the sleeping temperature that baby experiences. Baby quilts are sized especially for cribs and don’t have extra yards of fabric to get tangled in.

Pillows
Pillows are decorative and should never be left in the crib when baby is sleeping or unattended. They are also not intended for use to prop up baby, say, in a sitting position, nor to place under their heads as an adult might use a pillow. They are decorative only.

Making Your Selections
At Baby Fashion & Bedding, we always recommend that you talk with your health care provider about SIDS and crib coverings for infants. There are many schools of thought on how to prevent SIDS and you will want to take all the precautionary measures that you can, particularly as it relates to bedding.

As your child grows and develops pulling, sitting and standing skills you will need to evaluate what is placed in the bed. For example, bumpers can be stepped on in an attempt to climb. Mobiles can be grabbed and pulled down on baby’s head from a standing position.

When choosing baby bedding, look for bedding that is safe with no small or loosely attached parts and pieces (like buttons). Select fabrics that are easy to care for, such as machine washable and dryable. Soft fabrics will feel good against baby’s skin, so take that into consideration, too. Be sure to check the label for flame retardant.

Finally, choose something that you find beautiful. You and baby will be looking at it for a long time, so select a set of baby bedding that delights your senses and brings a smile when you see it.

Your basic bedding set will include:

• Quilt
• Bumper
• Fitted Sheet
• Dust Ruffle

These pieces are enough to establish a theme for your nursery. You can add additional pieces to further decorate the room. These might include:

• Diaper Stacker
• Rug
• Coordinating Lamp and Night Light
• Pillows
• Window Treatments (drapes and /or valance)
• Mobiles (musical mobiles are a nice addition)

You can also find other room accessories that coordinate with your theme, such as hampers, wall hangers or other wall art, attractive boxes that sit on the dresser or other items that carry out your theme.

Once you understand your basic needs and stock up on those, you can have fun getting the other items that make your nursery dreams come true!