Baby Bedding
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Why is baby bedding so important? One of the first things you’ll be missing for the first couple of years of your child’s life is sleep. No matter how angelic your baby looks, he or she is guaranteed to be screaming the night away, with no regard whatsoever for your sleep. Nothing you can do will guarantee you a good night’s sleep. But if you make your baby’s crib (or cradle) more comfortable, you just might make him or her scream a little less often. Quality bedding, which includes a good mattress, is a great first step.
Baby Bedding Buying Basics
Since the crib or cradle won’t usually come fully equipped, you’ll need to buy baby bedding separately. You’ll want at least four top sheets, four bottom sheets, two blankets, and, of course, a good mattress or pad (there’s more information on mattresses and padding in the guide to baby crib bedding). You may be tempted only to buy one or two of each of the linens. Just make sure you’re the kind of person who likes to do laundry at three in the morning when your baby spits up on or otherwise ruins the bedding twice in a night.
Baby Bedding: What to Look for
Comfort. Baby bedding has to be comfortable if you want to have a chance at a few hours of uninterrupted sleep a night. Yet the bedding also has to be durable enough to survive frequent washings. It’s a difficult balance when considered abstractly, so you may want to ask a salesperson to open up a package and let you feel the stuff. Buying online is fine—you’ll have much better choices, and usually, much better prices. Just make sure to look for bedding that’s thick and tightly woven. A good website will include this information in the product descriptions.
Fit. Remember to take your crib measurements with you when you buy your baby’s bedding. It is essential that baby bedding fit snugly. If there’s any bunching, your cranky baby will take his or her displeasure out on your good night’s sleep.
Allergies. Though scientists are not 100% sure of why or how allergies develop, one of the most logical causes is a baby’s overexposure to allergens, such as dust mites or pollen. Think your baby’s room is clean? Think again. Upholstery and carpeting are sponges for allergens. A baby’s developing immune system simply is not ready to handle the barrage of microscopic particles from the average mattress or pillow or other baby bedding. The immune system overcompensates by identifying pollen, animal dander, or dust mite feces as dangerous. This leads to unnecessary sneezing, runny noses, and the other allergic symptoms, later in life.
That’s why you should make sure the baby bedding, including the mattress surface, is pristine. The only way to do this is with hypoallergenic covers for the mattress, and by washing the bedding regularly. In fact, if either of the baby’s parents or anyone in the family has allergies, you should go a step further and invest in hypoallergenic bedding.
Safety. Baby bedding is like winter clothing: it’s best to do it in layers. Two or three thin blankets are often better than one thick one, since layers let you get your baby just warm enough. Overheating a baby is thought to be a factor in SIDS (a.k.a. “crib death”). You can still buy baby comforters for the truly cold nights. But you need the option of just putting on two sheets and a blanket when that’s all that’s needed.
If you’re not sure how warm is warm enough, you can start by piling the bedding on yourself in your baby’s room (even in centrally heated homes, there’s still a chance of significant temperature differences between rooms). Of course, that’s no substitute for checking in your baby. Remember that crying may mean that your baby is too warm (or too cold) and you need to adjust the baby bedding accordingly.
Also remember not to overstuff your baby’s crib with pillows, stuffed animals, and anything else that’s like to retain heat. For babies under a year old, the standard baby bedding should be adequate. As the baby starts to be able to remove bedding and items from the crib, or at least throw them off his or her body, you will have an easier time deciding what to keep or take out by what ends up on the floor or pushed up against the edges of the crib.
After all, the best guide to baby bedding is your baby.
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