Preparing a nursery and purchasing baby bedding is a thrilling time for all parents. A nursery is so colorful and putting your baby to sleep in their little crib is one of life’s little pleasures.
When shopping for your babies crib bedding, the most important thing to bear in mind is your baby’s safety. There are numerous cribs available for us and all with varying prices. Fortunately every new crib that is sold in the U.S. today, as to be certified by the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), it will be a secure crib for your baby.
However, if you are looking to buy or have been given a used or antique crib, then you are going to have to check the crib’s safety guidelines to ensure that is meets present guidelines. The crib’s slats shouldn’t be further than 2 3/8 inches apart; this will help prevent your baby getting his head entangled between them.
Perhaps you have heard of SIDS (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome), this is where a baby under one year of age dies unexpectedly during sleep. However, there are some simple safety measures you can undertake to protect your baby. Firstly, always set your baby to sleep on their back and be certain to utilize a firm mattress. There shouldn’t be any soft bedding in the crib, no pillows, stuffed toys, quilts or comforters. Nothing that is soft and no loose bedding. Your baby’s crib should only have a bottom fitted sheet and this sheet should be tight. Always ensure that it is well tucked in, so there’s no loose fabric that your baby can pull at.
You will find that there are two kinds of mattresses available for your baby’s crib, foam and innerspring. Foam mattresses are economical and also lighter, which helps when you are changing the sheets. The higher the density of the foam mattress, the enhanced quality it will offer to your baby. Innerspring mattresses are more expensive than there foam counterparts but as a rule they do last longer. If you are shopping for an innerspring mattress, then you should look to obtain a mattress with a minimum of 150 coils inside.
The crib will be used by your baby until he/she is 2-3 years old. Ensure that it is stable and be certain that it meets the above regulations. Don’t let you’re baby sleep on a bed and don’t let you’re baby share your bed, it just isn’t safe for your baby.
We hope you find this guide helpful to you. However, before buying any bedding for your baby, we do urge you to do some research on SIDS and learn the facts.