When making the decision as to what baby bedding to buy make sure the safety of your baby is one of the main considerations for what bedding you choose. Babies aren't bothered about colour or whether their nursery has been decorated using the latest designs but it is important when selecting your baby bedding that the purchase is made with safety in mind.
Your initial purchase of baby bedding will be for your baby's crib. Baby bedding for a crib, like baby clothes and many other things in the nursery, will be a short term purchase as a crib is not suitable for babies who can sit or pull themselves up. From around 6 months of age you will be looking to move your baby from crib to cot.
Crib Bedding Sets
The causes of Sudden Cot Death Syndrome aren't generally known but it is thought that in some cases baby bedding can be a contributing factor. Take for example baby pillows and duvets, it is recommended that baby pillows and duvets do not form part of your baby bedding when your baby (under 1 year) is in his cot as they could cause suffocation.
There are differing opinions with baby blankets with many mothers choosing to move away from baby blankets and instead opting for wearable blankets or sleep suits. The general idea being that a baby can become entangled in a blanket and possibly suffocate but not in something that they physically wear.
Baby bedding can be a really fun purchase with some absolutely beautiful little baby bedding sets around. If you want your baby's nursery to look good then you can always buy baby bedding for decorative purposes only and remove any unsafe bedding when the cot is in use.
You can now buy gorgeous little sleeping bags for newborn babies, instead of traditional baby bedding, but if you are using them you need to make sure your baby doesn't get too hot and some babies find sleeping bags too constricting. If you decide to use a sleeping bag as your baby bedding only use one that fits the size of your baby (safety measure to reduce the risk of SIDS).
The upside of the more traditional baby bedding, cotton sheets and blankets, is that you can more easily control your baby's temperature by adding and removing layers to suit.
As with baby clothes, you want to go for baby bedding that is durable. The length of time it is required may be short but the amount of wear your baby bedding will get while it is in use is considerable. Make sure all the baby bedding you buy is machine washable and good quality.
Buy sufficient sets of baby bedding to support your washing routine and go for materials that will suit the temperature of your house. Polyester blankets for example may prove to be too hot for your baby in a warm house and acrylic cellular blankets are best suited to a cold room. Cotton is generally a good choice.
As a general baby bedding guide, for a warm room of around 75 degrees C you will only require a single sheet and for every drop of 5 degrees C you will need to add a baby blanket. However every baby is different so never make an assumption, always make sure your baby is neither too hot nor too cold.