The Quilts Zone Blog

Planning to bring a baby home from the hospital is a very exciting time in the lives of the parents, grandparents and family friends. Having the room look just perfect is also important, so knowing what to look for in baby nursery bedding prior to the arrival is essential. Baby bedding should be very baby friendly, plus it also has to stand up to washing, drying and general wear.One of the most important considerations when thinking about purchasing baby crib bedding sets is to consider what type of fabric you prefer. While most baby bedding sets are going to be cotton, you may wish to consider moving towards an organic cotton fabric.There are many different reasons why parents may elect to use organic cotton baby bedding. It is very gentle on the baby’s skin and is much less likely to cause any type of irritation. In addition the fabric is not treated with chemicals and the dyes are nature, eliminating many of the issues with rashes or skin conditions that can occur with non-organic types of baby bedding.Flannel and knit cotton are two other considerations for baby bedding that can be found in separates and in sets. Both of these fabrics are smooth to the touch and very soft, perfect for creating a comfortable crib for the infant. They are also very durable for washing and drying, making them great fabric choices.Many of the top name bedding and linen companies make baby nursery bedding that is high thread count cotton. Not only is high thread count typically a very soft type of bedding but it is also ideal for repeated washing and drying, which is going to be a major factor in durability.Eager parents, grandparents or friends should also take the time to consider if they want to purchase complete baby crib bedding sets or if they want to go with separates. Sets often come with bumpers, matching ruffles, baby sized comforters and of course a crib sheet. However, most families will find that the only item that will be used is the crib sheet and perhaps the ruffle, which means a lot of extra items to store.People that enjoy designing their own colors and pattern combinations will probably appreciate at least one baby bedding set, then several separate crib sheets, ruffles or bumpers that would allow for that personal touch. A neutral color of comforter or blanket is a great option to allow the most flexibility with separates.It can be easy to get way off budget in buying baby crib bedding sets. Sticking to higher quality items is the best option since baby bedding typically is very well used, even though it is only for a short period of time.

There are numerous websites selling baby nursery bedding, it makes it difficult to choose from the wide variety available. Besides the color and the design, there are many things that ought to be seriously considered before making the right choice for your baby.

Most parents, when shopping for a crib bedding, usually consider the price first. Needless to say, price is an important consideration. It is quite a waste of money to buy nursery bedding that are too pricey, after all, your child would not be using it forever.

However, parents must evaluate on the benefits that higher prices may bring.

Many mid-range baby nursery bedding are made with good quality materials at lower prices. Their designs are still as trendy, allowing parents to select one that would fit to the decoration of the room or simply one that looks pretty to them.

However, one significant factor that usually most fathers and mothers forget is the material. The material used to make the bedding is especially important for babies due to the soft and sensitive skin as complications can give quite a big headache for parents. babies skin gets irritated easily, causing skin complications such as rash and bringing more unwanted problems such as sleepless nights for both the child and the parents. Bedtime can be a very terrible time of the day to look forward to.

Hence, the material of the nursery bedding is very important and we should take extra care to look out for it. Personally, when it comes to making baby bedding, the best material to select from is cotton. It is delicate and easy on the skin, ensuring that it would not irritate the sensitive baby skin. Try to choose products that are fully made of cotton, this would ensure that the bedding would be comfortable for the baby to sleep without causing any skin conditions.

We should take note of certain materials that are being used in the production process. Some bedding incorporates wool as part of the whole material. This usually makes the material a little scratchy, making your baby feel itchy and uncomfortable. We adults could not feel it or have known about it as our skin is able to resist it. But things become different when it comes to babies, their sensitive skin is unable to withstand the scratchy feeling the wool causes.

In addition, when it is 100% cotton, it is unlikely that it will run out of shape or shrink due to the different expansion and contraction of the different materials being used to make a single bedding. In other words, the baby nursery bedding would be able to last longer and be in better condition till your baby is ready to move on to toddler beds!

Reports have shown that there are more than 6000 babies die of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) each year and out of these cases, more than 900 cases are due to babies sleeping on soft baby nursery bedding. Therefore, is your baby bedding safe?

Soft baby nursery bedding can cause an infant to suffocate when the baby is being placed on her belly and her head sinks into the soft mattress. Soft mattresses may be nice for babies to sleep in, but on the other hand, they might be dangerous too.As infants are too weak, when their heads are being placed on the soft mattress, they might not have the ability to turn around and recover from such a dangerous position. Disastrous accidents might occur if no one is around to take good care of the little one.

To avoid such accidents, parents can select a baby nursery bedding with a firm mattress that does not get depressed easily when some weight is being applied on it. They can easily experiment it by pressing one hand against the mattress to assess it’s strength in resisting the force applied. The stronger the resistance of the bedding, the safer it is.

Bumper pads can also cause suffocation. Bumper pads make the baby nursery bedding look cute and pretty, however, suffocation can happen when infants have their face pressed against the soft and fluffy bumper pads and are unable to free themselves.

Infants are feeble and very prone to accidents during this period, and parents should take extra care and precaution. Some people recommend to buy firmer bumper pads while others just remove all of them from the crib. The latter being the best method because, though no often, there are also cases of strangulation by the strings of the bumper pads and suffocation when infants are sandwiched between the bumper pads and another object.

Researchers also found out that there are poisonous gases in mattresses which can damage an infant’s health . Scientists found that there are chemical compounds that consists of phosphorous and arsenic which are commonly used as fire retardants, are being added to mattresses which can be very dangerous. Once these chemical compounds interact with certain reactants, they release poisonous gases which may be fatal if a baby breathes in a large amount of it when sleeping in the baby nursery bedding.

Scientists later discovered that a fungus that commonly germinates in baby bedding might be one of the reactants which can help to release the poisonous gases. Therefore, they urge parents not to reuse old baby nursery bedding which may contain such fungus after being used for a long period of time. Although, infants use baby beddings for only a short period of time, parents should buy a new crib set rather than reusing to avoid the existence of such fungus. Furthermore, a new baby nursery bedding will look prettier than an old reused one.

Looking at all these factors, parents should be able to evaluate if they have a safe baby nursery bedding. If not, go buy a new crib set and choose one safe bedding so that not only will your baby be able to sleep safe and sound, but you will also be able to rest at ease throughout the night.

Newborns spend most of their time sleeping. They can sleep for more than 16 hours in a day, spending up to 3 to 4 hours sleeping during each rest period. Therefore considering the huge amount of time infants sleep, it is essential to identify the safety issues when babies go to bed.

Firstly, co-sleeping with your baby is not safe. Especially adults who are heavy sleepers, they might inadvertently crush or suffocate the baby when they toss and turn carelessly. Not to mention, babies usually co-sleep together on their parents’ bed, there are heavy quilts and blankets that may accidently be placed over their face and cause babies to suffocate too.

Looking at all these dangers of co-sleeping, try to let your child sleep in a baby nursery bedding. Sleeping in a baby bedding will have no risks of parents turning onto their babies. Besides, there shouldn’t be any adult’s heavy quilts and blankets that may cause the baby to choke while sleeping. Therefore, parents are encouraged to get a baby nursery bedding for your little one to sleep in as it is safer than co-sleeping with the baby’s parents.

The use of blankets has also been discouraged by many as they are afraid that the blanket may carelessly cover the baby’s head, however some parents are worried that their baby may catch a cold at night. In fact, there is a safe way of using a blanket during the baby’s rest. Just make sure that when your child is in the baby nursery bedding, his feet touches the end of the crib and the blanket shouldn’t be higher than his chest. In this way, your baby will not be covered by the blanket so easily and it will be safer for your baby when he sleeps at night.

Another way of sleeping safely is to always let your baby sleep on her back. Babies sleeping on their tummy may have risks of choking when your baby carelessly places his face down onto the mattress. Babies are too weak to roll around or shift themselves out of a dangerous position. Therefore letting your child sleep on her back in the baby nursery bedding will be the safest option.

Some infants sleep better on their tummy because their heart feels close to something which makes them feel safe and at ease while sleeping. However, it is still not recommended to let your child sleep on her tummy until, maybe when she has the ability to be able to roll over in bed by herself.

When your baby is sleeping, try to dress your baby in light sleep clothing to avoid your baby from “overheating”,. The nursery room should be kept at a comfortable temperature and in such manner your baby will feel neither too cold nor warm. In the event that the room is too warm, get a fan to gently cool the area so that your baby will feel comfortable when sleeping.

Look closely at all these factors and assess your baby’s sleeping area cautiously. Let your baby sleep safely and pleasantly and you will be able to rest well without worries too!

The Consumer Products Safety Commission (CPSC) was formed in the 1970s and till now, it has taken charge of protecting consumers against risks of injuries resulting from the use of consumer products. In addition, Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA) was signed into the United States law to further strengthen the safety measures required in consumer products.

Lately, through the law, the Commission has planned to further reduce children’s exposure to lead. Too much lead in your blood may result in irreversible brain damage, kidney problems and even death. Towards the end of the 1970s, the situation was so severe, that there were millions of children in the United States with elevated blood lead levels that were deemed unhealthy!

The CPSC noticed the severity of the situation and have concluded that any children’s product that contains more than 600 parts per million (ppm) of lead in any part of an accessible product would be seen as dangerous. Which means that any children’s product from toys to baby nursery bedding which contains more than 600ppm would be dangerous for children under the CPSIA.

The CPSC has also defined that any person at the age of 12 years or younger would be seen as children under the eyes of the law and all goods that were manufactured with the objective of marketing predominantly to these group of children will have to adhere to it.

This law also applies to all baby nursery bedding, nursery decoration, toys and children’s products that were manufactured before the date of the law that was implemented. Besides the CPSC also requires all goods that were manufactured after 90 days since the creation of the rule to be assessed by an accredited third party. This is to assure that the manufacturers comply to the safety rules that the Commission has enforced.

In addition, they have shown their determination in making all products extremely safe for use by intending to drop the limits to 300ppm in August and further reduce it again in 2011 to a level which is seen justifiable to the availability of technology by then. However, with the rapid advancement of technology, all toys and baby nursery bedding might contain only traces of lead and would be extremely safe for use in the near future.