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.There are several different options when it comes to considerations for baby crib bedding sets. Perhaps the most important is the type of material that the baby nursery bedding is actually made of. There are a great number of choices, however cotton, cotton blends or organic cottons are by far the most common.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.For those wanting very durable, soft and comfortable baby bedding other options for fabric include flannel and knit cotton. These two options are soft, smooth and warm, even in the colder seasons. It is essential to touch the baby bedding yourself, regardless of the fabric, to make sure it is smooth, soft and gentle for contact with the baby’s skin.As with regular sheets and linens, higher thread counts mean softer, more luxurious fabrics. High thread count cotton will be a bit more expensive, however it will stand up to repeated washings and drying and continue to look wonderful much longer than cheaper sheets and sets.Buying either baby crib bedding sets or separates will also be an important consideration. Family members may decide to make baby bedding a theme for a baby shower, allowing the family to be to have a wide selection of sets and separates to choose from. Typically most baby bedding sets will include bumpers, ruffles or dust ruffles, comforters or quilts and crib sheets. Some also come with additional features, although the most used will typically be the crib sheet and perhaps the bumpers.Choosing separates means that it is possible to mix and match colors and even to combine different patterns of crib sheets, ruffles and baby bedding options. Even though most babies will not need a comforter, it can be a nice addition to the crib when not in use. For separates, choose a solid colored comforter that will match all the various colors of your crib sheets.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.
Tag: baby nursery bedding
A safe baby bedding
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 the question, is your nursery 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 are comfortable for babies, but on the other hand, they might be dangerous too.As infants are too weak, when their heads are being laid onto a soft mattress, they might not have the ability to roll over to recover from the dangerous position. Fatal accidents might happen 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. Parents can simply 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.
Suffocation can also be caused by the bumper pads that are added in the crib. 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. Few parents suggest to buy firmer bumper pads while others just remove all of them from the crib. The latter being the best method because, though rare, there are also cases of strangulation by the strings of the bumper pads and suffocation when babies are pressed between the bumper pads and another object.
Researchers also found that there are toxic gases in beddings which can harm the baby’s health . They discovered that there are chemical compounds containing phosphorous and arsenic which are used as fire retardants, are being included in mattresses which can be very unsafe for children. 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 found 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 new bedding instead of 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 have a good rest every night without worries.
Some things to note when selecting a baby mattress
When shopping for a baby nursery bedding, many parents do not put too much thoughts into the choosing of mattresses for babies. But there are areas where parents should take note of to make sure that safety is not compromised and yet your baby still feels comfortable sleeping in it.
Most parents commonly buy mattresses off the rack without much thought. When shopping for baby mattresses, different parents look out for different things such as price, comfort and size. However, what is cheap may lack some safety features that may harm your child and what is may seem cozy and comfortable for adults may not be seen as the same way your your baby.
The one thing that one should consider first, size. When one chooses the size, parents must make sure that the size fits the crib or baby nursery bedding that you already own. Most mattresses are made in a standard size these days so that shouldn’t be a problem, but as the safety of the child is involved, it is better to make sure that the size fits rather than simply assuming.
When there is too big a gap between the crib and the mattress, your baby’s hand might get caught in the gap, and not knowing better, they may injure themselves as they roll around or result in their feet getting caught when they start to walk.
When parents shop for mattresses, they can make sure that there is no more than one finger spacing between the crib and the mattress. With such a small gap, this would make sure that there is no extra space that would end up injuring your little one.
The other area that we should consider next is comfort. For parents, a cusy and cozy mattress may be the best for a comfortable night’s rest but for babies and toddler, the mattress should not be too soft. This is especially important for newborns. Newborns are unable to roll around in bed, and be having a firm mattress, it allows the baby to turn over easily as compared to a soft mattress. This is crucial, if your baby has her face down and if the mattress is too soft, resulting in difficulty in turning over, it may actually end up in serious consequences.
Adults can make sure that the mattress is not too soft by pushing their hand down into the mattress. The harder to press, the firmer it is, the better the mattress. Well, the mattress cannot be too hard or it would be too uncomfortable for your little one.
Lastly, the price. Many mums and dads have trouble selecting which material should be the appropriate one. Do not worry, foam or coil, it is equally well if it follows the above measures.
So choose wisely when selecting the baby nursery bedding for your hild and it will give your precious baby a good rest through the night!!
CPSC on lead poisoning
The Consumer Products Safety Commission (CPSC) was formed in the 1970s and for more than 30 years, it has taken the responsibility of protecting consumers against risks of injuries resulting from the use of consumer products. The Consumer Product safety Improbvement Act (CPSIA) was registered into the American law to further strengthen the safety measures required in consumer products.
Lately, through the law, the Commission has aimed to substantially reduce children’s exposure to lead. Lead poisoning may cause 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 Commission observed the graveness 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 law and all products that were made with the intention of selling mainly to the these group of children will have to comply 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. The Commission also requires all finished products that were made after 90 days since the creation of the rule to be assessed by an accredited third party. This is to ensure that the manufacturers adhere 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 reasonable according to the technology available 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.
Baby: A safe sleep
Babies spend most of their time sleeping. They can sleep for more than 16 hours in a day, sleeping for about 3 hours during each rest period. Therefore taking into account the huge amount of time infants sleep, it is essential to identify the safety issues when babies go to bed.
First and foremost, co-sleeping with your baby is not safe. Especially adults who are heavy sleepers, they might accidently crush or suffocate the baby. In addition, babies usually co-sleep together on their parents’ bed, there are heavy quilts and blankets that might accidently cover their face and cause the 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 crib will have no risks of parents accidently crushing their babies. Furthermore, there won’t be any heavy quilts and blankets that might 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 dissuade by many as they are afraid that the blanket may carelessly cover the baby’s head, however some parents are afraid that their baby may catch a cold at night. Actually, there is a safe way of using a blanket that can avoid such incidents from happening 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, it will not be easy for your baby to be covered by the blanket and there will be less risk of him sleeping at night with the blanket.
Another way of sleeping safely is to always let your baby sleep on her back. Sleeping on your baby’s tummy may have risks of choking when your baby faces down on the mattress. Babies are too weak to roll around and recover from such 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 is close to something which makes them feel safe and at ease. However, it is still not advisable to let your baby sleep on her front untill, possibly when she has the ability to be able to roll over in bed by herself.
When your baby goes to bed, try to dress your baby in light sleep clothing to avoid your baby from feeling too warm. It is at best to keep the nursery room at room temperature so that your baby will feel neither too cold nor warm. If the room is flushed with heat, get a fan to gently cool the area so that your baby will feel comfortable when sleeping.
Looking 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!