Baby nursery bedding: Safety is a major concern

Baby nursery bedding is the most vital part of a newborn child’s room. A neonate will spend a lot of his/her time sleeping in the crib, so the bedding must be comfortable and safe for him/her. It is never possible to know what allergies your newborn may have, so it is better to walk the safe path while choosing the perfect bedding for him/her, than to experiment with less-used options only to regret it in the long run.

Cotton, especially organic cotton, is the most popular material for babies’ nursery bedding, and with good reason, too. Organic cotton is easy to wash, and very durable. It is free from any sort of chemicals.  Even the processing of this type of cotton is done by natural methods. Even colors used in organic cotton bedding are made of natural substances. Thus organic cotton is an anti-allergenic fiber that is perfectly safe for your baby.

Baby nursery bedding usually consists of six items, namely, mattress pad, mattress cover, bumper pad, baby quilt, baby blanket, and bed-sheet. If possible, you should avoid baby quilts and baby blankets till the baby is at least a year old. Till then, it is best to invest in a sleep sack. A sleep sack is a wearable blanket that will keep the head of your baby exposed, thereby eliminating chances of suffocation. You can prevent SIDS to a great extent by using sleep sacks. Buy the sacks with organic cotton covers to ensure maximum comfort and safety for the baby.

The structure and fittings of the items in nursery bedding must be good. Keep the following points in mind when preparing nursery bedding for the neonate.

1. The mattress and bumper pads should fit firmly against the walls of the crib. The bumper pads should cover up the gaps in the crib wall so that the baby cannot accidentally push his/her arms out of those.


2. There should be no lumps in the mattress. Lumpy mattresses can cause major discomfort and even back pain in babies.


3. Never use pillows in a crib. It can cause damage to a baby's neck muscles.


4. The structure of the bedding should be such that the items can be taken out easily for cleaning. Avoid cluttering the crib with toys, extra blankets and quilts.

The price tag of nursery bedding items made of organic cotton may be slightly higher than other types of bedding items. But, the safety and comfort provided by this type of bedding overshadows this minor drawback.