Snug As a Bug - Choosing the Perfect Crib Bedding

An entire nursery can be designed around the perfect crib bedding. You've got the perfect nursery pictured in your head-right down to the modern nursery furniture and stuffed animals perched on top of the dresser...but wait-not so fast! Choosing the right crib bedding is important, so consider a couple things before rushing into a decision.

• Material & Washability: It's essential that whatever crib bedding you choose should be soft on baby's skin. Knit cotton, flannel and higher thread count woven cotton crib bedding are all popular options-anything made from 100% Cotton is preferred. Make sure that the bedding you purchase is machine washable. With everything else on your plate, you're not going to want to worry about hand-washing or spot-treating.

• Snug as a Bug in a Rug: For your baby's safety, crib bedding must fit the crib mattress snugly. Most cribs are made to be a fairly standard size, and most crib bedding is designed to fit a wide variety of crib mattress sizes so it's important that you choose crib bedding that's just the right size, or you can purchase elastic straps that clip to the crib sheet under the mattress to hold the sheet in place.

• Together or Separate: While pre-packaged crib bedding sets may seem appealing at first glance, consider all that's included in one of these sets. Most crib bedding sets include a crib sheet, comforter, crib bumper pad, ruffle and other accessories.

  rganizations like the American Academy of Pediatrics recommend eliminated all extraneous bedding from the crib and question the safety of baby bumpers, so it makes sense to consider purchasing separates. Don't worry-you can still coordinate patterns. If anything, in purchasing separates, you can mix and match colors and patterns, allowing for more creativity.

• Complete The Look: Finally-consider overall décor. If you have stylish modern nursery furniture in mind, coordinate accordingly.

When it comes to your bedding budget, consider how long you want it to last. Toddler beds often use standard-sized crib bedding, so theoretically, a set of luxury crib bedding could last for years. If you see your family growing in the future, spending more now on nice bedding makes sense. However, if you see yourself redecorating the nursery or should you opt not to use a toddler bed, you might want to go the inexpensive route. Whatever you decide-make sure that you purchase at least three or four sets of crib bedding. You never know when you'll need it!

Jamie Sward has a BA in Journalism from Indiana University. As an expert in Modern Decor and Nursery Furniture, he is dedicated to sharing his expertise with customers on All Modern Baby, a website dedicated to modern nursery furniture, decor and other top-of-the-line products designed to be both functional and stylish.