A baby bedding set is the next logical purchase after buying the crib. A large number of crib bedding sets will include many different items, but you might find that you don’t really need them all. Bare is best when it comes to baby bedding: pediatricians recommend keeping all unnecessary bedding out of the crib. Babies are a messy lot, so 4 or 5 crib sheets will serve you well. Spend your money on getting really good sheets, instead of on a designer bedding set that isn’t even recommended to stay in the crib.
Neither bumper pads nor comforters are recommended for newborns, as they both increase the risk of suffocation. Most parents worry about their baby getting too cold, but this problem is easily solved with swaddling blankets or a sleep sack. Sleep sacks have become a commonplace item these days. While a bit difficult to explain to someone who’s never seen one before, a photograph will clear things up instantly. Swaddling blankets are now much more than just a square of cloth. There are various styles that come with fasteners so you can make sure the blanket fits snugly and won’t come loose. Swaddling is supposed to mimic the close quarters of the uterus, and it comforts many newborns. If you rock your baby a lot, you might still want a quilt or blanket to wrap around him or her. You’ll be fine as long as you remember not to leave the blanket in the crib with the baby.
You might be considering a sleep wedge for your baby. After all, it’s supposed to reduce the risk of SIDS, something most new parents worry about. But a young baby is unable to roll onto his tummy anyway – just put him to bed on his back and you should be fine. The argument becomes even less convincing when you realize that foam wedges are a kind of soft bedding that can become a suffocation hazard.
Aside from the standard bedding, a crib set can also include a diaper stacker, a toy bag, or even a window valance. While these add tremendously to the look of the nursery, they are quite honestly not needed.
If you really care about the look of the nursery (and who doesn’t?), then thing about a neutral crib set like Hot Cocoa crib bedding. It’s much more cost effective because you can use it again and again, regardless of the sex of your next baby.
I definitely second your remarks about swaddling blankets, I could never swaddle my baby the way I saw it done in the hospital, so getting a modern designed swaddling blanket was what made swaddling easy for me. As for fabrics, I stayed away from polyesters and synthetic fabrics because seemed to make our baby’s eczema worse, so it was only natural fabrics for us, and there’s no question in my mind, merino fabric is by far the best, I recommend it to all my friends having babies now. This is the website where I got my merino swaddling blankets.