Choosing Safe Baby Bedding

by Alan Riley
(Melbourne, Australia)

Welcoming a new baby into your home can be one of the most exciting things you ever do. However, before you bring your baby home you need to make sure that the sleeping environment you have prepared is safe. There are many things like unsafe bedding that can put your baby at risk. This article will help you gain understanding on how to prepare a safe sleeping place for your baby’s welcome home.

1. Old crib vs. new crib: Though an old crib might be cheaper it could cost your baby its health. There are three possible problems with older cribs:

a. Old cribs might be painted with toxic lead paint
b. Old cribs might have bars that are too far apart. If a baby’s head can fit through the bars then there is a risk of entrapment.
c. Old cribs might have bars that are too low, allowing an older baby easy access to climb out.

2. Loose sheets vs. fitted sheets: It is important to have a well fitted mattress and well fitted sheets. Gaps along the edge of a crib can allow for a baby to get their head or a limb caught. Sheets need to fit snugly on the mattress. Options for safe sheets include:

a. Fitted sheets with elastic that go all the way around the perimeter.
b. Sheets that slip onto the mattress like a pillow case.
c. Sheets that attach to the individual bars of the crib.
d. Sheets made from organic cotton, for babies with sensitive skin.

Tight fitting sheets are important to ensure that your baby’s head does not get covered. Head covering is a known factor for SIDS. To avoid this, place your baby at the bottom of the crib so it can not wiggle its way under the top sheet. Alternatively, do away with the top sheet and use a baby sleeping bag instead.

3. Bumper vs. bumper: Many baby bumpers have been proven by child care organizations like the American Academy of Pediatrics to be unsafe. The SIDS First Candle Alliance agrees that baby bumpers are not worth the risk. They advocate avoiding using a bumper because they increase the chances of strangulation, smothering, and entanglement. However, most manufactured crib bedding sets come complete with a bumper. So for those moms who are excited about the lovely pink, fairy or ladybug crib set they have found, there are four options for what to do with the bumper:

a. Use a breathable mesh bumper like those made by BreathableBaby instead.
b. Use a bumper that covers each individual crib slat instead (like those made by Go Mama Go Designs).
c. Don’t use a bumper at all.
d. Assess the supplied bumper, but keep these things in mind:
• Don’t use fluffy pillow like pads that can form a risk of suffocation and re-breathing.
• Don’t use bumpers that only attach at the top. Instead bumpers should have at least 12 ties or Velcro tabs sewn onto the bumper to avoid a baby becoming trapped or tangled.
• Ties should be 7-9 inches so that they won’t be too short or too long.
• Don’t have overlaps or gaps, because they may put a baby at risk of getting trapped in the padding.

4. Clean vs. Convenient: Though it might be convenient to smoke in or near your baby’s room, tobacco smoke has been recognized as a major factor in SIDS. It is best to keep your baby’s room smoke free at all times.

5. Close vs. too close: Keep your baby’s sleeping area close to your sleeping area, but separate. Some mothers choose to sleep in the same bed as their baby, but this can be dangerous, resulting in accidental smothering and crushing. In addition the longer this habit is kept up, the harder it will be for the baby to sleep on its own. It is best to be close, but not too close to your sleeping baby.

6. Warm vs. Overheating: In attempting to make sure their baby is warm, parents may over heat their baby. This is dangerous because overheating is a known factor in SIDS. Parents can avoid this pitfall by using the Tog rating on their baby’s bedding. Tog is an international measuring system of thermal effectiveness. The recommended tog value is 8 for a room at 65 degrees Fahrenheit. The total tog value of a baby’s bedding is the sum of all the tog values of the layers, which includes clothing.

7. Back vs. front: Studies have shown that babies placed on their stomach or side are more susceptible to SIDS. Therefore, always place your baby on their back.

8. Soft vs. Safe: Older children like sleeping with soft pillows and stuffed animals, but these things put an infant at risk of suffocation and re-breathing. Parents should remove all soft toys, pillows, blankets, and soft surfaces from their baby’s crib.

About the Author
Alan Riley is the publisher of www.beautifulbeddingsets.com. This is a website dedicated to helping people find bedding that will fit their exact needs, including baby bedding like JoJo Designs crib bedding. Alan and his family are active members of their church in Melbourne, Australia. Alan also loves to sail during his time off, an activity that makes sleep sound all the better by the end of the day!