Crib Bedding Guide

Whether purchasing crib bedding as a baby shower gift or for your own anticipated little bundle of joy, there are several things to consider when putting together a new nursery. Crib bedding comes in sets or a la carte, and the variety of themes, color schemes, materials and prices is about as endless as a night with a colicky baby.

Even in an age where an expected newborns’ gender is no longer a mystery, gender neutral themes are still popular and so we will begin with them. One can never go wrong with the classics as they will always and forever be in style, much as they were when the parents or even the grandparents themselves were children.

Classical themes include such perennial favorites as Winnie the Pooh Crib Bedding, Sesame Street, Snoopy, Disney or Warner Brother’s characters and bible stories like Noah’s Ark. These themes are timeless and much beloved and sharing them with the next generation is a time-honored tradition. Or you may choose a theme in keeping with a hit movie of the day such as the characters from children's movies such as Madagascar, Happy Feet or G-Force.

Bears and Ducks
Other gender-neutral themes include teddy bears, insects, ducks, and rainbows. Another way of decorating would be to integrate solid colors in the room and accent them with themes that compliment those colors. Colors suitable for both boys and girls are pastels such as green, very light blue, yellow, violet and ivory. It’s easy to accent those colors with pillows, mobiles and décor that follow Winnie the Pooh, for example, or colorful bears and friendly bugs. Television, also, is a great resource for popular themes as there are commercially-licensed products from a number of Nickelodeon shows like the BackYardigans, Lil’ Bill, Sponge Bob and Blues Clues, all very popular with the little-kid set.

For a more gender-specific room, expectant parents of girls will look to the feminine themes: princesses, ballerinas, butterflies, lady bugs, floral patterns, and themes from movies and literature. These would include Cinderella, The Little Mermaid, Snow White, Minnie Mouse, Barbie, Sleeping Beauty, Alice in Wonderland, Dora the Explorer, Mary Poppins and Beauty and the Beast. Solid colors for girls would be any and all shades of pink in solids or gingham, polka-dot or pink floral with character accents.

Those decorating for a little prince would do well with generic themes such as dinosaurs, sports, pirates, trucks, fire and police themes, safari, nautical and construction. Bugs such as friendly worms, dragonflies and jolly spiders work well too. Or parents may choose themes from cinema or literature such as WALL-E, Mickey Mouse, Bob the Builder, Go Diego Go, Monsters, Inc. and Pinocchio. Color schemes would include all shades of blue, blue camouflage, stripes or soft stripes and checks.

Crib bedding can be very expensive and especially so if one is looking to decorate with designer sets. The boutique brand New GEENNY manufactures sets for both boys and girls and can be purchased for under $100 for a thirteen-piece set. The sets include a comforter, crib bumper, fitted crib sheet, crib skirt, diaper stacker, toy bag, two throw pillows and three wall hangings. Additional items such as window treatments, mobiles, lamps, wallpaper borders and accents are sold separately.

Another popular designer is CoCaLo. A little pricier than New GEENNY, a six-piece set begins at around $140 and includes the crib bumper, quilt, crib skirt, sheet, diaper stacker and valance. Matching items are all sold separately.

A higher-end brand is Lambs and Ivy and crib bedding sets begin around $180 for a six-piece set that includes the quilt, bumper, sheet, dust ruffle, valance and diaper stacker. For less than $150 one can purchase a four-piece set that includes a quilt, sheet, dust ruffle and bumper. An enormous variety of add-ons such as matching chairs, wallpaper, window treatments and décor is offered as well.

Crib bedding sets for portable cribs is also available and makes for a lovely gift for grandparents who will no doubt be setting up a room in their homes for the new arrival which will most likely include a portable crib. Tadpoles offers a lovely organic set for portable cribs for under $50 and includes a bumper, coverlet and fitted sheet. Sweet Dreams and American Baby both offer sets in a variety of colors and fabrics that can easily lend itself to any décor.

Environmentally conscious buyers will find an extraordinary collection of lovely prints and colors through several companies offering organic cotton. Argington, Tabpoles, Summer Infant and American Baby all manufacture organic crib bedding sets. Though a little pricier than the rest, organic crib bedding comes in a variety of colors and textures that will beautify a room or make a thoughtful gift. Organic cotton costs a little more because it is grown without the use of pesticides or fertilizers which contain chemicals that are harmful to the environment. These methods cost a little more because organic farmers don’t receive government subsidies, there are not that many of them and so the products that they use are not in great demand. The methods used to control pests are quite expensive and not readily available. But that “organic” label is important to people who take green living seriously, and so it is worth the extra costs associated with ecologically sound buying.

Ebay is an excellent resource for crib bedding that is gently used. Vintage crib bedding can be found on Ebay or Etsy, which is also a great place to find hand-crafted items lovingly made by talented artists.

Most importantly, crib bedding should be safe. It is imperative that the sheets fit the mattress firmly, and that the bumpers are tied securely to the rails. Items such as extra pillows, stuffed animals or blankets should be removed from the crib before the baby is set down so as to avoid the risk of suffocation or overheating. Other safety considerations for crib bedding include pre-washing all of the items in fragrance-free laundry soap as to remove surface chemicals.