Business & Finance

There are a lot of new parents who like the looks of baby bedding and go on to purchase it without even considering its functionality. This is unfortunate because this is not the way in which you should go about purchasing baby bedding. Instead, your baby’s safety and comfort should be first and foremost on your list. So, whenever you begin shopping for make sure you keep in mind those things that you should not do, which includes:

1. You should never ignore your baby’s safety. With this being said, you should know that the government has established safety measures that a crib must measure up to. It is important for you to know what these safety measures are so that you can make sure that they are being adhered to. These include having no sharp corners, flimsy wheels or slats that are further than 2.5 inches apart. So, while you can still save money by purchasing a used crib, you need to make sure that these aforementioned rules are being adhered to and that the crib has not been recalled.

2. You should never use any bedding material that your baby may be allergic to. Instead, you should use wool, cotton or another type of baby-friendly synthetic material.

3. Make sure that the baby bedding you use is not soft. Instead, your baby’s bedding should be firm. This is really important because soft baby bedding is one of the leading causes of SIDS (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome).

4. Do not stuff your baby’s crib full of cushions or too many other items. In fact, the AAP (American Academy of Pediatrics) will tell you that pillows, cushions and other soft items should not be left in your crib while your baby is sleeping.

5. You should never use bumper pads. The AAP says that these too increase your baby’s risk of SIDs. If you feel that you really must use them, then you should make sure that the bumper pads are not soft or bulky and that they are securely attached to your crib with any extra string having been removed.

6. Make sure that you do not use rubber sheets. While it use to be thought that these would keep your baby dry and their skin from being irritated, today the opposite is believed to be true. Instead, you should use flannel-lined mattress pads that have been specifically designed to keep everything dry.

Now that you are more knowledgeable about making sure not to do certain things, you should also feel as though you are more knowledgeable about those things that you should do and those things that you should purchase for inside of your baby’s bed. If you keep these things in mind whenever you do your shopping, your baby will be safe and feel secure.