Picking the Best Fabric for Your Baby Crib Bedding » Parent Plaza

Girl baby bedding: pink and frilly. Boy baby bedding: baseball or football. I think you've forgotten something! You need to choose your baby bedding carefully, because it's more than just a decoration.

You or your family members may have allergies to certain fabrics, so you avoid those, but your new baby doesn't come with a list of its allergies. So choose the bedding material first and then worry about your nursery's theme. Quality nursery bedding will have a list of fill materials and fill power - higher fill means fluffier and longer-lasting. It will also tell you the thread cound and the cover fabric. The bedding needs to be warm, breathable, and lightweight. The Internet makes it easy to find out the construction materials for a wide variety of crib bedding choices, so do some research before you buy.

No one wants their baby to suffer from allergies, so choose fabrics that reduce the risk, like cotton or wool (that also includes alpaca or llama wool). You need to be very careful about synthetic materials as there are concerns about them. As they age, they might break down and emit fumes, and many of them do not breathe. If you are leaning toward a crib set such as the Max 4pc baby bedding set, then you will need to consider that it does contain some amount of polyester, and decide if that risk is worth it.

I love wool blankets - I think they are the softest, most comfortable blankets, especially for babies. Wool blankets are fabulous with a cotton flannel backing. Choose your blanket size based on usage - small blankets for swaddling and big blankets for car trips or daycare.

Down comforters can be a great choice - they have a natural filler that is both lightweight and warm at the same time. Manufacturers understand that babies can be messy, so most down comforters are machine washable. The cleaner the down inside the comforter, the less likely it will cause sensitivities. Cleanliness of down can be measured using either the turbidity test or the oxygen test. The oxygen test has a government standard of 10 but a lower number is better. Turbidity is measured in the opposite direction - that is, a higher number is better. The top of the turbidity scale is somewhere around 550.

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