Caution Before Everything Else: Selecting the Optimal Baby Bedding Set

With just about any theme, style, and color combination you can dream of available for your baby's nursery and bedding, it's no wonder that so many new parents get confused about how to decorate their nursery. Looking for animal designs? You can find anything and everything - from caterpillar baby bedding to gorillas. Are you considering angels as a theme? How many different angel styles can there be? Well over 100. And if you want nursery rhymes or cartoon characters, put aside a couple of weeks just to browse!

Whether it's boy crib bedding or baby girl, with so many adorable choices, your first instinct might be to just buy it all. I know parents love to look at that perfect nursery, but quite honestly, your baby isn't going to care. Here are some things that your baby actually will care about:

- Bumper pads have become somewhat controversial, as there is some evidence that they may do more harm than good. It is all too easy for an active infant to pull a bumper loose and get it over his or her face. If this happens at night, a parent may not even realize until the next morning. If you decide to put crib bumpers in, be sure that they are properly secured and that any ties are on the outside of the railings. But the far better option is to just remove the pads completely, at least until the end of year one.

- You won't find sheet sets for cribs, because babies don't use flat sheets or pillowcases, just the fitted sheet. Make sure that all crib sheets you buy fit the mattress tightly. If they don't, get elastic clips to hold them in place. If a crib sheet isn't properly secured, it can pop off the mattress and become a suffocation hazard. Diaper leaks are inevitable so consider a mattress protector and avoid white sheets!

- As far as blankets go, babies don't need to be any warmer than adults, and loose blankets can also cause problems. Stick with a sleep sack instead. One other thing that you need to keep out of the crib is pillows and stuffed animals - they're a suffocation hazard.

When choosing a baby crib bedding set, get something safe. With the number of choices available, you'll be able to find a bedding set that's both safe and cute.