Searching For the Best Material for Your Infant Bedding

Crib bedding for girls: princesses and fairies. Boy baby bedding: the wild, wild west. 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 infant bedding should have some information for you: fill power, fill material, cover fabric, and thread count. Although warmth is very important, you should also confirm that the bedding is light and breathable. Research on the Internet is easy, so take advantage of the resource to investigate potential bedding choices.

Organic fabrics are probably better than non-organic, but the most important thing is to avoid synthetics if you want to reduce the risk of allergies. Although some synthetic fabrics are breathable, most are not. Of equal concern is the emission of fumes that can occur as the fabrics age. If you are leaning toward a crib set such as the Max baby bedding, that is primarily cotton but doesn have some polyester, then you will have to decide if the small risk is worth it to get the bedding you really want.

I love wool blankets - I think they are the softest, most comfortable blankets, especially for babies. Choose unbleached or organic cotton flannel as the backing for a wool blanket. Smaller blankets are perfect for swaddling; larger ones are just right for car trips and naptime.

Because down is a natural material, it provides warmth while remaining light and breathable at the same time. Manufacturers understand that babies can be messy, so most down comforters are machine washable. In order to be sure that your down comforter has the least chance of causing allergies, you want one that has the highest cleanliness rating. The turbidity and oxygen tests are the ones used to measure cleanliness of filler material. A lower number is preferred for the oxygen test, and it should go no higher than 10 (the government standard). The turbidity test works in the opposite way, with a higher number being better.