Crib baby bedding is an essential part of baby’s nursery. The colors, patterns and styles of crib bedding available today are nearly endless. From budget to luxury, from classic to ultra-trendy, you can give your baby’s nursery any look you desire with the right crib bedding. The following tips will help you select the perfect crib baby bedding for your baby’s nursery.

Crib Baby Bedding Sets or Separates?

Many crib baby bedding company’s package their products as sets that often include a crib sheet, comforter and crib bumper pad. These sets may also include a crib ruffle and accessories such as diaper stackers or crib mobiles. Babies don’t need comforters, though, and crib bumpers raise some safety concerns. If you won’t use the comforter for nursery decor and don’t want to use a crib bumper, consider crib bedding separates that will allow you to select exactly which pieces you’ll buy and use.

Look for Soft and Washable Crib Baby Bedding

It doesn’t matter whether you spend a little or a lot on the crib sheets your baby will use, but you should make sure that the sheets and other crib baby bedding that will touch baby’s skin is very soft. Knit cotton sheets are popular, as are flannel crib sheets and higher thread-count woven cottons. Choose a fabric that will wash easily, and make sure that all of the bedding pieces can be washed in a machine. Babies make too many messes to deal with hand-washing or spot-treating.

Crib Baby Bedding Must Be Snug

Most baby cribs today are made to a fairly standard size, and most crib baby bedding is designed to fit a wide variety of crib mattress sizes. You may find that your crib baby bedding is slightly larger or smaller than your crib mattress, though, so it’s a good idea to check that everything is the right size before washing the baby bedding for baby’s arrival. For your baby’s safety, crib baby bedding must fit the crib mattress snugly. If you want an extra measure of security, look for elastic straps that clip to the crib sheet under the mattress to hold the sheet in place.

Buy Extra Crib Baby Bedding

Babies make a lot of messes in their early months, so prepare for those messes by buying at least one extra set of baby crib sheets. Having three or four baby crib sheets is even better in case of an extra-messy night. Buying an inexpensive plastic mattress cover to put under the baby crib sheet will help in quick baby bedding changes, too, by keeping the baby crib mattress dry.

How Long Will You Use the Crib Baby Bedding?

When you’re deciding how much to budget for crib baby bedding, consider how long you will want to use the same baby crib sheets or other coordinating pieces. Many toddler beds can use the standard crib-size baby bedding, so a luxury crib baby bedding set could be used for many years. Handing crib baby bedding down to siblings or friends might also warrant spending more on high-quality bedding set. If you’d like to be able to change baby’s nursery decor often, or you don’t intend to use a toddler bed, inexpensive crib bedding or basic crib separates might be a better choice.