by Silva Payne

Created on: August 02, 2009   Last Updated: August 09, 2009

Choosing the best bedding will depend on the age, gender and personal preference of your child and yourself. A child's bed should be a sanctuary. Even if children share a bedroom with siblings, as is still often the case today, their bed should be their's alone. As children grow, their bedding needs change and the vast array of bedding styles and accessories can be bewildering to a budget-conscious parent. Understanding the practicalities of children's bedding can make the choice easier.

Babies are not concerned with what pattern or style their bedding is; they just need somewhere dry, warm and safe to sleep. Newborns are often put to sleep in cribs or moses baskets, which make lovely gifts for a first baby. However, babies grow quickly and can soon be too big for a moses basket, making them an expensive purchase for new parents when so many other items are needed. If you are selecting a moses basket as a gift and you do not know the gender of the new arrival, then white is always a good choice. Even if the basket itself is second hand, the mattress should always be new and should comply to the relevant safety standards. The size of cribs and moses baskets mean that bedding can be adapted from a full-size sheet; simply cut in halves or quarters and hem all the edges. For each complete change of bedding, a bottom sheet is required, plus either a top sheet and at least one blanket, or a coverlet. For young babies, quilts are not recommended as babies cannot move themselves from the quilt to cool down. It is far better to use layers of covering, using clothing as well as sheets and thin blankets. Keep in mind that bedding will need to be changed at least once and probably two or three times a day, so a polyester-cotton mix is the ideal easy wash/quick dry fabric. Acrylic blankets are also easy to wash and dry as needed.

When the baby moves to a cot, the same principles apply as for a moses basket. However, now the choice of designs and patterns suddenly becomes much greater, with added accessories such as bumpers and matching curtains! The choice of style and patter are a personal decision for the parent, although creating a co-ordinated theme for the child's bedroom can be achieved by mixing and matching two or three different sets of bedding, with a base colour or perhaps blue or yellow. Again, cot mattresses should always be purchased new, and should fit snugly into the bottom of the cot base. To keep the bottom sheet from getting ruffled up around the baby's

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