Tips for Buying a Baby Crib and Nursery Bedding

Shopping for a baby crib can be a mind-boggling task with the endless styles currently available. It used to be that parents could buy a boring white crib that was pretty much the same one that everyone else had. Today, there is a dizzying choice of colors, prices colors and materials such as iron, wood and even mod plastic.

Cribs have changed a lot in 5 years, so be careful if you are borrowing a hand-me-down one. Check the government's recall website to be certain that your crib doesn't have any associated problems. You want to check for things like lead-based paints or metals, or that the slats are not wide enough for your baby to get his head through. Gone are the days of the side panels on cribs that can slide up and down. In the last year, the government has deemed these dangerous enough to severely hurt or even kill a child if the side inadvertently drops down.

Convertible Cribs are nifty because they can convert beyond just the role of an ordinary crib for infanthood. Once your little one has outgrown using it as a standard crib, simply unscrewing a few bolts allows this style of bed to turn into a toddler or day bed by removing the side rail. Then when your kid hits childhood and is ready for their own big girl/boy bed, a few more screws are removed to create just a headboard where you just add a twin mattress. These beds save you pennies in the long run, as they can last as long as the child lives under your roof.

Cribs no longer just come in white! The sheer variety of colorful cribs now is staggering. If you want a traditional look, you can stick with a white or black crib; however, there is an array of pastels and bold hues that will certainly give the nursery a whimsical vibe with a jolt of color. You could opt for a stained wood look as well, which is always warm and inviting.

Any soon-to-be mother can vouch for how much fun it is to shop for crib bedding. Forget about the days when bedding was just about bunnies and bears in pink or blue. Today, baby nursery bedding is as fashionable (and can be as expensive) as adult bedding. Fun prints, elegant color and luxurious fabrics are sure to create the perfect backdrop for that new crib. You can choose sets with many coordinating pieces, such as a crib skirt, blanket, sheet and bumpers; or you can piece separates together and just mix and match those parts that you're most interested in. You can purchase sets right off the shelf or even go custom depending on your budget.

Be sure to buy baby bedding that is washable, as it's inevitable that baby will spit up or have an accident. Check out online sources for bedding and decor, as you can often find designs that are not sitting on big box baby store shelves that can be pretty pedestrian and found in your neighbor's nursery. If you want something a little different, don't hesitate to look beyond department stores for way more options and variety.