Snug As a Bug: Choosing the Perfect Crib Bedding

• Material & Washability:  It's essential that whatever crib bedding you choose should be soft on baby's skin.  Knit cotton, flannel and higher thread count woven cotton crib bedding are all popular options-anything made from 100% Cotton is preferred.  Make sure that the bedding you purchase is machine washable.  With everything else on your plate, you're not going to want to worry about hand-washing or spot-treating.
• Snug as a Bug in a Rug: For your baby's safety, crib bedding must fit the crib mattress snugly. Most cribs are made to a fairly standard size, and most crib bedding is designed to fit a wide variety of crib mattress sizes so it's important that you choose crib bedding that's just the right size, or you can purchase elastic straps that clip to the crib sheet under the mattress to hold the sheet in place.
• Together or Separate: While pre-packaged crib bedding sets may seem appealing at first glance, consider all that's included in one of these sets.  Most crib bedding sets include a crib sheet, comforter, crib bumper pad, ruffle and other accessories.  Organizations like the American Academy of Pediatrics recommend eliminated all extraneous bedding from the crib and question the safety of baby bumpers, so it makes sense to consider purchasing separates.  Don't worry-you can still coordinate patterns. If anything, in purchasing separates, you can mix and match colors and patterns, allowing for more creativity.
• Complete The Look:  Finally-consider overall décor.  If you have stylish modern nursery furniture in mind, coordinate accordingly.