Your baby’s crib sheet protector is a more important piece of parenting gear than you might ever have imagined. As you look into crib sheets, have you thought about a crib sheet protector, or about getting hypoallergenic crib sheets? Read on for some of the ways your sheets can affect your baby.
- Sheets can affect your baby’s skin. Babies are prone to allergies and irritations fo the skin and hypoallergenic sheets are a great way to protect them. After all, newborn babies are spending between 10.5 and 18 hours a day asleep. That’s a lot of time in the crib and a lot of time on sheets or a crib sheet protector. Make sure the materials your baby is spending so much time on are protecting her from allergens and other skin irritants. Plain, organic cotton sheets or an organic cotton crib sheet protector will ensure that your baby has a great and healthy start in life.
- The sheets and crib sheet protector you choose can protect your baby from more than allergies. Soft bedding presents a real hazard to your baby, and Sudden Infant Death Syndrome, or SIDS, is strongly linked to those cozy blankets and soft sheets you’ve thought about getting for baby. The smartest move is to get simple, organic cotton sheets with a good hypoallergenic crib sheet protector for baby to sleep on. The crib protector should fit tightly over the mattress and allow no more than two adult finger’s width of space between the edge of the mattress and the side of the crib. Then, if you ‘re concerned about keeping your baby warm, either use the swaddling method or infant sleep sacks. You can also buy warm pajamas that will cover their feet and everything up to the neck, and this a much better idea than giving your baby lots of soft things to snuggle in.
- Skip the pillows to Keep baby safe. The National Institutes of Child Health and the Consumer Product Safety Commission both recommend that all pillows, quilts, sheepskin items, comforters, and even stuffed animals be out of your baby’s crib. It’s not safe to give your child a pillow until he or she is at least two years old and sleeping in a regular style of bed. Of particular concern are any cushions or pillows that are filled with bean-bag chair sort of pellets or foam beads. These have a strong association with suffocation deaths among infants and small children.
Your child depends on you to keep him safe. The pillows, blankets, pajamas, sheets, and even crib sheet protectors you choose are an important part of your infant’s safe transition into toddlerhood and then childhood. Make sure you’re protecting your little loved ones with the best and safest kinds of textiles.