Tip one: Keep it clean
Ever thought about how many hands your baby’s products have been through before you got a chance to purchase for your little one? Do remember that baby bedding should be laundered before you use it for your baby to ensure that it is clean before touching your baby’s precious skin. Once your precious bundle is home, you will need to follow a washing rota for the myriad elements of your baby cot bedding. Here is a great guide to what you should be washing, when:- Sheets: Every three days
- Pillowcases: Every three days
- Crib bumper: Once per week
- Blankets and comforters: Bi-monthly
- Mattress pad: Once per month
Sheets: These are the most heavily used textiles in your baby’s crib. They bear the brunt of milk and food spills and, basically, anything that comes off or out of your precious baby can easily make a home on the sheets (think skin, saliva etc.). Without effective care, bacteria and pests can make a home in this bed linen, and so, staying on top of hygiene is critical. It is worth noting that special detergent is available on the market for baby’s delicate skin and if your child is prone to skin conditions, giving them a try might help.
Pillowcases: It is very common for babies to drool and vomit on their pillowcases. Again, this is another element of your baby’s bed linen that can attract bacteria and pests. Wash every three days to keep sanitary.
Crib bumper: As with all bed linen, do your own research on their suitability in light of the risk bed linen can play in SIDS. Some parents choose to use cot bumpers to protect baby’s head from the hard edges of the crib.
Blankets and comforters: These are another element of bed linen that do require regular washing – but they are not as prone to soiling as sheets. Washing these every two weeks should suffice. To keep them nice and soft, try using the lowest setting on your machine.
Mattress pad: Since your baby’s mattress pad is covered by sheets, there is no need to launder as often as you would launder your sheets. Dust, dirt, skin and hair may become trapped in the fibres and accumulate. You should take the mattress outside once per month and beat it with a rug beater and use a brush to remove tangled debris. If the mattress is waterproof, you can wipe off the stains with a damp cloth.
Your baby cot bedding cleaning kit should include the following:- A gentle scrub brush
- Vacuum cleaner
- Clean microfibre cloths
- Baby soap
- White distilled vinegar
- Baking soda
- Rubbing alcohol
It is recommended that it is safest to clean baby bedding by washing in the machine using unscented, hypoallergenic laundry detergent. This form of detergent will not irritate the skin, which might be common with scented detergent. A hot water cycle is advised at a high temperature and is most effective at killing the dust mites and bacteria which may irritate delicate skin. Always check the labels of fabric before washing.
Another option is antibacterial laundry detergent. Place bedding in a deep wash in a hot water cycle.
When storing bedding, do ensure you dry completely, as damp linen will promote mildew and this might have a deleterious effect on your child’s health.
Buying high quality baby cot linen will ensure that no matter how many washes, they stay looking beautiful. Check out Dragon’s Luxury Bedding Sets
.
Tip 2: Mattress Matters
The selection of the mattress for your baby’s cot is a prime area where you can ensure the health and wellbeing of your child when selecting baby crib bedding. While re-gifting the cot itself is perfectly lovely and on-point environmentally, the same logic does not extend to mattresses - these should always be new. It is critical that the cot mattress have the recommended level of firmness.
This is due to the fact that SIDS death is increased due to lack of mattress firmness as babies might not be able to push up from the mattress in order to be able to breathe if they are not strong enough. It is also worth noting that for a baby, a mattress can never be too firm. Newborn baby’s spines need far more support than adult spines do. Ensure that you buy the right mattress, designed for their growing bones. Dragons is as passionate as you are about catering for baby’s needs and you can find details of Dragons' mattress collection here.
Joy Archer is a trained journalist who defected from her job in the City to become an interior designer. Now, many fabulous projects later she combines her writing skills with her love of all things interiors and babies in her role as PR for Dragons of Walton Street. Joy’s favourite Dragons piece is the huge friendly brown lion which she pats every morning for good luck.