What Bedding Do You Need For A Baby?
Bedding is a really fun way to add some colour and style to a bedroom. Even if you’ve got minimalist white walls, you can change the bedding and change the whole vibe of the room. We love playing with different fabrics and accessories, but what bedding do you actually NEED for a baby? What bedding should you use in a cot, and is it different for a cot bed? What bedding should you avoid in a cot?
In this article we’ll explain the guidelines for a safe baby sleep space and how you can create a cot or cot bed that combines style and safety.
Guidelines
In the UK, parents are advised by the NHS, their midwives, GPs and Health Visitors to follow the Safer Sleep Guidelines outlined by the Lullaby Trust. These are guidelines based on evidence found through scientific studies into Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS). The guidelines aim to mitigate the risk factors for SIDS, which have been identified in those global and local studies. The Lullaby Trust is a charity who collate and examine the latest research into SIDS in order to advise and guide medical professionals, parents and carers.
The Safer Sleep Guidelines advise that for a baby under one year old:
- Always place your baby on their back to sleep
- Keep your baby smoke free during pregnancy and after birth
- Place your baby to sleep in a separate cot or Moses basket in the same room as you for the first 6 months
- Breastfeed your baby
- Use a firm, flat, waterproof mattress in good condition
- Never sleep on a sofa or in an armchair with your baby
- Don’t sleep in the same bed as your baby if you smoke, drink or take drugs or are extremely tired, if your baby was born prematurely or was of low birth-weight
- Avoid letting your baby get too hot
- Don’t cover your baby’s face or head while sleeping or use loose bedding
0-6 Months
As a clear moses basket, crib or bedside sleeper is the safest option for a young baby, all you really need is a fitted sheet that’s the right size for the bed, onto which you will lay them while they wear an appropriate baby sleep bag or swaddle.
The Kabode range of fitted sheets comes in colourful two packs so you can have one on the bed and one in the wash. The soft rainbow print or cute wildlife print will add some detail and character to your baby's crib. Our fitted sheets are made from 100% organic cotton, so are super soft and free of toxic chemicals which could irritate delicate newborn skin.
6-12 Months
Once baby gets too big for their crib or moses basket, they will move into a cot or cot bed - possibly in their own room if they are 6 months+.
Their cot mattress will need a well fitted sheet in cot or cot bed size. Underneath the fitted sheet you can use a mattress protector to add a waterproof layer to the mattress, in line with the Safer Sleep Guidelines. Our Bamboo mattress protectors are super absorbent and finished with a snuggly terry texture to keep the mattress and your baby dry in case of any accidents.
1-4 Years
As a baby grows older, beyond the first year, you can introduce a duvet and a low pillow, and add layers such as a quilt on colder nights if your little one is feeling the chill.
By this stage your child will have started to show you what interests them and what they like, so the Kabode bedding range can spark their imagination! From marching robots to an illustrated alphabet there’s a choice of patterns to engage and delight them, and hopefully help them to see that bed is a great place to be!
It is still important to reduce the risk of a child overheating beyond the first year, and giving them a wool duvet is one way to do that. Kabode’s essential wool duvet is made from 100% Australian wool, certified by Woolmark, and covered with 100% organic cotton.
The wool is held in a stitched, quilted pockets to keep it evenly distributed across the duvet and keep an even heat across the surface. As a totally natural fibre wool is clever stuff which keeps you cool in the Summer and warm in the Winter. Unlike synthetic fibre filled duvets wool allows airflow and doesn’t trap heat and make your child sweaty in the night.
Whether your child sleeps in a cot or a cot bed is down to your preference as a family, depending on the space and furniture you have available as well as the size of the child. However regardless of the size of the bed itself, choose your child’s bedding according to the guidelines explained above and you can create a comfortable, cosy sleep space that is all their own.
Whether you decide to go for different patterns to mix it the style from week to week, or stick to one design that goes with the rest of the room, you can rest assured that Kabode bedding can survive daily (and nightly!) life with kids, as it can all be machine washed (even the waterproof mattress protector and wool duvet) and is built to last.