Baby Gear Reviews - Bedding and Things

On every baby registry list out there it suggests purchasing a themed bedding set. Many people do this because it starts to create the theme for their room (and they are all ADORABLE.) Even before we knew our theme, we decided that we were not going to purchase a set. The set usually comes with a comforter that you can’t put in the bed with them, a sheet that is usually scratchier than the single sheets you can buy, a crib skirt, sometimes a bumper (although they’re illegal to sell in Maryland now) and a curtain for one window. We thought if we saw a theme we loved, we could get the accent pieces but would not pay all that money to have things we couldn’t/wouldn’t use. Once we picked Mario as a theme and found that didn’t really exist in baby land, we went with red and blue things and DIY accents.

Receiving blankets – We registered for a couple packs, and we got those and more. We also received several nicer-than-flannel-rectangle handmade ones from friends and relatives. We tend to use the handmade ones as actual blankets and the flannel ones as puke covers, eating shields, cleaners, floor protectors, etc. If I had it to do over again I’d probably not even register for them because lots of people make them or grab a random pack and add them to a gift. They’re useful for a variety of purposes though. Our baby did not like to be swaddled, so I could wrap it around him for warmth when he was new but the standard sized ones wouldn’t be very useful for long term swaddling if the baby got long quickly like ours did. (Status: received as gifts. If I had gotten zero blankets, I would have purchased some. Would have considered used because they’re easily washable.)

Sleepsack – We use this almost every night. At first we used the pj's that are sacks at the bottom but his legs got too long pretty quickly for the one size fits all. We did not use the swaddle one because he hated not having access to his hands and arms. They seem so big at first, and then the baby grows, and all of a sudden you realize the poor baby can’t straighten their legs so you go and buy bigger ones which seem huge. We personally love them. On warm nights, he just wears a long sleeve onesie and the sleepsack. On the coldest of cold nights (his room is a mess temperature wise) he wears a short sleeve onesie, zip up pj’s and then the sleepsack. He also wears one at daycare. (Status: received as gift and hand me downs in small size, purchased our own larger sizes when it was time. Received swaddle version as gift and handed it down to a swaddle happy baby. Would have considered used but I didn’t see any at yard sales and the shop didn’t have one to price check the day I was there. Will continue to shop at yard sales for bigger future sizes since they’re easily washable.)

Miracle blanket – We were really looking forward to the magic of this, but he hated it. If he had hated it and been a bad sleeper, we would have tried again. But when we unswaddled him, he would relax and fall asleep so we figured he was ok. (Status: received as gift. Would have purchased and considered used. Handed down the one we had to a swaddle happy baby.)

Crib sheets – We haven’t gone through these as much as I thought we would, however, all it takes is one illness and that will change. We have 4, but we could have done with 2 or even 1 at this point. We keep the bed made with a waterproof mattress cover, a sheet, another mattress cover, and another sheet. That way if he spits up in bed we don’t have to dig around in the closet in the middle of the night. He’s been ok (knock on wood) leaky diaper wise, but I can imagine that will be increasingly difficult as he and his bladder grow as well. (Status: purchased ourselves on sale. It’s hard to find crib sheets for cheap, even my mom had difficulty finding them not in big baby stores.)

Pack n play sheets – We thought we needed more than we really did. He has 1 spare at daycare in addition to the one on his crib, but we just wash and send the same daily one back each week. He sleeps in the pack n play so infrequently that we didn’t need as many spares as we thought. That’s ok, because we’ve used them for other things. Oh, and we did get one quilted one that I really like the thickness of, but the first time it went through the wash it got all pilly. I'm thinking it'd be fine if I put a regular sheet over it just for extra padding, but I haven't had the chance to try that yet. (Status: Some gifts, some purchased ourselves. Bought new, would be ok used.)

Waterproof mattress pad/cover – I personally view it as a necessity even though the mattress has a cover. They claim it’s waterproof but another layer makes me feel better. (Status: purchased ourselves. Purchased new. Bedding type things with plastic tend to wear down through washings.)

Small pads that are the same as waterproof mattress pads (I think they might be waterproof changing table pads) – We used these a ton for him to sit on during his spit up times. They’re easier to clean than the carpet! On weeks when he’s spitting up several times a day, they’re vital. Also in the beginning when he would pee on everything every day, the 3 changing pad covers weren't enough and we'd use these. This week, I don’t know where they are. (Status: purchased ourselves to solve a problem we were having. Purchased new.)

Changing Pad Covers - We have 3, and could probably make do with 2. It's nice to have more than 1. Only one is red and matches the room theme, but that's ok because that's life! (Status: Received as gifts. Would have purchased. Would have considered used as long as they were in decent shape.)