Kaboutjie SA Mommy Blogs by Lynne Huysamen
If you thought shopping for your kid’s bedroom bedding would be a walk in the park, you may be in for a shock. There are simply so many factors to consider.
If you want the very best for your kids – be they infants, toddlers, or kindergarten age – you need to be a little bit more systematic when selecting bedding. You must keep in mind important factors which impact not just the look and atmosphere of your children’s bedrooms but also their health and safety.
Step 1: Pick the safest materials for your children’s bedding
Given the fact that little kids spend as much as 12 hours under their bedding, you need to be extra careful about the materials they are exposed to.Sadly, most kids’ bedding material are either synthetic or made up of cotton that’s been heavily processed using harsh chemicals. These items often have trace chemical residues. Many sets are coloured by chemical non-natural dyes.
Exposing your kids to the chemical residue of non-organic cotton materials or purely synthetic cloth can be very hard on their skin. They can absorb these chemicals through their tender immature skin. These might trigger a wide range of allergic reactions at worst. At best, your kids might develop a hyper sensitivity to chemicals which might stick with them for life.
Synthetic materials also tend to be very combustible. You wouldn’t want to turn your kid’s rooms into potential fire traps.
Make things easier for both yourself and your little children by buying organic kids bedding packages that carry Oeko-Tex-an internationally recognized standard that vouches for the natural, purely organic nature of the materials making up your kids’ sheets, kids quilts, comforters, pillow cases, mattress topping, and other bedding ensemble pieces. Thanks to the very rigorous screening and qualification system of Oeko-Tex, you can rest assured that your kids’ skin will be exposed only to materials that are free from harsh industrial chemical residue and banned synthetic colorants.
Step 2: Pick materials and designs that maximize your children’s comfort
Small children grow quickly. They have a more active metabolism than adults. Not surprisingly, they tend to sweat quite a bit. Make sure you pick materials that breathe so your kids don’t end up in a sticky mess. You wouldn’t want them to wake up in the middle of night bawling because of the heat and humidity around them.
Sadly, many children’s bedding packages feature polyester or some other synthetic fibre blend. These might not easily let your kid’s perspiration to pass through. The heat and sweat might build up and your child ends up wrapped in a sticky, sweaty, and smelly mess.
If you pick out organic kids bedding, your toddler’s sweat will pass through the materials. Organic cotton does this quite well. It ‘breathes’ so well that your child can remain nice and cool during the summer and comfortably warm in the winter. Organic cotton bedding packages do not trap heat and humidity unlike other packages using artificial or heavily processed materials.
Another key factor that directly impacts your kids’ comfort is the softness of the materials. Kids bedding items made of organic washed cotton tend to softer on the skin. They don’t feel rough or scratchy at all. Look for kids quilts that are soft to the touch. Since these are made up of organic cotton that’s been naturally washed and processed, they get softer every time you run them through the washer. Non-organic kids bedding packages run the risk of becoming more brittle, dry, or scratchy over time.
Step 3: Select your kids bedding in a strategic way
You can’t just snatch up kids quilts, children’s bedding, and other items all at once and call it a day. You must decide on each item using a certain sequence. Otherwise, you children’s rooms might end up with a look that you might not like all that much.
The first thing you need to focus on is centrepiece of your child’s room-his or her bed. Since the eye tends to naturally zero in on this item, you need to make sure it makes the rest of the room look a bit more fun and colourful.
You can pick out basic geometric print designs or even go with images like bears or dinosaurs. If you don’t want to go the print route, you can always solid colours. These toddler bedding designs come in many types-stripes, traditional ginghams, neutral patterns, or solid colour blocks.
Don’t just focus on looks, make sure your organic children’s bedding materials fit your child’s bed well. They should also be soft to the touch and are durable enough to handle many trips to the washer and dryer combo. As much as possible, pick organic cotton bedding that doesn’t get tangled up easily.
For added versatility and adaptability, use an organic cotton bedding set that allows for layering. This way, you can add or take off layers depending on the season. This goes a long way in ensuring your kids are nice and comfortable no matter the season.
When infant bedding, you might want to avoid using baby sleeping bags. Infants can’t kick these items away or wiggle out of them. They might trap your kids in a hot cocoon. You might want to use light organic cotton bedding your kid can easily get out of. If not, you might want to hold off on adding baby sleeping bags to your children’s bedding ensemble until your son or daughter is a little bit bigger.
When you’re ready shop for organic kids bedding, make sure you have a clear idea of the wall colours you’re trying to complement. You can’t afford to guess. Many different colours are pretty subtle. You may think you have a solid idea about the tone and hue of your wall’s colour only to come up with sheets that don’t quite match.
While matching colours, keep in mind that you can either shoot for a contrast or you can pick toddler bedding packages that have complementary colours. Try mixing and matching different elements like kids quilts until you end up with a look you like.
Keep the steps above in mind when looking for children’s bedding. These go a long way in making the process easier.
About The Author
Victor Cetinic and his wife Alex Cetinic are the co-founders of the Australian business Wriggly Toes, a brand focused on raising awareness of the poorly regulated textile industry where children’s bedding and clothing often contain harmful dyes.
