Toddler bedding
Sleep tight!
The OHbaby! team has shopped 'til we dropped - here
are our best picks of what's available in toddler
bedding.
Mattresses
While any bedding store can sell you an innersprung mattress, if
you'd prefer to go green, we particularly like Innature's
all-natural mattresses. Innature (www.innature.co.nz
) handmakes mattresses using organic cotton, hemp, coco
fibre, natural latex, and wool, and their Little Kiwi range of
mattresses are custom made for bassinettes and cradles right
through to adult-sized beds. The materials they use are 100%
natural, free from toxic chemicals, breathable, supportive,
durable, and environmentally friendly. Innature's recommendation
for a child's first big-bed mattress is the 5-inch coco latex
mattress (single $645, king single $725).
Mattress protectors
It's a good idea to use a mattress protector on your child's
big-kid bed for a couple of reasons. First, nighttime accidents are
still common during toilet training, and leaky nappies are
inevitable. Also, you'll want to protect the mattress when your
child is ill with tummy bugs or head colds. And it's much easier to
strip off a mattress protector and pop it into the wash than it is
to clean a mattress - especially in the middle of the
night.
A traditional waterproof mattress
protector is a great option for under your child's sheets,
between the mattress and the bottom sheet. We particularly
like the Baby First Quilted Single Mattress Protector (920mm x
1880mm, RRP$26), with a thick, soft fleece outer for your
little one's comfort and a super-absorbent, 100% waterproof
inner for complete mattress protection. It's machine-washable, but
remember it needs to be drip-dried as the dryer can degrade the
waterprooing. Find it at Baby City and other independent retailers
around the country.
Another innovative option for a mattress
protector is the Brolly Sheet (www.brollysheets.co.nz).
The Brolly Sheet is placed on top of the fitted sheet and tucked in
underneath. The outer layer is cotton, so it looks and feels like a
normal sheet, but the PVC inner keeps the fitted sheet and mattress
clean and dry. It's really quick to change - just strip it off and
toss it into the wash. In several fun colours to match your child's
room décor, the Brolly Sheet comes single, king single and queen,
priced from $44.95. The best part about the Brolly Sheet is that
you don't have to strip the whole bed if your little one wets
it.
Sheets
How many and what kind of sheets your child's big-kid bed requires
is a matter of opinion. Our recommendation is two sets of 100%
cotton sheets for spring and summer, and two sets of cotton
flannelette or cotton knit sheets for autumn/winter.
We love Cocobelle (www.cocobelle.co.nz) for
beautiful children's sheets. And My Room (www.myroom.co.nz) has 100%
cotton sheet sets for boys' and girls' beds, as well as wonderful
100% cotton knit sheets that feel like your child's favourite
T-shirt against their skin.
Duvets
A cool duvet can "make" a child's room and tie everything together.
Look for paint colours, wall décor, and curtains that complement
the duvet, and use it as a focal point in your child's
room.
Make sure the duvet you choose is 
washable, and that it doesn't have any small buttons or
decorations that your curious toddler can detach and possibly choke
on.
Giddy Giraffe's bedding (www.giddygiraffe.co.nz)
is 100% cotton and handmade in New Zealand to match their
furniture, and we particularly love the Boys' Toys duvet cover
(single $90, king single $110).
The Denim duvet cover from Apples and
Pears is priced from $85, with pillowcases from $22. There's a
fantastic range of other duvets and accessories on their website
(www.applesandpears.co.nz)
- you can get matching bean bags, lamp shades, and even pyjamas.
Best of all, their stuff is 100% cotton and seriously
cute.
If you want to choose something a little
more sophisticated, we love TomTomJak's
Polka Dot duvet cover and pillowslips (single $152, king single
$195). There are also matching sheet sets, lamps, cushions, and
other accessories, and you can buy the fabric by the metre too -
check out www.tomtomjak.co.nz.
Cocobelle carries a lovely selection of
designer duvets and bedding accessories, and we've in love with
their Room Seven range.
Duvet
inners
One of the most important considerations with duvet inners is how
warm it's going to be, and whether you can get away with using the
same one all-year-round, or if you'll need two duvet inners - a
heavy one for winter, and a lighter one for summer.
If you're in the deep south where it gets
very cold at night, you'll want a very warm duvet inner made of
wool or feathers. For more temperate areas, wool or a mixture of
wool/cotton are a good bet. We're not big fans of synthetic duvet
inners because they're not as breathable as natural
materials.
Giddy Giraffe stocks organic wool/cotton
duvet inners (single $140, king single $155) with 100% organic wool
filling and 100% organic cotton outers. Organic cotton minimises
exposure to toxins that can cause allergies, and wool is naturally
non-allergenic, moisture-absorbent, and ire-resistant - and it
"breathes". Wool is warm in winter and cool in summer too.
Fairydown (www.fairydownbedware.co.nz)
is a Kiwi classic and they also make a great range of duvet inners.
A really innovative feature of many Fairydown duvet inners is that
you can get two that snap together - use both in winter and only
one in summer.
Pillows and pillow protectors
With pillows, it's best to stick to natural,
non-allergenic materials. Many parents worry about their child
sleeping with a pillow for the first time in a big-kid bed, as they
should not have pillows in their cots. If you're concerned about
the risk of suffocation, you can forgo a pillow altogether, or
stick to using a very small, cot-sized pillow for a while until
your child becomes used to it.
We prefer 100% cotton pillows or
wool-filled pillows as they're breathable and non-allergenic.
Farmers has a good range of pillows, including the Fairydown brand.
They also have a selection of pillow protectors, which are like
pillowcases that go on underneath the pillowcase to help protect
the pillow from getting stained. If your little one is a real
drooler, Brolly Sheets (www.brollysheets.co.nz)
also has a PVC pillow protector that's waterproof and
fire-retardant.
Sleep safety
"How can I make sure my child won't fall out of bed?" is a
common question parents have when moving their child from a cot to
a big bed. Safety bed rails are one option. Bed rails are typically
L-shaped, with the bottom part of the L sliding under the mattress
on the side of the bed, anchored by the weight of the mattress and
the child. Many bed rails are hinged so that they can flip down
during the day and be pulled up at night.
The Safe T Sleep Sleepwrap is a product
many parents of babies are fond of, as they help to keep children
secure in their cots. It's attached to the child's mattress, over
their sheets, then the child is placed in the middle and wrapped
up. It's great for encouraging back sleeping as well as keeping
little escape artists put! The Safe T Sleep Standard Classic
Sleepwrap ($106.99) not only fits bassinettes and cots, it also
fits single beds. Also, the Safe T Sleep Universal Travel Sleepwrap
($129.99) fits all sizes of beds. This is a great option if you're
concerned about your child falling out of bed, but you don't want
to deal with safety rails. Visit www.safetsleep.com to find
out more or to order.
As seen in OHbaby!
magazine Issue 3: 2008
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