When it comes to furnishing nurseries, the easiest bit has got to be getting pregnant in the first place! As a first time mum some 26 years ago, the choice was very limited in what you could buy or make. It was all very practical, but not really attractive. Co-ordination meant having more than two items that matched! In those days, in the UK, everything a new mum needed came from one shop - Mothercare, unless you had the income to allow shopping at the more select department stores. Comparing prices, styles and availability on the Internet was not an option because the Internet did not exist.
When a very close friend found she was pregnant recently, I took time to have a look at what was available. A fan of all things New England (the family will be emigrating from the UK when all the paperwork is agreed), I wanted to see if I could find something special for her.
Looking now at the websites offering bedding for cribs, my first problem was to understand some of the different terms. It wasn't until I saw some pictures that I realised that in the US a 'crib' is a 'cot'. In the UK a 'bassinet' is not a baby bath but a 'moses basket' and a 'cradle' is a 'crib'. Confusing, isn't it? I've made a little table to try and make it clearer.
(US) Crib = (UK) Cot
(US) Bassinet = (UK) Moses Basket
(US) Cradle = (UK) Crib
The American sites have so much more to offer than the UK ones. That's not to say that all the goodies available in the US aren't available here because they are. However, the choice of design, colour etc. is very limited in the UK. Enter 'bedding for cribs' into the search engine and you will find several very good sites in the US offering literally hundreds of different designs, with a good variety of price and quality. No longer is it a matter of just finding matching crib bumpers and quilts, with possibly matching curtains and perhaps a wallpaper border, the whole nursery can be styled in both furniture and material to suit whatever your particular dream might be. I even found a black and white gingham (check) set that looked stunning in the accompanying photograph.
I found some lovely bedding for my friend's nursery, but in the end I didn't buy a quilt to match. In New England style, I had one made for her to go with the rest of the linen, with the baby's name on it too. Hopefully the complete set will be something that will remain in the family for many years to come.
No discussion on bedding for cribs would be complete without considering some important basic safety issues. You will find some good tips on safety by following the link at the end of this article; I strongly suggest that you take a look at the tips on safety before you buy any bedding for your crib.