The Basics: The Crib

When I pictured my nursery, it had the cutest bumper in the crib with chocolate brown stars on cloud blue background.  There were striped sheets in the same colors.  And then I met with the pediatrician before Evan was born.  She said she is absolutely opposed to bumpers because of the SIDS risk.

I consulted my friends.  Two people told me they bought bumpers but were too afraid to put them on the crib.  Others put them on when the babies were so itty bitty and couldn't move but took them off when they could get up against the bumper.  Some said they put them on once the baby was hitting her head when others told me that is the exact time to take them off, because the baby can try and stand on them. I had one friend sew three sides on, leaving one side open for ventalition. Too much to think about.

I went back and forth about 10 times putting the bumper on my registry and taking it off. In the end, I personally didn't want to take the risk for a cuter room.

I thought the room wouldn't be cute without a bumper.  But that isn't the case. Here is what works for us.

1. Sheets: Purchase a sheet that you think is cute on its own.  I bought the blue and brown striped sheet I had originally liked.  I bought 4 sheets, two of the striped, a plain blue, and a plain brown one.  Looking back, I needed just the two cute ones.  Perhaps if I were dealing with a stomach bug, it would be different, but in 5 months, I have never had a need for more than 2 sheets in a laundry cycle.
2. Sheet Saver:. In the picture below of my little guy, you will see it is the brown fleece pad under his bottom.  When he was a newborn, I put him lengthwise on it, to cover diaper leaks and the occasional spit up.  Once he grew, I put his butt on it. I have bought a bunch of different sheets savers/multi-purpose pads, but by far, my favorite is Nojo Sheet Saver.  Because of the sheet saver, I have never had to change the sheets because of a leak.  You just remove the sheet saver.  It has four ties that wrap around the slots of the crib.
3. Crib Toy:  My baby loves his Fisher-Price Precious Planet Melodies & Motion Soother. He watches it like it is a telanovella. It plays natural sounds, lullabyes, and classical music.  He truly is mesmerized by it.  
4. Security Toy: The sleep book I read recommended that you give your baby a SIDS approved toy for the crib. I asked a bunch of people and no one had ideas for what a SIDS-friendly toy would be.  It seriously took me until 4 months to realize I could give him the famous Sophie the Giraffe (see photo below). It is the teething toy extraordinaire, but  he usually cuddles Sophie for a minute they slams her against the crib wall.  He is starting to outgrew his pacifier, so now he can grab Sophie and shove a giraffe leg in his mouth.  I also keep a Manhattan Toy Winkel. It is a plastic toy that he can easily grab, chew on, or as my son enjoys, scrape it along the crib railing like a prisoner with a tin cup in a jail cell.
5. Crib Sheets are notoriously hard to change. Sometimes it is truly easier to take the mattress out put the sheets on.

Here is a picture of Evan in his crib.  Note the sheet saver, crib soother, Manhattan toy and Sophie the Giraffe.

Some people think a crib should be very unstimulating, it is just a place to sleep.  My son gets up about 7am, but I don't get him until 8am.  He never cries for me to get him earlier.  I prefer that he can entertain himself when placed in the crib.  When he wants to sleep, he will.