Babies can’t control their bowel movements and drooling, leaving their crib sheets dirty and unsanitary all the time. How many crib sheets do we really need when we have to change so often?
Babies live the best life! Come to think of it, all they do every day is just eat and sleep. That is all there is to it! Nonetheless, these are two important activities at their age. Eating and sleeping are essential to promote their health and growth. For this article, let us focus on the latter.
Since babies spend most of their days sleeping, it is just right to keep them as comfortable as possible. Anyway, even when they are not sleeping, they still spend most of their days in their cribs. It goes without saying that we have to keep this tiny environment as sanitary as possible.
For this reason, we have to change crib sheets regularly. This begs the question of most first-time parents, “how many crib sheets do I need?” Let us find out the answer as we go along!
SETTING UP YOUR BABY’S CRIB
When putting up your baby’s new crib, make sure that it has a sturdy frame and built. More importantly, it should have a suitable weight capacity. This ensures that your crib will last for a long time.
Once it is all set, you can place the mattress pad. Never add foam and/or toppers.
Caution:
Do not use foam and/or toppers. The mattress pad is enough. Otherwise, you will be limiting the air circulation in your baby’s tiny world.
CHANGING CRIB SHEETS
Changing crib sheets must be a habit. It is part of your hygienic practices, just like how changing your own bed sheets is.
However, you might have to do it more often for your baby’s crib. Remember, babies cannot control their bowel movements. They just pee and vomit whenever they want and/or need to.
Also, they drool a lot. In some cases, they even throw up out of nowhere. In short, they do all of these unsanitary activities in their cribs!
For this reason, their crib sheets need frequent changing. You would not want your baby’s back to be pressed against these dirty crib sheets.
How to Change a Crib Sheet
Tip:
Babies are extremely sensitive. They do not have an established immune system yet. Given this, they easily get sick when they are exposed to an unsanitary environment such as dirty sheets.
Speaking of babies getting sick, that is also another reason why you should change crib sheets. Viruses stick on your baby’s stuff when he or she catch them. What more on his or her crib sheets?
When this happens, you have to make sure that you change your baby’s crib sheets once he or she gets well. Depending on the situation, you might even need to change it every day.
Especially when you are dealing with a serious disease or infection, your baby might not get well if he or she stays on the same sheets every day. It is important that you throw these infected crib sheets to the laundry right away.
All of these instances are what brings out the curiosity, “exactly how many crib sheets do I need for my baby?”
SWADDLING YOUR BABY
Swaddling your baby may lessen the need to change crib sheets often. However, before we move forward and answer the question, “how many crib sheets do I need”, let us first find out what swaddling is.
Swaddling is the process of wrapping your baby snugly and comfortably in a blanket. It is a way to keep him or her secure and warm. Also, it helps keep babies calm.
Since babies have sensitive bone structures, it is important to swaddle then properly.
First, you need to lay a clean blanket on a flat surface in a diamond form. Create a straight edge on top by folding down the top corner about half an inch. Then, lay your baby on his or her back, with the top of the sheet at shoulder level.
Bring down your baby’s arms one at a time. Pull each corner of the blanket over his or her arms and tuck them on the opposite side.
Lastly, twist the bottom end and tuck it loosely behind your baby. Make sure that both his or her legs are bent up and out from your baby’s body, allowing free movement.
When you swaddle your baby, you are actually preventing dirt, virus, and other elements from traveling through the blanket. Given this, your baby’s crib sheets will last longer.
HOW MANY CRIB SHEETS DO I NEED?
So, after everything we have talked about, exactly how many crib sheets do I need for my baby? Frankly, it is situational.
If you are changing crib sheets every day, you need four to seven sets. If you are just changing them once a week, then two crib sheets are enough.
If you are unsure about the frequency, it is safe to have at least three crib sheets. It all depends on several factors such as the following:
- How often you do your laundry;
- How much and how often your baby makes a mess;
- Among others.
Tip
Regardless of how many crib sheets you decide on having, there is only one thing that matters. That is, you should always have clean sheets. You cannot risk leaving your baby in just a mattress pad. Not only it is unsanitary, it is also uncomfortable.
TO SUM IT UP…
It is normal for first-time parents to wonder, “how many crib sheets do I need?” Now that you know all the reasons for changing crib sheets, it is up to you how many you have to buy.
You may have just two sets, but you might have a hard time rushing your laundry every now and then. For me, the most practical number of crib sheets to have is three. Now, if you do not do laundry that often and you have to change crib sheets frequently, having at least seven is the most feasible.
Keep in mind, it does not matter how many crib sheets you have. All that matters is that there is always something clean and comfortable for your baby to sleep in.
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