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DECORATING YOUR NURSERY The wonderful joy of pregnancy is the anticipation of a new life, the thrill of the feelings and movements within, the excitement of the nursery - your baby's nursery, the exuberance and the exhaustion of the shopping, the choices, and, yes, the expenses of the final decisions. I hope some of the information below will help you make some beautiful decisions. There are many questions and many decisions that need to be made regarding the design and decorating of the nursery. What colors do I like? What style of bedding do I prefer? Do I want license characters, florals, genderless color schemes, or patchwork? There are so many decisions, and so much to do! The choice is yours as far as theme, style, color, and price. A beautiful nursery with all the trimmings is definitely a beautiful thing. With all the beauty, there must come the understanding, knowledge, and awareness of the safety that should be inherent in your decisions and choices. The bedding industry together with JPMA (Juvenile Products Manufacturers Association) and ASTM (American Society for Testing & Materials) have been hard at work for several years in order to create and provide a standard in the bedding industry to help you, the consumer, have the best choices and information at your fingertips. The standard is not complete, but here is some information that has been approved. Sheets must fit securely and must be well made in order to fit securely and hug the mattress. If the sheet is too tight when it is brand new, the chances are it will shrink and not fit properly after the first wash. Sheets that are too big will also not fit properly. However, if you wash them before the first use, they will probably shrink to the proper size. Bumpers are necessary. They have been used in cribs for generations. They are considered an integral part of the crib's interior. They protect your baby from impact to his/her soft little head and offer security along with definition of place. However, there are issues to be aware of. Bumpers that are too thick, too fluffy, and have a filling that is too loose, can become a pillow in the crib, which is a definite no - no. You want a bumper that is, of course, a beautiful complement to the bedding set and one that is firm and has plenty of ties to hold it in place. This is very important so that your infant will not crawl underneath and get wedged under the bumper. I personally recommend bumper ties for both the top and bottom to provide that total security. According to the present standard, bumper ties should be no longer than 9 inches and no shorter than 7 inches. This rule was passed in order to prevent strangulation in the crib from excessively long ties. Large ribbons ties are beautiful because they form into fluffy bows on the end, but, sad to say, pose a risk to the baby, and are not part of the standard. Comforters, especially heavy and very thick comforters, should not be used in the crib with newborns. A lightweight blanket is perfect for the early months. There is plenty of time for babies to cuddle with the comforters when they are able to pull themselves up and be more active in the crib. Mobiles are designed for newborns, but must be removed from the crib when an infant can pull itself to a standing position. Here is a great decorating tip for your mobile. Attach some clear fish wire to the top hook and hang it from the ceiling, away from the crib, probably across the room. This way your precious baby will be entertained, your mobile will have a second life, and the safety issue will be perfectly addressed. Wall hangings are beautiful, colorful, and certainly an important decorating tool in the nursery, but the wall hanging should not hang over the crib where your curious little explorer could get into trouble. There is a large variety of bedding choices on the market; designs and the choice of materials are endless. Many ensembles today are 100% cotton, but some designs require dry cleaning. Some fabrications are cotton/ poly blends that are also machine washable and dryable. The choice is yours. Hopefully, all this information has helped to clarify some basic issues, as you are about to embark on a very special mission in your life. The more questions you have, the more information you gather, and the easier your decision will be. Enjoy! Used by permission Submitted by: Paula Markowitz, President PatchKraft, Inc.