CRIB bedding for toddler

[Jayne]

Hi there-

My son is two and still happily in his crib. I would like to set up his crib however like a bed with fitted and flat sheet and comforter. I have been having a terrrible time every night trying to decide what pj's to put him in (shorts or pants) so he won't be too hot or too cold (it's summer here in Midwest so can't very well use a zipped sleeper that we used in winter). And I swear every night I wake up wondering if he is freezing or too hot ( he never seems to keep covers on).

Can I get away with or even find some kind of flat sheet and comforter to accomodate his crib? Any suggestions? Or am I making people gasp with disbelief just by asking? (I swear I obeyed all the rules the first year and half with basically nothing in crib, but the kid is turning two and I think he needs more kid like bedding.)

Thanks!
Jayne

[ggrunloh]

I bought an Elmo Fitted sheet, flat sheet and comforter for our toddler bed which would fit a crib as well at Babies R US for 39.99, you may also try Pottery Barn for kids.
Good luck

Gina

[Momof3]

Dan River makes toddler bedding sets for around $40. It comes with a fitted crib sheet, flat/fitted top sheet, and quilted light comforter. Do a search on yahoo.com, or I often look at domesticbin.com. Those are good starting points. These sets tend to be very cartoon or character based. I'm not sure what you, or your son, like. babybedding.com is another good website for those items. They carry solid and generic designs in primary and pastel colors for mix and match. companykids.com and PBK carry toddler bedding too. They have toddler sized duvets and comforters if you are interested.

I just went through the same thoughts with my two year old son. I sewed a flannel flat sheet with polarfleece material I bought at our local fabric store to make a toddler sized blanket. I found that to be more economical and softer than premade toddler sized quilts. Plus, a two year old is not going to stay in a crib for much longer. He used this, with his crib sheet, in his crib, toddler bed, and now in his twin bed with a twin sized fitted sheet. I do not want to put my two year old under a twin comforter yet. Hope all this helps!

[raynjen]

There are lots of set that do exactly what you are looking for. You have to search using "toddler bedding". Usually the bottom sheet is fitted and the top sheet is called a "hugger" this means that the top is loose, but the bottom is fitted (which is great for your little kicker). The comforters can either be loose or hugger style as well. You can probably find these sets at your local Toys'R'Us if all you are looking for is Elmo, Bob the Builder, or Barbie. If you want more choice (both in appearance and in quality) you'll probably need to go online.

I was very unhappy with the toddler sets that were available. They were either cheap with characters I didn't like, or nicely made but way out of my price range. My daughter is very short, so I knew that she would be staying in her (converted) crib for a long time so I decided to make her a set.

If you can sew a straight line here are some (very basic) instructions: Buy two crib bottom sheets (you can use ones you already have if you like them); on the sheet that you will use as the top sheet remove the elastic from one end; fold that end over to form a hem and sew straight across. I made a quilt for her top, but you can make a nice blanket easily too. Take a twin size blanket (preferably fleece, flannel, or anything that is tightly woven - none of those afghan styles); cut it in half to make two pieces approximately 45" x 60"; hem the cut edges and you have two blankets that are a great size for your crib. If you use a solid, plaid, or abstract design no one will know that you made it yourself.

If you are a little more ambitious, and you have decorative stitching on your sewing machine you can make your hems look like fancy $100 sheets. You can also add that satiny edging that kids love to the tops of your blankets when you hem them (you can find this edging in your fabric store).

By the way, you CAN do this without knowing how to sew (or owning a machine) by using hem tape (again at any fabric store) and ironing your hems.

Happy decorating!
Jen

P.S. if you need more detailed help feel free to email me!

[jgwcrna]

I found a very good quality set from toys r us on amazon.com. It is made by Baby Doll and called "Transportation". http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/stores/detail/-/baby/B000059XQW/qid=1063417232/sr=2-2/ref=sr_2_2/103-9730369-1598246 It is a bright royal blue background with yellow, red and green cars and trucks. Very bright colors, comfortable sheets, and held up well with washing. It has a fitted bottom sheet, fitted at the bottom top sheet, and the comforter is also fitted on the bottom. I would recommend it as I am using it exactly like you describe, my DS is still very happy in his crib and this set fits very nicely, stays tucked, and will transfer to a toddler bed when he is ready! HTH!

[MarinaTwinMom]

We bought toddler sets (Bob the Builder and Tweety) from Toys 'R Us. My kids loved them. Unfortunately, the Bob the Builder fitted sheet didn't even come close to fitting my son's crib mattress; it popped off overnight, so we stopped using it. The Tweety fitted sheet did fit my daughter's mattress, but just barely, and it didn't look very secure.

We ended up using the character comforters and pillowcases, but kept using the plain-colored Land's End fitted sheets we'd always used.

[Jackiestarrynight]

I haven't personally bought a toddler bed set but a friend of mine found a very cute one at Baby Depot(burling coat factory) and it was just a nice pale blue, green and white plaid and gingham set. No characters or anything if your against that and it was something like 19.00.

[mom2kids]

you can order the top sheet from a company called FIreside the store you can call is Babyland 1-888-3616-8952