Does Your Crib Look Naked?

[kathsmom]

Hi, everyone! For those of you who have decided not to use a bumper and/or dust ruffle, does the crib look "naked"? I know from reading the Baby Bargains Book, and another book that these are optional items, and that I am being pulled in by all the cute designs out there. We are on a strict budget. We did invest in a nice stroller (a 2001 Peg Perego Venezia on clearance), a changing table (to save my back!), and want to invest in high quality sheets for the crib mattress (I am looking at getting the Carter's sheets-which are relatively inexpensive-recommended by another poster on this forum, along with the Stay-Put sheets or Lands' End sheets

Any ideas or opinions on purchasing a crib bedding set? Or on decorating the room so the crib doesn't look so bare?

Thanks so much!

Toni - mom to Katherine (5/19/96) and baby boy on the way (9/30/02)

[NY Mom]

Toni,

I think it a crib without a bumper and dust ruffle does look bare. But you can do it on a budget. Also, your little one will bump his/her head on the side of the crib without the bumper!
I ended up getting my daughters crib set on Ebay. I was also going to look at Martha Stewart's stuff at K-Mart or Target.
I opted not to go with the "designer" look like I did with my son (i.e. Winnie the Pooh). I did my daughter's room in pink gingham and picked up pieces here and there on sale, clearance, etc.
Another thought, try gargage sales. I recently picked up two pink valance curtains for $1/both.

Good luck!
Grace

[JMarie]

I second the Ebay option - I just picked up a Classic Pooh set for under $40.00. I already bought the comforter when TJMaxx was selling them a year ago and found the bumpers and bedskirt on Ebay, as well as one of the wallhangings. I've also found lots of little items for the Pooh theme and I don't think I've spent $200 yet - and I'm almost completely done. It's risky when you're working with a set theme and buying pieces separately, but as long as you're patient, and you're not looking for something obscure, you should be okay.

JMarie
EDD February 28, 2003

[luvbeinmama]

I opted for no bumper, although I did have a crib skirt (given to us) which helps the "naked" look. But the skirt had to come off when the mattress was lowered, so now I really have the "naked" look!

The thing to think about (especially being on a tight budget, which I know all about) is... who really cares? The baby? Certainly not. Dad? I highly doubt it. It's really you that you are decorating for. And, really, you can spend your money on much better and more useful things (like the sheets). I'm guessing you'll receive (or have received) many baby blankets already. Just use those for warmth. You won't need a special coordinated set. I got a couple of those wall "cling" sets (transportation, and alphabet) and stuck those on the walls in my son's room, and that was plenty of decorating for me. Believe me, you won't miss it if you don't buy a bedding set. All it adds is a little aesthetics. And really, if you've got a nice looking crib, that's enough IMO. My advice is, don't bother buying a bedding set. Decorate in other ways.

[kathsmom]

Hi, Ladies!

Thanks for the advice. I have been on the ebay boards and seen some good prices on dust ruffles and bumpers from Pottery Barn. I am still undecided about whether to use the bumper and/or dust ruffle. Luvbeinmama, you are right about DH not caring if the room is decorated or not - he just tells me to get what I want (within reason!). We did the bumper and dust ruffle from Carter's with DD (now 6 years old) and they have not lasted. They were pretty cheaply made, but we didn't feel like we could ask someone to pay $200-$300 for a bedding set for us at the time.

Thank you again for the advice!

Toni

[kransden]

Have you tried places like Big Lots, Value City, TJ Max? My Big Lots had a trendy sage (i.e. ugly green)Teddy bear bumper and a very cute Looney Tunes bumper each for $4.00. If I buy plain pastel cribs sheets and make,buy or cut down a twin size dust ruffle in pastels, it will all match. Also the BRU had some sets that were on clearance for $50.00.

Karin

[laura_winckler]

I agree. And you can't use the bumper once they can stand, so you're going to have the naked crib look eventually anyway. We used a bumper in my son's bed, which was the most expensive part of the crib bedding, but he slept in a bassinet in our room for the first 3 months and then only kept his bumper until about 9 months. What a waste! Since they don't recommend them now anyway, I skipped it altogether for baby #2's bedding. Saved me quite a bit on bedding since I only had to buy skirt and sheets!

[kgdolan]

I know what you mean about the whole bumber vs just sheet question. We didn't get a crib until our son was 6 months old so I really didn't want to spend a lot on the bumber. We got a packages set of Martha Stewart Baby Baby that came with an all cotton sheet, Bumber and quilt for $14.99. It was originally $39.95, but was on sale. It is plain blue on one side and cream on the other. It actually matches the room great. We have decorated with Peter Rabbit accessories. I use the quilt for tummy time since it is too fluffy for the crib.

Just my 2 cents!
Gail (mom of Jack 1-16-02)

[suzska]

I also did the eBay thing (before we were even "thinking" about kids) and got the Boynton crib set (barnyard animals--now long discontinued) that I'd liked/wanted for a few years since I saw it in the Penney's catalog. I paid about $60 for the skirt, pads, quilt, diaper stacker, and pillow. The quilt is on the floor of his playden. The pillow's on the floor in his room--for Mom. The bumpers were on the crib unti he was about 9 months old (he didn't try to climb much). Now all that's on the crib is the skirt--blue and white check, so you can't even tell that it belongs to a particular set. We do have the Lands' End flannel sheets that have little animals all over, so at least that's something. Now that Evan sleeps with a ton of stuffed animals, the crib doesn't look bare--until he dumps them all on the floor! LOL! Do whatever makes you happy. If I had it to do over again, I'm not sure what I'd do. But I didn't want to spend too much on the bedding so that I could spend more money on other things.

Oh, here's one "inexpensive" way to decorate the walls. JoAnn Fabrics sells wooden letters that are about 7" high (?) for about $2.50 each. They often go on sale for less. Anyway, I bought E-V-A-N and painted each one a different, bright color (if you don't have some acrylic paints around, you can get those cheap at JoAnn's, too). Then I nailed some tiny d-rings from the hardware store on each one, and hung them on the wall. Of course I originally put them too close to Evan's crib, and eventually he could reach the "E." I haven't gotten around to finding a new place to hang them yet.

Also, if you haven't painted the nursery yet, consider something more "creative" there. I painted the bottom 36"-40" of the walls a dark green (Martha Stewart's Faser Fir, I think) and the rest of the walls and ceiling a light blue (MS's Delphinium?). Obviously we're going for grass and sky here--I made it wavy, like rolling hills, where the two paints meet. Someday I will get around to adding the white, fluffy clouds. On a tiny strip of wall between the closet and the door to the room, I painted some Boynton animals (that I traced from a piece of wallpaper border that matches the bedding--also an eBay find, but not enough to cover more than one wall of the room, so I didn't use it). I still have to outline those with a black paint pen.

HTH!

[kathsmom]

Ladies,

Thank you SO much for your suggestions!!

I will continue to check out ebay, as well as go to TJMaxx, Marshall's, Big Lots, etc. I am STILL trying to decide on the whole bumper/dust ruffle thing. My mom was mortified when I told her I may not use a bumper pad, even when I explained they were now considered an optional accessory! After thinking about it, I can't really do an entire 4-6 piece bedding set, especially a set with a lot of patterns, because the room is small and will have a twin bed, a crib, a glider rocker, and a changing table in it. I may just do the "half-naked" crib - just the dust ruffle and sheets.

I really need a simple room and would like to paint it a very soft baby blue accented possibly with yellow sponge painted stars. Do you know of any brands of linens (besides Lands' End or Pottery Barn Kids) that sell bedding items individually? Also, if I do use the bumper, what brands out there have ties on the top and bottom? I don't sew and really don't want to have to worry about that. For those of you who have found items on ebay and at discount stores, how did they hold up when washed and through everyday use?

Sue, thanks for the idea about the letters. I may just have to go with the baby's initials, because we are thinking of naming him Cameron and that may run into too much money!!LOL

Thank you for all of the previous posts, and for any help you can give me in answering the questions in this post. You are all great!!

Toni - mom to Katherine (5/19/96) and baby boy on the way (9/30/02)