Bed dress
To create bedding for a child, it is best to use natural fabrics:
- flannel is soft, absorbs water well and is easy to care for; it is most often used for children's clothes;
- linen;
- chintz;
- fleece;
- calico
Mattress cover
In order to protect the crib mattress, it is usually covered with a waterproof mattress cover, and it is not at all necessary to buy the latter - it is not difficult to make it yourself. To do this, they use a structure, the bottom of which is often made of oilcloth, and the top of which is knitted, flannel or chintz fabric. Elastic bands are attached to the corners of the product so that the mattress cover does not slip off.
The mattress protector will protect the children's mattress from moisture
Blanket
An undoubted advantage of any hand-sewn product is the ability to choose the size of the item, composition, color of fabric and filling. An interesting solution is a patchwork quilt. Its unusual design will attract attention and delight the baby, and making such a product will take a young mother very little time. You can sew a blanket to decorate a baby crib with your own hands from scraps of any shape (squares, triangles, stripes or hexagons) and colors.
Bright patchwork quilt to decorate a crib
A blanket made using the patchwork technique can be made voluminous. To do this, each individual element is stuffed with any filler (sintepon, cotton wool, padding polyester or other).
Three-dimensional baby quilt
Another successful technique is quilting. To do this, a roll of filler is laid between two sheets of fabric, then the entire structure is stitched around the perimeter, after which the surface is marked and a decorative stitch is applied using a sewing machine.
Quilt for baby crib
Pillow
When making a pillow for a baby, remember that the product should not be too bulky. Infants continue to develop the cervical region, and a high pillow can interfere with this process.
The best option is a butterfly-shaped pillow. Such products have recesses in the center, thanks to which the baby’s head is securely fixed, and the natural curve of the neck is not changed. To decorate a crib with such a pillow, you don’t have to buy it - you can sew it yourself from cotton wool, latex, buckwheat husks or padding polyester.
You can sew a butterfly pillow for a child with your own hands
When using buckwheat, it is important to make sure that its smell and peculiarity (rustling) will not cause concern to the child.
Pattern of a children's pillow in the shape of a butterfly
Bed sheets
To make it pleasant for your baby to be in the crib, you should use hand-sewn linen from natural fabrics to decorate it. Sets featuring favorite cartoon characters are suitable for both infants and older children - colorful drawings will stimulate the development of visual perception.
Colorful bedding to decorate a crib
When choosing the color of bedding for a baby, it is worth remembering that overly bright or saturated colors (red, orange, fuchsia) will excite the child’s nervous system and prevent him from falling asleep. It is better to choose sets in soothing colors.
For babies, choose underwear in neutral colors
In order to decorate bed linen, it is best to use embroidery - modern technologies allow you to decorate textiles with paints, but after several washes the design will lose its brightness and begin to peel off.
With the help of embroidery on the corners of a sheet, pillowcase or duvet cover, you can not only decorate linen - according to popular belief, such decor serves as a talisman for the baby. You can choose a simple pattern as a design or perform complex detailed embroidery. The most important thing is to ensure that the decoration does not cause discomfort to the child. Therefore, it is not recommended to use beads - bulky elements can cause harm to the baby.
Children's bedding can be decorated with embroidery
What to consider when choosing a crib for a newborn
Choosing a crib for a baby is a slow process. Before making a decision, it is important to carefully analyze all the parameters.
Material from which the crib is made
The best cribs are made of wood and metal. Both must be well sanded and covered with safe paint. These cribs are strong and durable and can then be used by a second and third child. Cribs made of MDF (compressed wood fibers) and chipboard (compressed wood chips) are much lighter and cheaper than steel and wood, but may contain harmful substances used in the processing of raw materials.
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Photo: propertyshutters.com
Crib size
This parameter is important both for the size of the room where the crib will be and for the choice of children's bedding. The standard dimensions of the crib are 120 × 60 centimeters. Increased dimensions - 140 × 70 centimeters - are typical for transforming beds. It is these dimensions that manufacturers of bedding for babies focus on. Non-standard crib sizes will require a custom-made kit.
Photo: deavita.fr
Crib safety
These include stability (fastening mechanisms for wheels and rocking, a wide base of the product), an adjustable bottom (the presence of two or three levels, which will be required as the child grows), changing the positions of the sidewalls, the distance between the slats (6-7 centimeters), silicone linings on the bed slats (useful when your baby starts teething).
Photo: articlecrew.info
DIY decoration of a crib frame
Sides
The sides perform not only a decorative function, they also protect the baby from drafts and protect him from bruises when he begins to try to crawl and stand up on his own.
Finished products offered by stores are most often decorated with colorful designs, but self-sewn borders can be made in the form of a developmental panel. Making them is quite simple.
An example of educational bumpers for a baby
The only thing you need to remember is that every detail must be securely fixed so as not to harm the child.
Using the pattern, you can sew the sides yourself
Fabric applications
The soft sides of the crib are decorated with hand-made appliqués made of felt or cotton fabric. It is important that each element is large enough and firmly sewn to the base - at an early age, children learn about the world by trying to touch and even taste all the surrounding objects. They can tear off loosely sewn appliqués and cause harm to themselves.
Fabric applications on children's bumpers
Stickers
You can also decorate the sides using special stickers; you can find them in hardware or furniture departments. Such products are easy to remove if necessary; they do not leave sticky marks on the surface of the furniture.
Ready-made applications
You can purchase special adhesive-based applications in the store. The choice of such products is huge: from simple patterns to fairy-tale characters. They can be glued to any furniture and will stick firmly.
To decorate the crib, you can use ready-made fabric applications
To decorate a baby's crib, you should not use products decorated with rhinestones and other easily detachable elements.
Dye
You can decorate a baby crib by applying a design to the frame with your own hands: an ornament, a floral pattern or images of cartoon characters.
Decorating a baby crib with paint
For this purpose, it is recommended to use water-based latex or acrylic paints: they dry quickly, are odorless and do not contain toxic substances.
Canopy
The canopy, designed to protect the baby from drafts, insects and light, also provides great opportunities for decorating the child's sleeping place. A crib with a canopy installed above it looks more comfortable and elegant.
Crib with canopy
You can buy a finished product to suit every taste in a store, but a home-made canopy is much better. A few recommendations for making a canopy:
To work, you will need a holder (it can be purchased separately) and fabric. It is best to use natural materials (cotton, linen).
Scheme for making a canopy for a crib
The amount of fabric that will be needed to create a canopy depends on the level at which the finished product is planned to be placed. It is worth purchasing a piece of a slightly longer length than necessary so that there is definitely enough material.
The finished product can be decorated with frills, fabric stickers and other elements.
According to child psychologists, the environment in which a child grows up greatly influences his personal qualities, and therefore it is especially important to create a comfortable and friendly atmosphere for your child.
Canopy
“Shops offer ready-made frames for canopies for every taste, but if you want to decorate a crib with such a design, it’s easy to do it yourself.”
Installing a canopy is another way to protect your baby from insects, dust and light during daytime sleep. The only drawback of this piece of furniture is the need to wash it regularly (and quite often), since dust quickly accumulates on the fabric.
Decorating a crib with a canopy
To make a canopy for a crib, it is recommended to use only natural fabrics:
- chiffon;
- muslin;
- cotton or silk veil;
- silk organza.
You can choose the frame of the product based on your own preferences: it can be installed around the entire perimeter of the baby’s sleeping place or at the head of the bed, attached to the wall or ceiling, fixed on the back of the crib, or be an independent structure and placed on the floor.
Options for attaching a canopy for a crib
Stores offer ready-made frames for canopies for every taste, but if you want to decorate a crib with such a design, it’s easy to do it yourself. The base will require wooden slats, profile cornices, metal frames or other materials.
To decorate the canopy, you can use decorations in the form of butterflies made from light fabrics, stick on thermal applications, or trim the product with lace or ruffles.
Canopy decor for crib
Valance
Young mothers often use the free space under the crib to place little things needed to care for the baby: diapers, favorite toys, baby skin care products and other things that may be urgently needed. To ensure that the improvised storage area under the child’s sleeping place does not disturb the interior of the nursery, it is best to decorate the legs of the crib with a valance.
The valance will disguise things that are under the crib
The valance is a decorative element made in the form of a skirt, framing the base of the crib. Made from bright fabric and decorated with frills, it can become an interesting detail in the design of a room.
Making a crib valance
Decorating a baby crib with a hand-made valance is quite simple. For this you will need:
- about 6 m of fabric 110 cm wide;
- sewing machine;
- threads to match the fabric;
- ruler;
- tailor's chalk;
- pins;
- scissors;
- ironing board with iron.
The basis of the valance consists of 2 parts - the canvas placed under the mattress, and the decorative part, decorated with frills.
Basic valance fabric
First, the base fabric is cut out of the fabric. The length and width of this part should be equal to the dimensions of the base of the crib; when cutting, add 5 cm to each side.
Most of the prepared piece of fabric will be used for frills. To determine the size of these parts, use a simple formula: multiply the width of the base of the crib by half, and then add 5 cm to it. Next, measure the distance from the bottom of the crib to the floor level, add 10 cm to the resulting value. Cut out 2 parts with these dimensions.
Future frills need to be ironed. This is done from the wrong side, the fabric is folded along its entire length at a distance of 12.5 cm from the edge. The edges of the frills are hemmed using a straight stitch. When everything is ready, sew the frills to the base.
Sewing frills to the base
The product is ready. If desired, it can be decorated, but even without additional decorations, the valance will give the crib an elegant look and help hide the things folded under the crib from prying eyes.
Hanging toys
After the first month of a baby’s life, you can already delight him with hanging toys: for this, the baby’s favorite things (bright rattles, for example) strung on a solid base are attached to the sides of the bed on both sides.
Decorate a baby crib with hanging toys
Instead of a garland of toys, you can use single objects, securely fastening them to the side of the crib. A baby lying in a crib will be able to touch interesting objects that make sounds, and in addition to its decorative function, such a design will bring joy and benefit to the child. The main thing is to periodically move the rattle from one side to another so that the child does not lie, all the time looking only in one direction.
Stuffed Toys
Soft toys sewn by mother's hands can become the baby's favorite items. It is best to make them from natural fabrics and fill them with hypoallergenic fillers of natural origin.
You can make soft toys for the crib yourself
Pediatricians consider small fabric bags filled with cereals to be beneficial for a child’s development. A child, touching such a thing, will be able to develop fine motor skills and explore the world through tactile sensations. They should be attached to the sides of the crib, in a place where the baby can easily reach them.
Cereal bags for developing fine motor skills
Musical mobile
“To decorate a crib, you can use small toys in the form of snowflakes, animals, cartoon characters and others, made by yourself”
It is not easy to make a structure placed above the head of a crib with your own hands, but nothing prevents you from creatively designing a finished product brought from the store.
The music mobile is attached to the bed frame
To decorate a crib, you can use small toys in the form of snowflakes, animals, cartoon characters and others, made by yourself.
To ensure that the product is safe, it is advisable to use only high-quality natural fabric for work:
- mahr;
- cotton (chintz, fleece, satin or calico);
- felt;
- flannel.
It is best to use as a filler:
- cotton wool;
- padding polyester or padding polyester;
- fabric scraps.
DIY crib mobile
Couple's bedroom
The design of a bedroom with a crib assumes that the main place in it is allocated to the parents' double bed. After the bed is in its place in the bedroom, the design of the crib and its location are selected.
Read here: Dressing table - photos of the best models from the catalog
You need to measure all the parameters of the bedroom, and then choose a bed. The cradles are small in size. Most often, the size of a crib is 70 cm by 140 cm, and therefore it is worth immediately allocating a place for its location in the room, somewhere in the corner, against the wall. To make everyone comfortable in the bedroom, you need to leave space on both sides of the bed.
The spouses' bed is placed in different ways, but it is optimal when its headboard is against the wall in the middle of the room.
It’s worth drawing a room plan and thinking through all the options to find the best one. As an example, cribs for newborns can be located as in the photo below - against the wall, but adjacent to the adult bed. This option is convenient at night, but there are some snags during the day.
Recommendations
Some useful tips from experienced needlewomen with extensive experience in decorating a baby’s crib:
- A canopy on a crib is not just an accessory, it helps protect the baby from drafts, light, and insects. However, after a few months it is worth removing it - the baby may grab the fabric with his hands, pull it, and even drop the entire hanging structure on himself. It is very important to wash the canopy regularly and often, because dust collects on the fabric, which can lead to the development of allergies in the baby.
The canopy will protect the crib from dust
- To decorate the back, you can use ready-made or homemade appliqués, and if you have the appropriate skills, you can easily decorate the frame with colorful designs. Paint for any children's things should be water-based, since it is non-toxic, does not emit strong odors and dries very quickly. When the child grows up a little, the images on the back can be used for the child’s leisure time - telling him fairy tales about the characters drawn on the crib.
Baby crib decor with drawings
- So that the baby can entertain himself during periods of wakefulness, it is worth attaching toys and rattles to the sides of the crib.
- A child’s sleeping place cannot be cozy and comfortable without high-quality bed linen made from beautiful fabric. Young parents should remember that pillows and blankets made of natural fluff can cause allergies in babies.
Decoration of a crib for a newborn boy
Accessories for decorating a crib for a newborn boy are the same as for a girl, but their design is different. The main principles are restraint and minimalism. No ruffles, bows or lace. Colors are usually neutral or “masculine”: blue, green, yellow. Too bright colors are not recommended for small children, so light shades close to pastel are used. Bears, bunnies, elephants and dogs on appliqués and mobile phones are also suitable for a boy, and on the crib you can draw airplanes, steamships and horses.
Photo: ofdesign.net
Photo gallery - decorating a crib
Canopy
Canopies were invented to protect sleepers from insects. However, people liked them so much that they later became symbols of home comfort and luxury. The sight of a cradle with a canopy draped over it is truly touching. To prevent it from collecting dust, attach it so that it can be easily removed. Also buy another canopy so you can change it with the bedding.
Standard design
The model comes in a classic shape and is used exclusively for sleeping. This bed is suitable for a teenage boy and a preschooler. It is practically no different from furniture for adults. You can choose a model with interesting decor on the back or sides.
A single-bed option is purchased for small spaces. You can order a piece of furniture that can easily be increased in length when your son grows up.
Models with a sliding mechanism are also popular. For the baby, choose variations with sides. This will ensure his safety while sleeping.
