House of L & G: Sweeter Dreams

One of the first things parents talk about to other parents is how their children are sleeping. One way I thought I’d help my twins sleep is to give them an organically, cozy, sumptuous crib.

I knew nothing in the beginning.

I write this because I thought if someone had passed on all this information, it would have saved me days and days of handwringing.

This is what I found after a lot of research.

Note: these items are expensive, but babies spend close to 16 hours asleep.

More importantly, one key element in preventing SIDS (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome) is a well-ventilated crib. A crib that breathes needs cotton and wool not processed rubber and other synthetics. Also, everything I list here is also available for adults (except for bumpers and cribs unless you are into something I haven’t heard about yet).

Crib: Pacific Rim Solid Maple Crib We choose the simplest, most organic crib we could find. With no metal hardware on the crib, its surface is beautifully smooth. (My other son sleeps in a crib we inherited and even though it is lovely, one of the hinges cut his mouth.) The Pacific Rim Crib will also convert to a toddler bed.
Matress: 3 Choices There are many good places to buy crib mattresses online. My top three are Ecobaby.com, Lifekind.com, and Dreamsoftbedware.com. When considering the price, remember this mattress will also go on your toddler bed.
Wool Mattress Pad: SnugFleece Mattress Covers Now, let’s build up from the mattress. One of my sons was given a wool mattress cover and he slept very soundly. The son that didn’t have one was not sleeping so well. As soon as I bought one from Dream Soft Bedwarehe slept, well, like a baby. Since it is not recommended that you use blankets in cribs till @18 months, this extra cushioning underneath. I believe, gave him something to burrow into and snuggle.
Puddle Pad: Pure Wool Puddle Pad Wool naturally adjust to your body’s temp and tends to stay cool in the summer and warm in the winter – so you want to stay away from rubber which attracts mold and tends to heat up. Wool also wicks away moisture. The least expensive wool puddle pad I have found is again at Dream Soft Bedding. Ecobaby.com and Babyworks.com also carry them.
Crib Bumpers: Kindersoft bumper pad The only organic cotton bumpers I have found that are not filled with polyester, but are filled with wool are again from Dream Soft Bedding.
Sheets: Sherpa flannel My absolute favorite sheets were (they have been discontinued) Maggie’s from Babyworks.com. My new favorites are the Sherpa flannel (so thick they feel more like a flannel blanket) and the cotton flannel from ecobaby.com. I couldn’t bring myself to spending close to $40.00 on crib sheets from Lifekind.com, but if anyone does let me know.
A little extra something: Danish Woolen Delights I have to turn you onto the worlds most luxurious blanket from Danish Woolen Delights. I know this sounds hyperbolic, but these blankets are softer than cashmere and are the most soothing element I have ever been near. I have given the adult size for very special presents.
Sweet dreams. LMD

Comments (6)

I love the cribs but I remember that after I bought a beautiful sumptious crib, my baby spent most of her time sleeping in my arms, in her little swing, or in my bed. At age 2, she finally decided it was time to move out of our bed and into a little fold out sofa she loved. Next time, I am buying one of those gadgets that latches to our bed to hold the baby. kati

I never used the bumper pad with my second. You have to take it off as soon as they can move around so they don't choke on it or end up smooshing their face into it. I wouldn't bother.

Also, both my kids and I have problems with wool (some sort of lanolin thing, I think) so I got them nice cheap cotton jersey sheets that can take a washing with oxi clean (a miracle worker on baby stains) and we were set.

We have a 5 mo. old and swear by the Miracle Blanket (.com). It is a cotton swaddling blanket that we credit for him sleeping through the night at about 5 or 6 weeks old. When we would get lazy and not "wrap him" for a night, he would always wake up in the middle of the night. We weened him off of it by leaving 1 arm out for about a week. Then we stopped wrapping him and he's been sleeping all night w/o it for about a month now. It's now our standard baby shower gift.

P.S. What does "L & G" stand for?

L&G stands for Luca and Gabriel, who are my twin boys.
We also used the Miracle Blanket and it is a miracle!

About bumpers - I actually love the bumpers because they don't hit their heads when they are rough-housing in the crib, but I know you are either for bumpers or not. I also have a friend who is allergic to Lanolin, but was not allergic to the Danish Woolen Delight wool because it is not processed lanolin...I thought that was interesting.
lmd

I just purchased the Lifekind crib sheet set for my best friend's first baby. They are incredibly soft. I'm thinking about getting a set for my queen bed now! She is on thier baby registry. They had a whole line of crib accesories to choose from that are all certified organic. She is highly sensitive chemicals and lifekind was the only company we could find that is actually certified. They have certification from QAI and Greenguard. Greenguard has a special certification for children.