Some great things to share...

 

The Force is certainly strong in this room.  Totally not sure about the Wampa rug, but the bumperless crib?  Positively galactic!  Thanks Ohdeedoh !

 

Thanks Jordan Ferry of Oh Happy Day  and writing for Babble Family Style not to forget to look at places like Overstock for great deals!

We love all things Boon, but this lamp is so cool it is glowing.  Thanks Project Nursery!

Wee Decor is one of our obsessions. This week we are obsessed with their loving the bumperless crib as much as us and especially love when they find a great bumperless crib set from SkipHop.com

As you know, we covered the big stuff here, then the paint and wall décor, and today in Part III, we'll be taking a look at lighting, window coverings, and rugs! In Part IV, we'll move onto storage and fun things to fill out your décor. And because there is no need to buy expensive bedding (all the crib needs is a cute, tight-fitted sheet), you will have lots of spare change in your pocket for a few splurges.

Safety

With lighting, window coverings, and rugs the name of the game is: SAFETY FIRST. Cords in the nursery are a strangulation risk and should be placed with utmost care. Rugs can be a trip hazard and carpeting, especially new carpeting, can emit dangerous fumes.

All window blinds in your home should now be cordless, but especially in the nursery and play areas. There is more information here about window blinds and ensuring that what you are buying is safe. In addition, please make sure all lighting cords are nowhere near baby's reach. This goes for baby monitors as well. There have been instances of baby's being strangled in video monitor cords. If you decide to install carpeting in the nursery, here is information from the CPSC regarding ventilation and low-fume glue. Many health experts prefer tile or wood floors to avoid dust mites allergies that can trigger asthma in children. If you are putting a rug on a hard surface-floor, be sure to put a no-skid pad under the rug and double check that once in the nursery it is not a trip-hazard.

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So, we covered the big stuff here, now it’s time for paint and wall décor. Part III will be lighting, window coverings, and rugs. Part IV: storage and fun things to fill out your décor. And because there is no need to buy expensive bedding (all the crib needs is a cute, tight-fitted sheet), you will have lots of spare change in your pocket for a few splurges. What is hot right now in nursery décor? Owls, Chevron patterns and cool, gender-neutral colors. Choose them all, or go your own way. Select a palette that appeals to your style and sensibilities and be sure to match it with any items you have purchased or intend to purchase.

Paint

For paint, consider low VOC or zero VOC paints. What does VOC mean anyway? Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are organic solvents contained in paint and many other substances. In paints, these solvents are released into the atmosphere as the paint dries after application. VOCs emitted by solvents that are found in most paints contribute to the formation of indoor air pollution and ground-level ozone.

Low VOC Paints

Benjamin Moore Aura offers a terrific, modern palette. While you're there, try out these color combinations: Jicama, grasshopper and violetta (girl)/exhale (boy).

Serena & Lily have designed paints to match their bedding (which we don't recommend buying), and their palette is sophisticated and elegant. All the colors are fabulous, but our favorites have to be Punch, Dandelion, Persimmon and Chocolate.

Zero VOC Paints

Olympic Premium Paint offers a collection organized by "Whites" — a great choice if you are thinking of doing a neutral nursery — and "Interiors" — a few good ones here as well. Try: Magnolia Spray, Dover Grey, Sandpiper and Barefoot Beach.

Last but not least, Harmony by Sherwin-Williams is home to a huge selection of colors. Which one is your favorite?

Wall décor

Wall Decals

Wall decals are great. They are generally inexpensive, instantly "theme" and provide a focal point for your nursery, and you can easily swap one for another as your child gets older, or when you just want to freshen the nursery. A great decal easily lets you decorate your nursery and NOT the crib (if you keep repeating this to yourself, it'll eventually stick!). What's trendy now in decals? Trees (here's another and another) and — shocker — owls (this one's pretty cool). Trees and owls not your thing? We are also loving these adorable monkeys and these whimsical botanicals.

Framed Prints

How about framed prints or other wall art? Unlike a decal, wall art will accent your other décor. We love this set of animal prints from the Etsy Shop, Little Lion Studo (in fact we love everything from this shop). On a budget or just like DIY projects? Here's a great idea from Jordan Ferney from her blog Oh Happy Day: colorful do-it-yourself potato prints. Less DIY-y but just as budget-y: here are some lovely whimsical animal prints in modern subtle colors.

What are your ideas for decorating the nursery and not the crib? Please do tell. We will share them on our facebook page.

- SSGS

We are loving Joanna Goddard’s (aka award-winning blogger at A Cup of Jo) sharing of her favorite bedtime products at Beso.com.

Cute fitted sheets, great jammies, our partner Aden + Anais’ sleep sacks and much more — except no crib bumpers! We are thrilled that a chic, modern, stylish mom like Joanna is not recommending crib bumpers. Hurrah we say!

Alas, as we have noted before….other well-known mamas are not getting the message that crib bumpers are a suffocation hazard and are not safe for sleeping infants. Nope, you won't find that message here for Mariah’s Roc and Roe nor here for Melissa Rycroft’s daughter.

So, to help you get over any "bumper anxiety," we rounded up a few favorites from nurseries featured on Ohdeedoh — dee-lightful!

Beautiful crib, no bumpers!

And here's another!

As always, if you have any questions, feel free to drop us a line at info@sleepinsafetygrowinstyle.org.

- SSGS

Where to Begin

Determine your overall budget and then calculate how much you want to spend on the big items: crib, mattress, and chair/rocker/glider. (Skip the changing table — a pad on top of a dresser will do the trick.) Consider your family’s needs and lifestyle; where do you want to splurge? Where can you save?

Crib

Splurge

Stokke Sleepi (Here is the full review from Babble.com) - This crib is uber stylish, but expensive: about $1,000 just for the crib/bassinett, but it converts from a bassinet to a crib to a toddler bed and to two chairs when your child outgrows the bed. The bassinet is on wheels so the baby can always have a safe place to sleep wherever you are in the house. The oval shape is nest like and super cool. They sell bumpers, but don’t buy them.

Nah, I want something cheaper...

The Gulliver from Ikea is a good choice at $139 and is now a standard size so you can buy whatever mattress you like. This crib also converts to a toddler bed. Ikea is totally committed to infant safety so you can shop with confidence.

Can I get a better crib but spend less?

You can try. There is a new website called Recrib. We found a gently used (just photoshoots) Oeuf Sparrow Bed that retails for over $700 for $500. We also found the splurge Stokke Crib for $300. Both items are in excellent condition. Like with any non-new item, you should always check it against the CPSC’s recall list. And remember, MANY DROP SIDE CRIBS have been recalled and after June 28, 2011 traditional drop-side cribs will not meet the CPSC'S new crib standards and cannot be sold.

Got questions about new crib standards? Just click here

Mattress

Buy the best mattress you can afford. Your baby will spend a significant amount of time sleeping on it and a good mattress, particularly one that has a softer, toddler side, can be used for a number of years. The mattress must be firm, fit tightly and adhere to all safety regulations.

Babble has done a great job testing crib mattresses. However, we are not convinced of the efficacy of the very expensive Nook system that they rate highly and we like the mattress made by one of our Sleep in Safety Grow in Style partners Sopora Sleep that was not included in their list.

Rocker/Chair/Glider

Many moms buy a rocker or receive one for a gift only for it to end up as a place to keep stuffed animals. Even worse are the standard issue gliders which are cumbersome, decidedly not stylish and often NOT inexpensive. We say splurge on a very comfortable, very stylish chair that will take you from night feedings to toddler soothing to bedtime stories. Here are just a few:

Not crazy expensive, at $650, this oversized, stain-resistant rocker by Nurseryworks is a great option.

More spendy ($995) We love this chic orange glider available at Albeebaby.com by Monte Design Luca. Plus Albee’s is having a sitewide 15% off sale, Saving you $149.25 on this great nursery chair!

Really Spendy ($1,690) What can we say… this Adagio chair is terrific… it glides,it reclines , it’s leather, it’s awesome.

We hope our nursery guidelines can get you started on designing your own beautiful, safe nursery. Be sure to catch our next issue where we'll cover lighting, window decoration, paint options, and more! If you have any ideas, comments, or questions, drop us a note at info@sleepinsafetygrowinstyle.org.

- SSGS

In short, DEFINITELY OUT! But, if you've already bought them, the good news is that you CAN use them, just NOT in your baby’s crib. Yeah, we know that's probably not the news you were looking for, but you really should see some of the creative ideas (our favorite) we've found around the web.

The truth is, crib slats are now required by law to be no more than 2¾ inches apart—preventing babies from falling through the slats—and crib mattresses are required by law to fit the crib tightly, so that babies can no longer get their heads or other body parts wedged between the mattress and the sides of the crib. With these new regulations for crib design, the original purpose for crib bumpers has been rendered obsolete, and the bumpers themselves have become nothing more than stylish, UNFATHOMABLY DANGEROUS crib accessories.

If they're so dangerous, why are they still being sold?

Good question. The answer is that "we have no idea," but we can tell you that the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) is re-examining the safety of crib bumpers and it's likely that the American Academy of Pediatrics will revise their SIDS risk reduction statement to include the disinclusion of crib bumpers in babies' cribs. Additionally, the Attorney General for the state of Illinois was so moved by the threat that she issued a strong statement warning parents against crib bumpers AND personally wrote to the Juvenile Product Manufacturers Association (JPMA) citing their failure to fully acknoweldge the risk posed by crib bumpers. Based on the reported statistics from the CPSC, we fully expect to see a large reduction in crib bumper sales over the coming months/years.

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