Please click here to visit our sponsor





Please click here to visit our sponsor

Baby Furniture Buyers Guide


Communication between the guests would be wise to prevent any duplicate gifts. The guests could also choose to get together on something more expensive such as a piece of nursery furniture. The parents need items that will hold up well for their newborn, so check to make certain the item you choose is sturdy and built for safety.

Purchasing an expensive gift such as a piece of furniture for the nursery would help the new parents tremendously as they are probably strapped for cash at this point. What with the pre-natel care and the upcoming hospital and doctor expenses that come with any childbirth.

Baby Cribs
Cribs will be the most important piece of furniture the new parent will need for the baby. They come in a wide variety of styles and finishes to match any nursery theme or color scheme the parents might have for the nursery. They come as standard cribs, canopy, convertible, sleigh and various other types. Some of the more common features available would be adjustable mattress heights, metal mattress supports, one of three different kinds of release mechanism, rolling casters and/or a teething rail. A baby can use the crib from birth until around the age of 3. A safe and sturdy crib will cost from $150 to over $1000 depending on the quality of the wood and the features provided.

Crib Mattresses
A crib mattress is a very important item for the baby as she/he will be spending over 50% of his time on the mattress until he/she is around 3 years of age. Mattresses come in basically two types: foam or innerspring/coil. Foam weighs less while the innerspring/coil will last a much longer time. Accessories include bedding, crib sheets, crib wedges and waterproof mattress pads. High quality foam mattresses will cost between $80 to $100, while an innerspring/coil mattress will cost from $75 to $200.

Bedding-Bumpers-Sheets-Quilts-Shams
Most standard, canopy and convertible cribs will use standard size crib bedding. A round crib, porta crib, cradle and bassinet will all need special bedding to fit the size of the particular item. A bumper is a necessary item that is needed to keep the baby safe by keeping the baby's arms and legs from getting stuck in the slats. A quilt or comforter should not be used in the crib, but rather as a play mat for the baby. A diaper stacker is used to store your diapers and to keep the nursery more organized. Pillows are a safety hazard for the baby and should never be used in the crib. Most bedding sets can cost from $50 to as high as $700 for a set with better quality fabrics etc.

Changing Tables
A changing table should be well padded, have guardrails and include safety straps for the baby. They come in several types such as the combination sytle, dresser drawer and one with open shelves. Accessories include changing pads, oraganizers and wipe warmers. A changing table can be used from birth until about two years of age. They range in price from $90 to $200 depending on the accessories and storage space they have.

Rocking Chairs
A rocking chair would be a welcome addition to the baby nursery or living room. The rocking chair would give the mom-to-be lots of quality time with her newborn baby.

Moses Baskets
Moses baskets are a rather unique piece of furniture. A moses basket would be an unexpected but welcome baby shower gift. Also something the mother could pass on for a heirloom. This is an item that could be passed from generation to generation.

Child's Rocking Chair
A children's rocking chair would make a great gift. One that most people wouldn't think of giving. You wouldn't need to worry about duplicating your gift with some other guest with this gift.

Playpen & Play Yard
Play yards come in 3 different types. The basic which can be used as a playpen or a crib. One that has a bassinet built in for the newborn. A canopy style to keep you infant shielded from the sun and to keep in cooler in the outdoors. Accessories you can purchase seperately include a changing station, netting for outdoor use and sheets. A play yard can be used from birth until about 2 years of age. Good quality play yards cost between $60 to more than $200.

Portable Travel Crib
A portable travel crib would be great for those over-night trips out of town or state to family or friends.

Cradles
A cradle is used from birth until 4 months or the baby is able to roll from side to side. Cradles usually include a padded bumper, fitted sheet and a quilt or comforter. One of the advantages of a cradle is that you can rock it and it is lower than a crib.

Baby Dresser
Every nursery needs a chest of drawers for the newborn. You can buy them with a theme, in different styles, shapes and colors. If you know how the new parents will be decorating the nursery, you can match the baby dresser to the theme.

High Chair
All new parents need this very essential piece of furniture. There are several types of high chairs: Adjustable, conventional, booster and wooden. The high chair should have an adjustable tray, locking mechanism, some kind of restraint system and possibly rolling casters which are allowed to be locked easily. Parents can use the high chair as soon as the baby is born for bottle feeding if it is capable of fully reclining.

Bassinets
A traditional piece of nursery furniture would be a bassinet. The baby can use the bassinet from birth until about 4 month of age. Bassinet sets usually include a hood cover, fitted sheet, plain sheet and a bumper.

Car Seats
A car seat is a necessity because every state requires the baby be restrained while in a car. Newborns must travel in the back seat in a car seat that faces the rear of the car. After the baby is a year old you change to a forward facing car seat. Car seats come in several different types. An infant car seat, convertible and booster seats. Infant and convertible car seats cost between $60 and $300.

Strollers
Strollers come as a standard stroller, single, umbrella, double strooler or as a travel system which is a combination stroller and car seat. Most strollers have a canopy, front bar, harness, reliner and a storage space. Accessories available include accessory bars, attachable toy and activity bars, infant headrests, rain sheilds and stroller connectors for attaching two strollers together. A stroller can be used from around 4 months of age until about 3 or 4 years old. Depending on the style and quality strollers can be purchased for as little as $15 to as much as $1,000.

Baby Monitor
A monitor may be a luxery item, but it can give the parents added reassurance that their baby is safe. There are several types: audio, audio/movement and audio/video monitors. Monitors can be used from newborn to toddler. Depending on the type of monitor, you can buy them for as little as $20 on up to $400, with the audio/video monitor being the most expensive.

Bouncer Seat
A very useful item is a bouncer seat. They can come with an accessory toy bar, canopy, restraint and variable speeds. A bouncer seat can be used from newborn until the baby is 9 months old. The standard non-battery operated bouncer seats cost between $40 and $75 while the battery operated seats tend to cost a bit more.

© Copyright Randy Wilson, All Rights Reserved.

Randy has dozens more baby shower related articles such as Diaper Cakes, Games for a Baby Shower and How to Plan a Baby Shower.



MSN UK News

Babies' post-mortem 'inconclusive'
The Press Association - 12 hours ago
It is still not known what caused the deaths of two babies found in toy boxes at the home of a pensioner, after a post-mortem examination proved ...
Dead babies 'may have been twins' BBC News
Babies in box were twins Manchester Evening News
BODIES 'TWINS' Mirror.co.uk
all 65 news articles


Nevada rule protects inmates' babies
San Francisco Chronicle,  USA - 10 hours ago
By BRENDAN RILEY, AP Writer Emergency Nevada rules to ensure babies born to women inmates don't wind up in the hands of abusive caregivers while their ...


Babies are bags of bits
Telegraph.co.uk, United Kingdom - 6 hours ago
Fernyhough has used his daughter's development as a hook on which to hang a considered, up-to-date summary of what we know about how babies develop. ...


Bull rampage expands base of billion-dollar babies
Sify, India - 1 hour ago
... of companies in sectors probably unheard of five years ago, which have suddenly found favour with investors and become billion-dollar babies. ...


CTV.ca

Autism researchers say eye tracker technology may lead to earlier ...
The Canadian Press, TORONTO - 16 hours ago
TORONTO — Eye tracker technology used to study two groups of babies - either at high or low risk of developing autism - shows differences between the groups ...
New test spots autism signs in 9-month-old infants CTV.ca
Detecting autism in babies may aid progress Hamilton Spectator
Canadian researchers make autism diagnosis at 9 months: study CBC.ca
The Canadian Press
all 43 news articles


Giant snake hatches 40 babies
Independent Online, South Africa - 15 hours ago
Kampala - A 30-year-old python housed in a Ugandan animal conservation centre has hatched 40 offspring, newspaper reports said on Friday but wildlife ...


Julie Caswell's tips on dogs and babies
Detroit Free Press, United States - 22 hours ago
Expose your dog to babies in a controlled manner. • Present a blanket or clothes the baby has worn to your dog along with special treats. ...


Give wild babies a chance to grow
SunHerald.com, MS - 33 minutes ago
They are this year's babies, our own backyards' contributions to the miracle of feathered flight. And these avian babies are not alone. ...


Sex of San Jose City Hall baby falcons announced: Think 'girl power'
San Jose Mercury News,  USA - 2 hours ago
By Lisa Fernandez Birders watch as UC Santa Cruz Predatory Bird Research Group field biologist Brian Latta bands peregrine falcon babies' legs on Friday, ...
Genders of SJ City Hall chicks revealed abc7news.com
Scientists Try To Find Gender Of Pergerine Falcon Chicks NBC 11.com
Falcon fans at City Hall waiting for genders to be announced San Jose Mercury News
San Jose Mercury News
all 12 news articles


Dee Snider's 6th Annual Bikers for Babies Ride May 18
Westbury Times, NY - 9 hours ago
Bikers will hit the open road at 11 am Every year more than half a million babies are born prematurely, and more than 100000 are born with birth defects or ...

Babies - Google News

home | site map

© 2006 www.elearn-university.org