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The Ins and Outs of Shopping for Toddler Bedding
My neighbor and I unwittingly embarked on a similar journey this past winter, finding toddler sheets for our children’s beds. Her daughter, 3, and my son, 2 ½, recently graduated from the crib to the toddler bed. In both cases it was a simple instance of removing the side of the crib, attaching some side rails and locating the right sheets. Therein laid the rub, finding the right sheets. Both children have long since past babyhood. She loves Dora; he loves anything on two or four wheels. So where do we find these priceless treasures and how are we sure that the sheets will fit? It was a journey that I thought would be long and hard, but turned into a fun filled fact finding mission instead.
The goal was to find sheets for the cribs that reflected each child’s sense of style and age, essentially, toddler sheets. We headed to the mall and to the “anchor” stores. You know the big chains that sell everything from tractors to shoes; we figured we couldn’t go wrong. Boy, were we wrong! The selection was abysmal and since we wanted to redecorate both rooms we couldn’t find enough in the way of matching border, matching lamps, rugs, etc. Sears had four patterns and JCPenney had four patterns and the price nearly knocked us out. Nope, clearly these stores were just not going to cut it.
As we headed home, we thought about possible alternatives. It was time to head to the Internet, that vast purveyor of everything. How people ten or twenty years ago survived without it is beyond this writer, but I digress. We immediately headed for Amazon.com where we found a better selection and better prices for the toddler bedding, however, it still didn’t quite help us find the unique patterns we were seeking for the children. My neighbor wanted flowers, butterflies and bright colors for her daughter. I wanted trucks, planes, cars and blue for my son. Amazon did, however, turn us to another website called Olive Kids.
Olive Kids had everything we wanted, the sheet sets, lamps, curtains, pillow shams (for my neighbor’s daughter), even clocks. There we found the perfect sets for each of the children ‘Under Construction’ and ‘Flowerland’. Olive Kids provided us with the opportunity to purchase curtains, rugs, clocks, wall borders, placemats, and toddler sheet sets that included comforters and pillow shams. This was the magical place we were looking for. While the prices were a little heavy, we understood that this was where we could purchase the entire room and not have to hunt someplace else for a lamp to match the curtains to match the rug, etc. Not only that, but as the children grow into twin beds, the same patterns would be available so we didn’t have to totally renovate in the next five years.
Our joyousness was overshadowed by one thing, would the sheets fit the mattresses? The website said that the sheets fit standard crib mattresses and that’s what ours were. We measured the length and width for peace of mind. After assuring us that we were going to be pleased, orders were placed and credit cards began to be utilized to their fullest extent.
Several weeks later, packages arrived, were opened and rooms began to take shape. My neighbor’s daughter had a pretty pink room, with bright yellows and purples. My son had trucks everywhere and blue walls to accompany them. The toddler bedding fit the converted cribs beautifully and each child was captivated with this magical transformation into the larger world of being a toddler.
When it comes time to transform your little one’s room from the nursery to a place where the toddler in him or her can shine, take a look at toddler bedding available from any of the sources mentioned here. It’s a wonderful opportunity to highlight your child’s personality. Most toddler bedding will fit your converted crib and most toddler beds will accept a regular crib mattress so it works out nicely.
Written By: Laura Seger