When you first bring home your baby, items like comforters, quilts and pillows aren’t necessary.

You will also have to make a choice of whether to use a bumper in your baby’s crib. There’s mixed information available. Educate yourself and make a choice.

If you do decide that a bumper will protect your child, go with a thinner design. Thick, fluffy bumpers are much more of a suffocation hazard than these thinner ones.

The essential items for the first year of your baby’s life are sheets, a mattress, and maybe a crib skirt for a better look. You want to avoid fluffy or heavy items in the crib that could suffocate your baby.

However, you might be concerned about your baby staying warm at night. For that purpose consider using an organic blanket or sleep sac to swaddle your baby in. If you wrap your baby snugly you will avoid the risk of suffocation.

So, what do you do with the comforter or quilt that came in the baby bedding set? They make great accessories for your baby’s nursery.

You can hang the quilt over a rack designed for it, or simply mount it on the wall.

Purchasing a complete baby bedding set in the beginning may also save you money in the long run, as the set can be used for your child throughout the toddler years as well.

If you’d rather keep it simple in the beginning with just the sheets and such, purchasing a bedding set later will allow you to give the nursery a fresh new look.