Carousel Designs Blog

From the very beginning, babies are learning about their environment and absorbing knowledge faster than we can really comprehend.  Even tiny infants with their limited eyesight stare in amazement at crib mobiles – especially those that have high contrast colors (such as black and white mobiles). 

When our daughter had her first birthday, I was surprised at the sheer number of educational toys that she received.  From farm animal puzzles to fun and inventive music creation toys to the Melissa and Doug alphabet art puzzle, today’s education toy choices are vast.

Sherri over at Little Smarties (www.littlesmarties.com) has a huge selection of educational toys for children and is worth a look when searching for a great baby gift.  They have very reasonable prices and offer a solid exchange policy as well.

John

We are happy to announce that we have just launched our first certified organic crib bedding collection.  Certified to be grown without the use of petroleum based fertilizers or harsh chemicals, our natural organic collection is down to earth and comes in the sweet earthy shade of “raw sugar”.

The organic crib sheets are offered at the nice price of $24 and have been integrated into our new Modern Fern collection.  The organic changing pad cover is offered at $29.00.

Whether you are wishing to ensure that only the highest quality fabrics touch your baby’s skin or you want to have a completely green household, we now have a comprehensive offering of organic crib bedding, portable crib bedding, toddler bedding and nursery decor to complete your nursery.

Stay tuned for the introduction of new organic colors in the future.

John

At last!  Babybedding.com is now offering monogramming on several products including baby blankets, decorative pillows, rocking chair pads and high chair pads.  At a time when budgets are tightening, this offering allows customers to create unique, one-of-a-kind baby gifts at very affordable prices.

From the shopping cart, just look for the “personalize” link beside the item in the cart.

The personalization link will take you to the personalization editor.  Simply choose the font, style and color and then enter the text desired.  We offer initials, staggered initials or a name up to 18 characters in length.  After choosing the design you like, hit the ‘SAVE’ button, and that’s it!

At this time, we are only offering monogramming on a select number of products and fabrics.  Not every fabric (such as high contrast fabrics) is suitable for monogramming but here are a few quick links to get started.  Enjoy!

monogram baby blankets  |  monogram high chair pads  |  monogram rocking chair pads  |  monogram decorative pillows

John

Given the cold snap of the past week, spending a little more time in front of the fireplace in your rocking chair may be in order.  If your rocking chair is not the most comfortable chair in the house, it may be time to upgrade your rocking chair pad.

At babybedding.com, we don’t just make baby bedding.  We feature over 80 different styles of rocking chair pads made with generous padding and high quality craftsmanship.  Whether your rocking chair is in the nursery or in the living room, our vast collection of colors and patterns make it easy to find the perfect coordinating chair pad.  Whether your decor is serious or serene, we probably have the right style to match.

Our rocking chair pads are made for the traditional style rocking chairs and are not suitable for gliders.  The bottom cushion measures 20″ wide by 18″ deep and the back cushion is 30″ high and tapers from 21″ at the top to 17″ at the bottom.  Starting at $44, giving your rocking chair a facelift is also easy on the pocketbook.

Enjoy the cold nights and frosty mornings of winter kicking back and rocking in comfort.

Sage and Chocolate Damask Rocking Chair Pad

Today’s changing tables are built with baby safety in mind and most have a convenient strap to keep baby from accidentally rolling off the table.  The contoured changing pads add a small lip on either side for an extra bit of safety.  We actually have an old fashioned baby buggy stroller that doubles as a cradle as well as an emergency changing area and it uses a flat changing pad insert.  In the nursery we have a changing pad table that has the contoured changing pad.

In either case, it has become abundantly clear that a back-up changing pad cover is not just prudent, but often necessary.  In the early days of diaper changing, I simply could not figure out how to take care of all the tasks with just two hands.  And that inexperience often presented a need to quickly wash the changing pad cover.  And babies typically don’t wait until the wash and dry cycle are complete before demanding a fresh diaper change.

For the old fashioned buggy changing pad we stuck with the simple, solid white changing pad cover.  For our nursery and the contoured changing pad, we went with the pink minky changing pad cover as it matched the rest of the nursery.

Quality changing pad covers make great baby gifts and most parents would appreciate a second set.  At Babybedding.com, we have over 150 designs to choose from in both flat and contoured designs.  Starting at just $14, these great gifts will be easy on the pocketbook as well.

Etsy.com is going to be hosting a highly innovative online baby shower event beginning this afternon at 4:00 pm EST. 

For those looking for one-of-a-kind handmade baby gifts, there are a lot of small shops on Etsy that are operated by stay at home moms and a variety of artisans.  The virtural shower is a live event where artists and moms are collaborating and donating so all moms will be able to receive a special gift. 

Read more at Etsy

John

For over 20 years, we have been designing baby bedding collections that are bundled together and presented as a package. For instance, we offer 4 piece crib bedding sets, 3 piece cradle bedding sets, 3 piece portable crib bedding sets and 4 piece toddler bedding sets.

What makes us different from typical baby bedding resellers is that we also offer any of our crib bedding pieces A la cart. We are the factory, after all, and that comes with many advantages!

For those looking to accommodate friends and family operating on a tighter budget, the babybedding.com baby gift registry is a perfect way indicate your preferences and allow others buy baby gifts as separate items rather than as an entire collection. Our high quality crib sheets start at just $18 and they can easily be coordinated with any nursery design. And coordinating crib skirts start at a low $37.00.

If you are on a tight budget or just want to be conscientious about the budgets of your loved ones, consider using the gift registry to manage your nursery decorating needs. With many crib bedding and nursery decor products under $40, everyone will be able to share the joy of giving without busting their budget.

John

I’ll have to admit that when my wife was expecting and we were signing up for a baby gift registry, I didn’t even know what a valance was.  Of course, there were many things I didn’t know, but I remember asking, “what is a window valance and why do we need one?”

Like a crib skirt, the primary purpose of a valance is to hide unsightly hardware.  But valances can also bring together a theme and put the finishing touches on a nursery.  Valances can be used with or without curtains, but they are typically paired with curtains for a more formal appearance.

Valances are also considered window treatments and come several styles.  At babybedding.com, we offer two of the most time-honored and versatile styles: balloon valances and tab top valances.

The balloon valance (also known as rod pocket valance) typically envelopes the curtain rod and gathers, or ballons, along the width of the window.

Balloon Style Window Valance

A tab top valance hangs on the curtain rod via a series of loops and leaves parts of the curtain rod exposed.

Tab Top Window Valance

Whether you are looking to add a splash of color to your nursery or want to add the finishing touch to a coordinating design, window valances are a great way to bring together your nursery.

When my wife was expecting, I found myself suddenly surrounded by expecting couples. Shower invitations poured in and it seemed like there was an event every couple of weeks.  Having a limited budget and lots of shower invitations can mean reserving premium gifts for close friends and family and more budget-oriented gifts for coworkers and acquaintances. 

Keeping within budget while bringing a cool gift to the shower requires using a bit of creativity.  Dr. Seuss books are always a hit and today there are lots of board books that are perfect for babies who love to tear paper.  But another idea I recently discovered is creating custom onesies.  Makeaonesie.com is a great place to create a custom onesie (or sleeper or romper) for less than $20.  They have an intelligent interface where custom onesies can be made and visually rendered in seconds.

I haven’t ordered from them before and I wonder if others can share their experience.

John