Carousel Designs Blog

In this video we demonstrate some of the features of babybedding.com that will better help you choose the perfect bedding for your nursery – primarily using the zoom imaging feature and ordering fabric swatches.

Let’s say you are designing a girl’s nursery. Clicking the baby girl bedding link quickly takes you to the section of our website dedicated to the girl’s nursery.

As you can see, there are also filters available for boys and gender neutral collections as well.

Maybe you like the Pink and chocolate damask collection and you’re interested in the four piece bedding set. To get a closer look at the bedding, simply click on the image and you will see a new zoom window appear. You can click and drag the mouse to view any section you would like to see better.

But because all monitors are different, we encourage you to have a fabric swatch sample sent to you. That way you can actually feel the fabric and make sure that the colors match your design requirements.

We usually mail swatches out within 24 hours so you can make your design decisions quickly.
And if you have any questions, just give us a call toll-free, (800) 600-5190, between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. Eastern Time, Monday through Friday.

Thanks for shopping with us!

John

Without a doubt, the cradle becomes a special item when your newborn arrives home.  It’s the first place your baby will sleep after coming home.  Having it properly prepared is important as the baby makes the transition to their new surroundings.

There are many types and styles of cradles available including the more modern gliding cradles.  But whether your cradle is the rocking type or the gliding type, the standard cradle mattress size is 18″ x 36″.  It is important to choose bedding specifically made for the cradle so that it does not bunch, gather or leave gaps between the mattress and the rails.

Cradles are designed for use in the initial months when a baby first arrives home.  Many parents keep the cradle right beside their own bed, at least for the first couple of weeks.  And some parents choose never move the cradle to the nursery at all.  When baby is big enough to move into the nursery, they move right into the crib.

Depending on how and where the cradle is used, there are many options for incorporating cradle bedding into your home.  With literally dozens of designed cradle bedding sets available, coordinating your baby’s first sleeping quarters with the nursery or the bedroom is easy with the vast selection from Carousel Designs.  From designer modern fern to simple, solid white – cradle sheets, bumpers and blankets are available a la carte or as matching bundles to suit every new parent’s needs.

John

I was visiting a new parent forum the other day and noticed a mother-to-be discussing how much she should pay for toddler bedding.  It was an interesting read because she was strictly concerned with price, at first.  And then some other people chimed in with recommendations regarding quality.  It made me consider how we use the word “cheap” and how that term relates to “quality.”

Cheap reminds me of the low-cost pots and pans I bought when I first graduated from college and moved into my own apartment.  (Ok, we all did that, right?)  I didn’t pay much initially, but within several months, the pot handles were falling off and I eventually had to replace all of my cookware.  Lesson learned.  Not only did cheap not satisfy my needs, I had to make a second purchase of cookware because I did not consider quality during my first purchase.

Quality is the relative measure of excellence – the relationship of cost verses value.  The highest quality product is almost never the one that costs the least and it is often not the most expensive either.  I am a big fan of research, especially before buying a big ticket item, and I have found that quality can be a mix of objective testing (How well does it hold up in the wash?) and highly subjective factors (How good did it look?).

One thing that has been a persistent focus at Carousel Designs is quality.  At the same time, we are also able to offer inexpensive baby bedding because there is no middleman to inflate prices.  We design and manufacture everything here in our Douglasville, Georgia facility and that makes us uniquely positioned to offer high quality at lower prices.

I took a look at some of our customer testimonials and thought I would share some of the recent comments.  One word that I didn’t see was “cheap”.
There were several references to “great prices”, “reasonably priced” and “fair prices”.
And the word that I found repeated more than any other was “quality”.  It was mentioned dozens of times.

“I would have paid the same amount for a much lesser quality in a national retail store…”
“Thank you for the speedy delivery, and the outstanding quality of your product…”
“It is so rare, these days, to find such high quality items made in this country. I will recommend babybedding.com/Carousel Designs to all of my friends. Thanks!”

John

Minky is a modern “micro-fiber” fabric that is amazingly soft.  It is quick-drying, highly absorbent, and actually quite strong.  And unlike true mink, minky fabric is completely vegan.

My introduction to minky came when someone gave us a minky crib sheet at our baby shower.  Although it was clearly a soft and luxurious sheet, I was somewhat resistant to the idea of minky because it wasn’t made of cotton.  But as circumstances quickly change when there is an infant in the house, I ended up trying the minky crib sheet out of desperation one evening.  That was when my daughter was about 6 months old. She seemed to like the minky sheet just fine.

However, when I later tried to replace the minky sheet with a cotton sheet, it became clear that my daughter preferred, er, demanded, minky.  That night when we put her down to bed, she immediately started crying.  She was fed, changed and otherwise comfortable so we were puzzled.  After about 20 minutes of high decibel protests, my wife asked me, “Could it be the sheet?”

I sprang into action and ran downstairs, got the minky sheet from the stack of folded laundry and quickly replaced the cotton sheet.  Five minutes later, our baby was asleep.  Needless to say, we bought a couple of extra minky sheets and haven’t looked back.

John

I changed my first diaper the day after my daughter was born. And my wife still teases me about it. Because when my wife went to pick up our daughter with her fresh, daddy-installed diaper, the diaper promptly slid down the baby’s legs, jumped off the end of her toes and landed with a thud on the hospital floor.

My second diaper change came at 3:00 a.m. the following morning. Having a new focus on achieving a proper fit, I struggled to even find a diaper in the dark of night and proceeded to get myself soaked in pee in the process. At this point I felt like I needed 4 extra hands and x-ray vision.

As much as I thought I was prepared, I wasn’t prepared for this. I wondered how parents did it. I found myself suddenly admiring all of my friends who were parents – they must be geniuses.

It turns out that being prepared makes a huge difference in the diaper changing experience. Yes, we had a changing table but we were missing a valuable tool – a diaper stacker. Diaper stackers are like an umbrella on a rainy day, like a flashlight during a black-out. A well placed diaper stacker can be the difference between a minor emergency and a full blown hazmat style disaster.

In keeping with our nursery theme, we chose the Pink Paisley Diaper Stacker. It matches the pink elements of our daughter’s nursery and also coordinates with the yellow wall paint.

Depending on whether you are using newborn size disposable diapers or larger cloth diapers, the diaper stackers offered by Carousel Designs hold 25-50 diapers. And they are available in dozens of colors and patterns to match any nursery design. Most importantly, they will be there when you need them most.

Pink Paisley Diaper Stacker

John

Yesterday I came across another great artist who makes Customizable Baby Blocks. 

Not only are these blocks a hip twist on a retro idea, all materials used are non toxic – and that is a great update from the children’s blocks of the past.  These solid wood blocks are a great way to decorate the nursery or for helping your child to learn the alphabet.  And all of the blocks can be customized to create a truly unique baby shower gift. 

These hand painted blocks are offered in a variety of sizes and there is a huge assortment of styles so you can pick the colors and treatment that suits your taste.  Here are some great sample photos on Flickr.  Take a look at the Holy Craft blog for more information and to get your own customized baby blocks.

Baby Blocks from Holycraft

John

Today we are launching our newest damask collection of baby bedding and decor – Sage Damask.  Featuring earth tones paired with the elegance of a damask print, this collection cleverly combines sophistication and simplicity.  The earthy color combinations in this collection are just in time to celebrate Earth Day.

Our Sage Damask Four Piece Crib Bedding Set features a luxurious crib comforter with our sage damask print on the front balanced by sage stripes on the reverse.  Chocolate brown piping adds the finishing touches to this unique and versatile crib comforter.  The crib bumper echoes the design of the comforter featuring sage stripes on the inside with sage damask on the outside and chocolate brown ties and trim.  The box pleat crib skirt is made with our sage stripes print and trimmed with chocolate brown.  The four piece bundle comes with a chocolate brown crib sheet yet easily coordinates with sage stripe crib sheets.

To complete the nursery with coordinating pieces of decor, we offer Sage Damask Drapes in 84 and 96 inches.  Featuring sage damask fabric backed by a poly-cotton liner, our coordinating drapes have a solid chocolate brown bottom trim and tie-tops.  Other coordinating options include our Sage Damask window valances in either tab top or rod pocket style.  Other accessories include diaper stackers, changing pad covers, high chair pads and many other items that can be found on our Sage Damask Nursery Decor page.

John

I recently noticed some new parents on a message board discussing their lack of knowledge about the terminology surrounding baby bedding and nursery decorations.  I felt their pain.  It wasn’t long ago that I didn’t know the difference between a crib and a cradle and I certainly didn’t know what a dust ruffle was.  So I put together this short list – let me know if I missed anything!

Appliqué - A pattern or design that has been cut out of one fabric, and sewn on another fabric with a “satin stitch” (a very tight and smooth zig zag stitch). Appliquéd items give a wonderful dimensional and custom look, especially when compared to bedding designs with screen printed or stamped themes.

Cradle Bedding - Cradles are typically used for a baby’s first six months before they transition to their own crib in their own nursery. Standard-size cradle mattresses measure approximately 18″ x 36″. Cradle bedding typically comes with a sheet, bumper and blanket.

Cradle Blanket / Stroller Blanket – A cradle blanket / stroller blanket typically measures 29″ x 39″; a perfect size to carry or swaddle a newborn. They are also a nice size for covering a baby when taking walks in the stroller on chilly mornings.

Crib Bumper – A crib bumper is a protective pad that lines the inside of a crib and is the same height all the way around. Crib Bumpers should have both top and bottom ties for added safety.

Crib Blanket / Baby Blanket – A crib blanket measures approximately 35″ x 45″. These blankets are typically made with two different fabric types on the front and back. They have a variety of uses including swaddling or carrying infants, tummy time or as an emergency changing area (yes, I have done this more than once!).

Crib Comforter – A box-quilted comforter with non-allergenic resin-free poly-fill that coordinates or complements a crib bedding set. Dimensions of crib comforters are approximately 38″ x 48″, depending on the edging. For the early months of infancy, a comforter should not be used directly on or under the baby. However, later on in the toddler stage, a quilt can be a very comforting item for the child. They identify with the theme or colors and it gives them a feeling of security which they have become accustomed to with their nursery décor.

Crib Bedding Set -  A bedding ensemble that will fit a standard crib with the approximate dimensions of 28″ X 52″. Four-piece crib bedding sets include a bumper, comforter or blanket, sheet and dust ruffle.

Dust Ruffle / Crib Skirt – Crib skirts are decorative in nature and hang below the crib mattress area and hide unsightly crib hardware and storage areas under some cribs.

Diaper Stacker - A decorative item used to store diapers – either cloth or disposable. Diaper stackers usually hang near or on the changing or dressing table for convenience and will make diaper changing easier. Diaper stackers should not hang on the crib.

Musical Mobile / Crib Mobile – Mobiles attach to the sides of cribs and hang over the crib area so that babies can look up and be entertained by the patterns, movement and music of the mobile. Crib mobiles should be removed from the crib area once the child can sit up or move to their hands and knees.

Portable/Mini Crib/ Portacrib Set – A bedding set that will fit a travel or mini crib with the dimensions of approximately 24″ x 38″. A 3-piece portable crib bedding set includes the bumper, sheet and blanket.

Valance – Window valances fit at the top of your window for decoration. The balloon valances may be stuffed with tissue for a “balloon” look or may hang straight. Dimensions are 18″ x 84” and are designed to fit the large 2 1/2 inch curtain rod and can be stuffed or left to hang straight. Tab top valances measure approximately 64″ x 16″ and leave a generous 3” header.

I hope this helps some of the new parents (er, dads) out there.  I know I was lost about 19 months ago!

John

When we were decorating for our baby girl’s nursery, my wife and I kicked around the idea of having a mural painted in the baby’s room.  But one of our reservations was that a mural would be permanent and may not be appropriate as our child grew into a toddler.  We also got busy with other family projects and eventually dropped the mural idea.

Since the idea of “the next child” has gotten a little more positive reception in the household lately, I started casually looking into unique art for the next possible nursery-to-be.  I found that some really great art can be printed on a removable surface for a great looking design at a much lower cost (and permanence!) than painted murals.

One company I discovered that has a nice assortment of removable, printed art is imaginativemurals.com.  They offer a variety of murals for the home but I was especially drawn to the Focal Points ™ designs that are printed on adhesive-backed wallpaper.  The Castle Windows mural is an imaginative design for a girl nursery and the Mediterranean Villas design was another personal favorite that would look nice in any nursery.

There are also many different sizes, themes and price ranges available on their website.  I will definitely consider their art when I get ready to design the next nursery.

John

We had another great month for custom baby bedding creations from customers using our custom design studio.  There were some really creative designs put together and I plan to highlight some of our favorites on a regular basis.  After looking through all of our orders for February, we have a few staff favorites to highlight. 

My personal favorite is the black minky combined with latte curly minky set.  The bumper features alternating panels of black minky and latte minky with black ties.  The crib skirt uses latte minky for the body with trim in black and the comforter has latte minky on one side and black minky on the reverse with black trim.  The picture doesn’t really do the comforter justice – that is going to be one ultra-soft comforter!  The nice twist to this set is the white minky chenille crib sheet.  I really like the subtle contrast this adds to the collection. 

The next custom crib set that got our vote is the giraffe minky print combined with solid celery green and sable.  The bumper and comforter in this custom set are created with the minky giraffe print and trimmed with solid celery.  The crib skirt features a solid sable brown and trimmed with solid celery.  And the crib sheet balances out the collection with solid celery.  This is a great design for an animal/jungle themed nursery.

The third of our favorite custom collections from February is a pink and black dot combination.  The inside of the bumper in this collection is created with solid pink minky and the outside features pink and black dot fabric and is trimmed in solid black.  The skirt matches the pink and black dot design with black trim.  The crib sheet balances these two parts with a black and pink dot fabric.  The comforter will definitely be a super soft delight for one special baby girl as it features solid pink minky on one side and black and pink dot minky on the other.

These are just a few samples of the custom collections that have been created with our custom design studio.  If you haven’t seen it yet, check it out!  But be ready to spend some time as it can be addictive

John