How Many Crib Sheets Do I Need?
Make sure you are stocked up.
Since crib sheets are the only bedding your baby will use for at least the first year of their life, it is important to know how many you'll need before bringing your little one home. At a minimum, three will do – but you can go all the way up to seven depending on how often you do laundry. Keep reading to take a deeper look at what factors potentially influence these numbers to help you better prepare for the arrival of your bundle of joy.
How Many Crib Sheets Do I Need?
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Crib sheets are designed to keep your baby comfortable while protecting the mattress from spit-up, diaper blow outs, and any other messes that may occur. When adding these fitted sheets to your checklist, you want to ensure you have enough to suit your and your child's lifestyle.
At a minimum, you should change your baby's sheets at least twice a week to ensure the best hygiene. If you don't want to wake up in the middle of the night only to find there are no clean sheets, here are a few considerations to take into account when shopping.
1. Calculate the Number of Laundry Days
There is no doubt about it – babies are messy. And soiled sheets are no good for your infant's health and happiness. You can always start by determining how often you intend to do laundry. This can help you decide on the number of crib sheets you'll need.
For Daily Laundry
As mentioned before, three crib sheets is a good starting point. This will allow you to have one in use, one in the laundry, and one available for when any messes occur. If you are prepared to do laundry everyday, this number should suffice.
For Laundry Every Other Day
If you need to give yourself a little more leeway when it comes to soiled bedding, four crib sheets will allow you to wash them every other day. This will account for some unexpected messes, leaving you with one or two spares on hand.
For Laundry Twice a Week
If you can only get around to doing laundry twice a week (especially if you have other kids or a larger family), five crib sheets are best. This is a happy medium that gives you enough back up sheets for any emergencies without requiring you to constantly clean bedding.
For Weekly Laundry
Six or seven crib sheets means you have a little more time between laundry days. This is especially helpful in homes that don't have access to a washer or for parents who simply cannot do laundry more than once a week. Anything more than seven sheets is considered excessive.
Tip!
Take a look at New Baby Checklist: Everything You Need to Bring Your Newborn Home to see what other essentials you will need.
2. Consider the Number of Children You Want or Have
With your first baby, you can start out with just three crib sheets (although this will mean more frequent washing). However, if you intend to have more than one or already have kids, it's more likely than not that laundry isn't as regular (typically only weekly). You can adjust the number of crib sheets according to these numbers. Again, for a decent number, four or five will work – giving you fresh sheets on hand and avoiding the immediate need to do laundry.
3. Monitor Your Child
These final factors can also affect just how many sheets you would need.
Does your baby soil their diapers and beds frequently? Do they sweat a lot at night?
Does your baby have sensitive skin and require constantly fresh bedding?
Do you swaddle your baby? Swaddling can help contain messes from reaching the sheets as easily.
Tip!
Need help picking the right crib bedding for your baby? Read How to Choose the Best Crib Bedding for Your Baby for more insight into nursery purchases.
