2¢: Newborn Must-Haves

Here's your chance to sound-off! Tell us what items you just couldn't live without when you had (or have!) a newborn in the house. Any advice particularly for WINTER babies is greatly appreciated, too, but don't feel limited to that. We are looking forward to taking your advice into consideration as we set up our registry and to-buy lists. Thanks in advance!

Have you ever shopped for crib bedding?

There isn't much out there for those that are both picky about design AND frugal. As always, design wins out and frugality goes out the window. I just couldn't compromise on the one item I am basing the entire nursery design on.

The big factor we had to keep in mind when choosing this item, oddly enough, is the carpet in the nursery. It is peach. Yes, peach. Not really ideal. Thank god we are having a girl or else I was going to have to get REALLY creative in order to make this work. The walls happen to be peach, too (PUKE!), but luckily daddy has stepped up and offered to paint up there - he's been shopping around for low or no VOC paint. Maybe I can persuade him to post a little about what is available on the market in this area once he's finished this research.

Back to bedding... there were some interesting runners-up. I thought I would share those, then unveil the final choice.

RUNNERS-UP

Como by Nojo ($)
As you can see, this is is probably the bedding that most blatantly would match the carpet, but it was just TOO pastel for me, and it just lacked character. Simple enough but I just couldn't warm up to it.


Geisha by Tadpoles ($)
I really LOVE the pattern on this set, but it was all the pink that turned me off. It just would not work with the peach.


Hayden by Caden Lane ($$$)
The extreme mix and match pattern choices of this set was quite alluring to me, and it pulled the peach through in such a subtle way in the details. In the end, though, it was just too busy for the quiet and relaxing nursery we are hoping to pull together.


White Mini by Area ($$$$)
So clean, so modern, so pretty with all those embroidered circles. This was a serious contender, but I just couldn't justify the price for something the baby will pee on. And it was my sister, Emily's, least favorite. She said it lacked the warmth the others had. I had to take that into consideration.


Lali by Rickshaw Designs ($$$)
I found this unexpectedly through Daily Candy the morning before we went for the last ultrasound. I thought that if I decided I wanted to go ULTRA feminine, this would be my choice -lots of pink, but the peach in the details would have pulled it all together. I think it was just too much flower for Jim to stomach, though.


AND THE WINNER IS... (drum roll, please)

Meadow by Amenity ($$$)
How could we not just ADORE the woodcut-esque, vintage allure of this organic set. It was a clear winner for Jim when he looked at all the options. I think his exact words were "I like the bunnies." My heart pitter-patters every time I look at it. Simple, artsy, warm... makes me want to snuggle the baby in there right now! And now that you've seen it, can you understand why I couldn't go with the standard stuff?


Jim's parents are gifting this precious set to us, so thank you to Rick & Rhonda for their generosity. XOXO!

PS. I'll post on the boy choices that lost by default at another time.

*Update: Just added links to the above items.