Baby bedding and car seat

[sarah00001]

Hi, I wondered if anyone can advise me. Firstly, I have a couple of questions about bedding. I've bought a Chicco next to me crib and also a moses basket. They both have mattresses with a white cover. Is it advisable to also buy a separate mattress protector? Also, I understand it's best to wash new clothes, towels sheets etc before use as they get coated with chemicals at the factory to preserve them which may cause skin irritation. Would this include the material that lines the inside of the moses basket and Chicco crib? I'm thinking this doesn't need to be washed, but I just wanted to check.I've attached pics, hope this works!

Secondly, I've bought a car seat and base from mamas and papas. They have said they will give a demo on how to fit the base, but they won't leave it in place, I'll need to do that myself and I'm worried I won't do it right. Does anyone know if there's anywhere that fits car seats where you don't need to have purchased it from the store?

Many thanks, Sarah

I didn't wash the inside material of my Moses basket, just the sheets. As a newborn they won't be too near the edges anyway! We tended to wrap a folded over muslin over the Moses basket/bedside cot sheet so it was easily changed if there was some milk vomiting or a poonami so I wouldn't waste money on a protective sheet personally...

I am sure that whoever shows you how to fit the car seat will then watch you fit it so they can tell you if they think it needs adjusting. I am sure you will do fine though! Do you have someone who can go to the fitting with you so two of you watch how to do it?

Thanks Badgerface, that's a good suggestion about the muslin cloth. Yes, hopefully they will watch me fit the base myself, I phone them beforehand and ask. I could ask my friend to go with me, though the store is a bit far out. I am separated from my partner otherwise I'd be asking him.

You can get tutorials on YouTube for how to install most car seats and bases so worth checking

I think some councils offer a car seat fitting service. They check to make sure the car seat is fitted correctly. I've read this somewhere...check with your local council.

As for washing bedding - I would. But both me and my dh have terrible eczema so I'm assuming our baby will too!

I would also wash bedding - sheets only, not liners. I second using a muslin or 2 on top of sheet if you have a sicky baby. Much easier to whip away in the night. I may have made this up but I thought plastic waterproof covers weren't recommended at that age due to it affecting breathability of the mattress and if baby ends up on its front.

Oh it seems that you can get breathable mattress covers now, not sweaty plastic ones so could go down that route.

If you are getting a car seat which has a base then lots of the bases tell you if it's not fitting correctly - ours has a red light which turns to green so it's very obvious if you need to fiddle with it!