Your newborn baby will spend a lot of time in their crib. Between nights and many daytime naps, babies sleep as much as 19 hours a day! Naturally, you want to be prepared with enough crib sheets to meet your baby’s needs without going overboard.

Whether you’re a first-time parent or expanding your family, this guide will help you decide exactly how many crib sheets you need.

How Many Crib Sheets Do I Need?

As a mom of three, I recommend having at least three sets of crib sheets: one on the crib, one in the wash, and one as a backup for unexpected messes. For more wiggle room when it comes to laundry, having 4-5 sets of crib sheets works best. This allows you to have fresh sheets on hand without the immediate need to do laundry.

Browse fitted crib sheets for baby boys and girls here.

How to Decide on the Number of Crib Sheets

There are many considerations to help you decide how many crib sheets to buy. Here are five factors to consider:

Messiness & Frequent Changes

When deciding how many sheets to buy, it’s important to prepare for how messy life is with a little one. I learned the hard way that you need more than just one or two crib sheets. As babies, my children went through phases of spitting up a lot. That meant not only changing clothes frequently but also the sheets.

Diaper Leaks & Accidents

No matter how hard you try to avoid it, every once in a while the sheets get dirty due to a blow-out diaper. Sometimes, it would happen when my little one miraculously slept longer than usual. I hated to disturb their sleep, so they would wake up with a very wet diaper that soaked through to the sheets. Other times, my kids got stomach bugs and needed several changes during the night.

Laundry Schedule

Of course, laundry frequency is a huge factor in deciding how many fitted crib sheets you need. So consider your laundry habits and schedule. If you do laundry less frequently, have more sheets on hand to avoid the dreaded no clean sheets dilemma when your baby is ready to sleep. Here’s a handy guide to help you determine how many crib sheets you need based on how often you do laundry.

Baby Temperature & Climate

Another consideration is how much your baby sweats. Babies tend to sweat a lot, especially in hot climates. Depending on where you live and your home’s temperature, you may decide to change the sheets often.

Unplanned Toddler Bedtimes

The other thing to consider is that toddlers can fall asleep early if they’re very tired. Every once in a while my toddlers would fall asleep without a bath. Sometimes they were quite sweaty and messy! There wasn’t much else to do but to put them to bed. That also meant an unexpected sheet change. In the end, there were enough reasons to buy a few more sets of crib sheets.

Taking this all into account, the average baby needs four to five sets of crib sheets if you change them every few days. This gives you enough extra sheets during times of high use without washing the sheets every day.

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How Many Fitted Sheets Do I Need?

For infants, the only sheet needed in the crib is a fitted sheet. As mentioned above, the number of fitted crib sheets you’ll need depends on your baby and how often you change the sheets. Generally, about four or five fitted crib sheets are enough. However, if you change the sheets every day, you may consider buying one sheet for each day of the week.

What Bedding Do You Need for a Crib?

Here’s a quick run-down on the bedding you need for your infant’s crib:

• Fitted sheets: 4 to 5
• Swaddles: 4 to 5
• Sleep sacks or wearable blankets: 4 to 5

Wearable Blankets

Safe sleep regulations from the American Academy of Pediatrics for infants recommend using a crib or bassinet with a firm mattress and fitted sheet. To keep your infant warm, you can use a wearable blanket that covers your baby’s chest and legs.These wearable blankets zip or snap up and also feature arm holes so that your baby can’t pull the blanket over their face, making it a safer option for infants.

Swaddle Blankets

You can also safely swaddle your infant until they are able to roll over, which may happen as early as 2 months old. Many parents feel that their baby sleeps better when they are swaddled. This has also been my personal experience with my three children. As infants, babies have a strong startle reflex. Even while sleeping, they might raise their arms, waking them up. Swaddles can also be comforting for infants, as it provides a similar sensation to being in the womb. When babies can roll over, swaddling is no longer safe, as the swaddle can come loose as the baby sleeps.

When your child is a toddler, consider the following crib bedding:

• Fitted sheets: 4 to 5
• Baby blanket or quilt: 2
• Sleep sacks or wearable blankets: 4 to 5

Once your baby is 12 to 18 months old, it is safe to use a blanket or quilt in the crib. Yet, many toddlers are wild sleepers. My oldest child didn’t stop throwing the covers off the bed until he was at least three. So, for some toddlers, it’s best to continue to use sleep sacks or wearable blankets until they are older. Yet, other children are calmer sleepers and can use a blanket or quilt.

Explore breathable cotton crib sheets here.

Crib Sheet FAQs

Get answers to commonly asked crib sheet questions here.

How often should I change crib sheets?

Many families change crib sheets once a week. However, given how often babies are in their cribs, some prefer to change them every few days. There are also times when you’ll need to change sheets daily such as during warmer seasons and when your baby is sick.

How many bassinet sheets do I need?

A bassinet can be used until your baby is about 4 to 6 months old. Given the short time you’ll use the bassinet, you may opt to buy just two sets of bassinet sheets. That way, you can keep one on the bassinet mattress while washing the other set.

How tight should crib sheets fit?

Crib sheets should fit snugly. Due to the risk of suffocation for infants, sheets should be as tight as possible and have no loose ends your baby can grab. Before making any purchases, be sure to check the measurements of the crib sheets to ensure a good fit. There are crib sheets available for various sizes of cribs including mini cribs, Pack N Plays, standard sized cribs, and bassinet mattresses.

What about crib bumpers and skirts?

Crib bumpers are not recommended for infants due to associated risks. However, crib skirts or dust ruffles are perfectly safe and can add a charming touch to your nursery theme decor. Additionally a crib skirt hides the underside of the crib. This gives you an opportunity to store extra diapers or baby clothes out of sight. A crib skirt can also help keep dust from making its way under the crib.

What material is best for crib sheets?

Today, crib sheets are available in many different materials. Cotton continues to be a popular choice thanks to its breathability and softness. Plus, cotton crib sheets are easy to care for. Cotton is also naturally hypoallergenic, making it an excellent choice for your baby’s sensitive skin.

If you prefer, organic cotton crib sheets are also an excellent choice. They offer that classic cotton feel without harming the planet or your baby.

Within our collections, you can find 100% cotton and organic cotton crib sheets.