I want all new bedding.

[Juliacat]

Is there any place where I might be able to donate two comforters that are still usable, but not in good condition--need some minor repairs? One is really nice down, the other is cheap polyester fill. What about used feather pillows?

Is there any way to cut down on the horrendous amount of dust that accumulates behind, under, and around our bed? I don't think we're allergic to dust, but still, that's not healthy.

Given that dd refuses to use a blanket AND sleeps in a room that's a good twenty degrees colder than ours, is there a way to keep her warm enough in her own bed that she won't come in our room and get in bed with us every single night at 1 a.m?

Are there any particular sheets, comforters, pillows, etc. that you would recommend to me?

[sabrinat]

As far as donating I'd post it to freecycle.
About your dd I'd get flannel pj's and see how that works for you.

[doubledutch]

my 2yo refuses to wear jammies . . . but when he would (which was only a matter of weeks ago) i put him in fleece footie pajamas. i got nice, warm carter's jammies at t j maxx for about $7 or $8 and they weren't even on sale.

however, i seriously doubt that will stop your night-time visitor from wanting to crawl in bed with you!

[nathansmum]

Over winter (we're in summer here) I had both my kids in fleece/footed pajamas with flannel pjs underneath (we don't have heating on overnight) so if their blankets came off there was no worry about them being cold. When ds hit around 4 he no longer wanted the fleece suit and was able to stay under the blankets or pull them up himself during the night.

[Miss Information]

I just learned that they make fleece-like microfiber sheets. I know this cause I just got some from MIL for Xmas. I haven't tried it yet, but will tonight since I washed it.

We do have flannel sheet sets which do make a difference, but I bet the microfiber is gonna be much more warm.

[kaia8]

Hey Juliacat and friends,

If you don't find someone on Freecycle, try a local shelter, or an animal shelter. But definitely, try and donate it - sometimes people think they shouldn't donate something that's less than stellar, but to a lot of folks ANY blanket is better than none! Oh and if you happen to have any wool products you no longer want, you might be able to send it to a wool mill and get it re-carded!

As for the toddler blanket issue, I can't say enough about the wool comforters that Shepherd's Dream makes... I sell their pillows and baby comforters at my bedding shop even though we make zero profit on them, because they're really just amazing! (My babe's a hot sleeper, so he won't keep any other blankets on) If dd hates blankets, it might be because she overheats. I'd personally avoid anything with polyester-might just make it worse.

The full size comforters are pricey, but if she's still young then the baby comforter might be enough! It's $80 I believe. It's here:
http://www.shepherdsdream.com/babybed.htm
The SD travel pillow is awesome too, but my guy usually ends up skipping the pillow most nights.

Coyuchi makes organic cotton flannel sheets which are pretty soft and warm, and actually the cheap organic flannel sheets you can find at BB&B are pretty much the only truly organic products they have there. Avoid the Aspen organic cotton sheets made by Columbine Cody - they're really pretty and cheap, but they pill on the first wash!

Oh and last thing to check! Is her bed itself comfortable? Our son sleeps WAY better on the natural latex mattress than he did on the brand new extra firm-as-a-board foam crib mattress I bought at the beginning. Yeah..... we were all naive once right? =)

Hope that helps!!