Are We Stuck With Plastic Waterproof Sheets Forever?
About 78% of adults admit they prefer fresh sheets on their beds, to the point that that good clean smell helps them have a more comfortable night’s sleep. This simple pleasure depends entirely on one’s attitude about laundry. Stripping the bed and stuffing the sheets into the washer certainly does not sound as though it is a lot of work. Yet many adults do not wash their bedsheets more than once a week, if even that often as sheets are rarely seen as dirty. But a kids pillowcase is a different story.
If you have kids, it quickly becomes apparent that fluids of all types can and will end up on their bedsheets. Children are sent to bed and all sorts of things happen: they cry; their noses get snotty or randomly bleed; they get sick and spit up everywhere; or they might just spill their nightly cup of water. Who has not resorted to a waterproof mattress protector?
The problem with a waterproof fitted sheet single bed, such as for a child’s first ‘big kid’ bed, is that typically the material leaves something to be desired. The trend seems to be to take a shower curtain, and just add elastic. It is undeniably waterproof, and loud in a crinkly plastic way.
A baby crib sheet is meant to be soft and comfortable. Mothers are especially protective of their babies delicate skin. Mother’s are also prone to grow tired of the tedium of the never ending laundry pile when one has a baby. The frequency of accidents that occur with a baby make at least a waterproof protector for the mattress a necessity. But there is still the concern that the plastic covering beneath those butter-soft baby sheets will crinkle so loudly the baby wakes themselves during their slumbering flailing.
The waterproof fitted sheet single bed model that works for the heavy-sleeping big kid is then not as comfortable for baby, or for the parental bed for that matter. There are some models that have a soft cottony top, but these are still invariably tricky to launder due to the plastic. Although a waterproof fitted sheet single bed, for example, repels water and other liquids, it itself still must be cleaned on occasion. Theoretically, it is possible to wash a plastic-y fitted sheet in a bathtub instead of risking a go in the washing machine. But who has the time?
When looking into your options for waterproofing the mattresses, whether for your bed, the kids, or the baby, go for the better made option. Those cheap shower curtain-like fitted sheets seem like a good deal until they fall apart during the first cleaning. Look for breathable, machine-washable, and hopefully soft waterproof sheets instead. They will hold up better in the long run and give you one less thing to worry about.
