Baby Bedding

Fitted sheets, mattress protectors and the full juego de cuna:

the sheet is what gets used every night, and most families end up with several for the night-time changes. Under it goes a waterproof protector, either a quilted cotton pad with a coated back or a thinner cover that wraps the whole mattress. The juego de cuna is the decorative set: an edredón or quilt, a padded bumper tied to the bars, a crib skirt and sometimes a canopy. A moisés or a cuna corral takes bedding in its own, smaller size. The mattress underneath belongs with crib mattresses, and cobijas, muselinas and swaddles with swaddles and blankets.

Inch sizes, cuna corral sheets and the fabric of a crib sheet:

measure the mattress before you buy, not the frame. Imported packets give the size in inches for either an American standard crib or a mini crib and play yard, and the two do not swap: a full crib sheet bags on a cuna corral pad, and a mini sheet will not stretch over a crib mattress. Cribs built to measure by a local carpenter often fall between the two, so check that the sheet pulls over with the elastic tucked well underneath and no slack you can pinch on top. Cotton jersey stretches and forgives a slightly odd size; percale feels cooler but has to fit exactly; microfibre and fleece dry fast and hold heat. On protectors, a breathable membrane stays quiet and a plain plastic back crackles every time the baby moves.

Juegos de cuna and single fitted sheets in colones:

the two sit at opposite ends of the second-hand market. An imported three-piece juego de cuna runs from about ₡55,000 to ₡70,000 new, and a single fitted sheet brought in from abroad can pass ₡20,000, which is why a sealed sheet in the right size goes quickly. Sets keep their value because so much of them is never slept on: safe-sleep guidance asks for nothing in the crib but a fitted sheet on a firm mattress, so the quilt and bumper often go straight into the wardrobe or up on the wall as decoration. Sheets go the other way: months of hot washes fade the print and tire the elastic, and used ones move best as a bundle sorted by size rather than one at a time.

Tired elastic, cracked backing and a toldo with holes:

all of it shows in your hands. Stretch a fitted sheet over your forearm and let go: elastic that stays loose lets a corner ride up at night, and that sheet is only fit for the changing table. Pilling across the middle shows how many washes it has had. Fold a waterproof protector back on itself and look for flaking or cracks in the coating; once it splits, it is just a quilted pad. Hold a toldo up to the light to find tears in the mesh, and check that the ring or frame and the elastic hem are all there. Put your nose to padded pieces too, since a bumper or quilt that lived with a smoker or a dog keeps it in the filling.

A juego de cuna listed with the mattress it fitted:

that one detail heads off most of the questions. Give the length, width and depth the sheets were bought for, in inches and centimetres if you can, and say whether they dressed a full crib, a cuna corral or a moisés. Photograph the set laid out on its mattress, then each piece flat with its label showing. Say which pieces were never used, whether the bumper is still in its bag, and whether there are pets or smokers at home. Wash and fold everything before the photos, because a sheet that looks grey in a picture sits unsold. A parent in Santo Domingo dressing a cuna corral will want to know it is the mini size before setting off, so put that in the title.