Baby Crib Sheet Layering Trick

At a friend’s baby shower 3 years ago, I overheard another mom telling the mama-to-be about a Baby Crib Sheet Layering Trick where you put 2-3 sheets (and waterproof protectors) onto the baby’s crib mattress at the same time so if there is a vomit or pee incident, you simply peel off the top sheet and its waterproof layer and you’re ready to go with a fresh crib sheet. This saves you time any time of day, but it’s especially useful in the middle of the night when you’re half asleep.

So when I was planning and putting together the Twins’ Nursery, I somehow remembered this trick and made sure to add several crib sheets and waterproof protectors to my baby registry. But, because I have twins, I decided to go a little overboard and instead of simply double sheeting, I used three sheets (plus waterproof protectors)! Not envisioning how this works? Keep reading!

Baby Crib Sheet Layering Trick

First, I have a fully encased, zippered waterproof protector on each crib mattress as a base. If you want to go with extra protection, you can ignore this layer and add another waterproof sheet as the first layer, but I don’t have an unlimited budget, so I use the zippered enclosed waterproof protector as my first layer. And then I start building up from there.

Here’s my sheet stack for one crib:

Next, I add a fitted sheet.

Make sure you’re putting each sheet on as tightly as possible so you’re following crib safety tips:

A firm, tight-fitting mattress so a baby cannot get trapped between the mattress and the crib. Make sure there are no gaps larger than two fingers between the sides of the crib and the mattress.
Use only a fitted bottom sheet specifically made for crib use.
Do not put pillows, quilts, comforters, sheepskins, pillow-like bumper pads or pillow-like stuffed toys in the crib.
Consider using a sleeper instead of a blanket.

Next, a waterproof protector sheet.

Then another fitted sheet.

I really like these cotton jersey sheets. I have them in multiple colors: turquoise, fuchsia, and orange. They’re super soft and have a lot of stretch so they work really well when implementing this baby crib layering sheet trick. Plus, they’re easy on the budget!

And then another fitted waterproof protective cover sheet.

I really like these fitted waterproof protective cover sheets. They have a deep pocket which works well for this layering trick. They’re super soft and they don’t have a crinkle noise when you move on top of them. Plus, they’re available in a 2-pack for a slight discount.

But I also really like this brand and own a few of these waterproof mattress protectors as well.

And then, finally, your top sheet.

I always put my favorite dotted sheets on top, but since they’re my only patterned sheets, I should probably put them on as the bottom sheet layer so I know when I get to them that it’s my last layer and, if there’s an accident, I will need to be ready with clean sheets.

Here’s what this looks like peeled back:

They’re all on there! I really like this method because when I change the twins’ crib sheets (without a vomit or pee incident), it’s a quick change two-thirds of the time. It’s only when I get down to the bottom layer that I have to then put 6 layers of sheets back onto each crib. But even then, it goes pretty quickly.

And this method works really well with my IKEA cribs and mattresses. If you use a different crib and mattress, I would start with 2 crib sheets (plus 2 waterproof protectors) and assess if it’s a tight fit or not. With Baby #3’s mini crib, I’ve used this same method with 3 sheets (and 3 waterproof protectors), but it’s a really tight fit and I should probably only be doing 2 sheets.

So again: