Once upon a time, quilts were made at home and passed down through generations. While you're lucky if you have one of these heirlooms, you probably don't necessarily want it getting the wear and tear that kids can exert on things.

The good news is that there are lots of hand- and machine-made quilts on the market, and that they range in colors and size and heft so that they can complement any décor or theme, and still keep you and your child warm. Quilts for girls can have a theme or storyline to them, like ponies or ballerinas or flowers, or they can just be an attractive mix of colors that your little girl likes.

While there is no real difference in what kinds of bedding are needed by boys and girls, your child's gender will affect his or her tastes and will be a great basis from which you can choose the style, color, and theme for your kid's bedding.

Whether you're in the market for bedding for girls or bedding for boys, you'll want a mattress pad, a bed skirt (unless you have a platform bed under which you don't store other items), several sets of sheets that include fitted bottom sheets, flat top sheets and pillowcases, and bedding for warmth – either a blanket and bedspread or quilt, or a comforter and comforter cover, or a combination of these items. Other bedding you may want to consider includes pillow shams that match the bedspread, quilt or comforter cover and decorative throw pillows.