crib bumpers

[heatherbm2000]

What's the word on crib bumpers? Are they necessary or just for decoration? On the flip side, are they potentially dangerous? They look so cute, but some are really expensive!!!

[emmiem]

My DD is a sleeper who moves around a lot. She needs the bumpers so that she won't bump into the slats of the cribs and wake up. I tried taking them off when she turned 1 but she wanted them back on. I guess she felt more secure. My older daughter used them to climb on so I took them out at around 1 year. Depends on the children, I guess.

[alandenisefields]

Hi!

Thanks for using our message boards.

According to pediatricians we've interviewed, bumpers are not a requirement. Yes, babies can move around in a crib and bump into the sides. If you decide you have a child who does move a lot, thin bumpers are much safer than the thick, pillow-like bumpers and are usually less expensive. You should be able to find affordable solid colored versions from Lands End among others.

Regardless of how much your baby moves around as a tiny infant, you must remove the bumpers once she begins to pull up and stand up. It is very dangerous to keep them in the crib one baby can stand up. They can be used as a step and they become the same kind of SIDS risk as stuffed toys and fluffy bedding in our opinion.

Hope that helps,

alan and denise fields
authors, BABY BARGAINS

[Melanie]

Our baby wiggled so much in his *cradle* we even had to get one. He came close to getting his arm stuck through it.

Mommy to Little Jonah born 11-6-2001

[GreenIZ1971]

I was watching some news show last week and they had a representative from Consumer Reports on... more or less saying their official line was to not reco them because it is technically soft bedding. And if you do get them, get ones that are very thin, with ties at top and bottom, and whenever the baby starts to move a lot and pull him/herself up to throw them out of the crib.

Of course, my pg brain can't remember what show it was....

[mabuckles]

I went to a baby care class last night and they said that crib bumbers are a SIDS risk and that you should not use them. I, of course, already bought the cutest pottery barn kids bumper over e-bay. Should I just get rid of it or can I use it when the baby it very lttle? I don't want to put my baby at risk but not sure whether bumpers really are a risk.

[morgan]

Not to scare you, but a woman on the January 2002 on Parents Place boards recently lost her baby because he suffocated in his bumper. As sad as I was to remove the costly bumper we bought for our baby, I did immediately...the crib looks kind of naked now, but I feel better.

My son is a very active sleeper at 11 weeks, and I would worry to no end with the bumper in place now.

Here is a link to the post if you are interested.

http://boards2.parentsplace.com/messages/get/ppplayjan02n54/3/2.html

[luvbeinmama]

I was given crib bumpers along with a crib skirt. The crib bumpers were so thick, I just stored them under the crib and hid them with the skirt! My son is still an active sleeper (2 yrs, 4 mos). Sometimes he gets turned around 180, for a while he was sleeping across the narrow part of the bed all the time. He actually did get a leg stuck through the slats on the crib once. But, he was fine. I just pulled his leg back into the crib, and it never happened again. Personally, I think they are a waste of money. Sure they are cute, but your money can be better spent on a good set of sheets and blankets.

[charigot]

The American Academy of Pediatrics says it's fine to use crib bumpers, with some discretion. On their web site, it says:

"Use a crib bumper when your child is an infant. Be sure the pad goes all the way around the crib and is secured with at least six straps or ties, to keep the bumper from falling away from the sides. To prevent strangulation, the ties should be no more than six inches long."

See http://www.aap.org/pubserv/cribsafe.htm

[spu]

Can you weave the bumpers in and out of the slats> (in addition to buying the flat kind with the right size/amount of ties) Would that help make it less of a suffocation hazzard?

susan

[sntm]

i haven't seen this personally but the medical examiner's office i rotated through in med school had crime scene investigators who had seen that before. they actually had a weighted doll they used to differentiate between suffocation and smothering and showed me how a baby could wedge his/her face into the crack between a bumper and the mattress.

weaving the bumper through would not help as the part that was inside is still a suffocation risk (well, maybe it would cut the risk in half as half would now be outside)

again, i'm not a pediatrician but i wholeheartedly agree with the Fields that the second your child can move around in the bed, or if you have him or her on an angled bed (where he/she could potentially slip down when doing normal baby wiggling) TAKE THE BUMPER OFF!


(DR.) shannon
not-even-pregnant-yet-overachiever

[jes97003]

And just one more thought to add to the mix. Our pediatrician recommends a thin bumper for infants--they've dealt with too many cases of little ones getting arms and legs stuck between crib slats, twisting about and breaking bones.

[ErinP]

Pottery barn makes a nice thin bumber that has a lot of ties. We needed this for the first 8 months because my daughter was constantly kicking her legs in her sleep. We made sure ALL the ties were secure whenever we put her in the crib. We took it down when she started to pull up. If your baby doesn't move much than it doesn't seem worth the risk to use them. A friend of mine got these really neat hangers from pottery barn and hung hers on the wall (not above the crib!) It looks so adorable and unique! That's an option for all those who think they're so cute, but want to be safe!
Erin

[sntm]

I've heard of plenty of cases of bruising from limbs getting caught but the likelihood that a baby could break their own arm or leg is EXTREMELY unlikely. They just cannot generate the force necessary. I even talked with my friend who is a pediatric resident now, to make sure I hadn't forgotten things from med school. A broken leg or arm in a non-ambulatory baby is 1) child abuse 2) child abuse 3)child abuse and then indicates a work-up for congenital disease like "brittle bone"

If your only worry is broken bones, that is not a reason to have a crib bumper. And definitely avoid the big, overstuffed, pillow-like bumpers -- you'd might as well put a plastic bag in!

shannon
not-even-pregnant-yet-overachiever

[22tango]

We were told at our pre-natal class that bumpers were only necessary before they changed the rules about how far the slats should be. We were strongly recommended NOT to use them. Pretty they may be, but they are still a suffocation risk! Better bruises than that!!