Baby keeps getting stuck between crib & mattress

[swissair81]

My son is 6 months old. He didn't start sleeping in a crib until about a month ago, so I never put a bumper on his crib (I know my ped doesn't approve of them). He turns over onto his stomach & then gets his hand/foot/other body part stuck while he's flailing around. Not quite sure what to do. I've heard of injuries happening to limbs this way. Is there something else I can put in the crib that is safe & will also keep him from getting stuck & possibly injuring himself?

[KrisM]

Is he getting stuck between slats on the crib or between the crib and the mattress? If between the slats, I think they quickly learn how to unstick themselves. If between the crib and mattress, I think your mattress might be too small for the crib. Ours is a snug fit and I really don't think any limb would get in there at all.

[Fairy]

Agreeing with Kris, your mattress is too small for the crib. Are you using a very old crib and/or mattress? I had thought they were all standard now for traditional cribs (as opposed to round/oval ones). I can't imagine my baby getting stuck between the crib and mattress; there just was no possible room for that. Foot in slats? Sure. But at 6mo, the baby sill be able to figure themselves out of it. If it's too small a mattress (too big a very old crib), then one needs to be replaced. Additionally, if your baby is finding room between the sides and the mattress, then bumpers are NOT A GOOD IDEA. Suffocation waiting to happen.

Also, make very sure that the sheet is very very snug over the mattress.

[mommytoC]

I agree with PP(s), if you baby is getting stuck between the crib and mattress, your mattress is too small. However, if he/she is getting stuck between the crib slats, one option would be a breathable bumper (or crib shield):

http://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/product.asp?order_num=-1&SKU=116367&RN=2164

http://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/product.asp?order_num=3&sku=16022080

We loved our crib shield for DD...and it's held up well. It's currently up in the crib awaiting DC #2!

[newg]

The only place dd can put her hand between the crib and mattress is on the corners....crib has square corners and mattress has slightly rounded corners....so when laying on her tummy at an old angle (which is almost all the time..lol) she sometimes hugs the corners.....
We also have a breathable bumper and love it......

[frgsnlzrds]

I think I read somewhere that you should be able to tell if your mattress fits your crib if you can fit no more than two fingers between them. I assume this means all the way pushed up to one side, so there should be no way your dc can get stuck in a space only big enough for one finger.

If it's the crib slats (which should be smaller than a pop can can fit through, my dd did this 3-4 times and then stopped. For ds we got a crib tent. As an added bonus, he can't climb out. HTH!

[srhs]

Another fan of the breathable bumper!

[DrSally]

Is he getting stuck between slats on the crib or between the crib and the mattress? If between the slats, I think they quickly learn how to unstick themselves. If between the crib and mattress, I think your mattress might be too small for the crib. Ours is a snug fit and I really don't think any limb would get in there at all.

:yeahthat:

FWIW, I used the breathable bumper with DS, but haven't bothered with DD b/c the mattress is so tight, I would have to take it off everytime I changed the sheets. She's figured out how to get her legs out of the slats.