Bumpers - Yes or No?

[jgcohen]

I have heard various sides of the controversy over bumpers, but I am interested in what moms out in the real world are doing.

Are you using bumpers? Do they tie at both ends? Do they make you nervous?

Thanks!

[hellosmiletoday]

Yes. My mom made one that ties on both ends. I removed it once for a few days when we were having our crid redelivered (the first one was damaged), and it was so annoying b/c DD kept on spitting out her paci on the floor...also when she turned over she hit the rungs. I dont think its unsafe in the beginning, esp. since DD doesnt move at all from where she is laid.

My bumper is sort of loose on the ends b/c I have a solid headboard/footboard...one thing to consider when purchasing crib+bumpers. I likely will not be able to use my bumper as long as if I had a crib with rungs on all 4 sides

Mommy to baby girl 5.8.04

[amp]

Never used a bumper. Never missed it. They are pretty cute, but we didn't buy a bedding set, didn't want to spend extra on a bumper and were concerned about the safety of it. Wasn't worth the worry. Plus, when the kid starts sitting, pulling up, you have to remove it so they don't use it to climb on, so I figured I'd just get used to the crib without it. I liked being able to see DS easier without it too. Just my 2 cents.

[jennifer13]

You'll find about a 50/50 split on these boards about bumpers. You truly have to do what feels right to you. If it makes you too nervous, don't use them. I have used bumpers, and I actually still use them for my 15 month old. They gave the crib a cozier feel, she has always been VERY happy in her crib, and that is important for obvious reasons! And now that she's big she always sleeps up against the sides. I got a great idea from someone on the boards- when she got bigger I tied back the front so she couldn't climb. Basically the crib has two high sides, with two sides against the wall, so only one low side faces out (did that make sense?), so when she started to pull up and climb I just folded that part back.

For me the main negative thing about bumpers is that it makes changing the sheets a total, total pain! So if you are on the fence you may want to skip them for the hassle factor.

Jennifer
Mom to Norah 5/23/03
Surprise #2 EDD 3/16/05

[kfk]

For what it's worth, in our newborn care class at the hospital we were told NOT to use bumpers in the crib. That made my decision a lot easier (I had been going back and forth on both the SIDS and hassle of changing the crib factors). I plan to use some of that savings to get really cozy sheets!

[DDowning]

I had bumpers up until C was about 11 months old. At that point he was starting to climb and I just thought he'd use them as a launching pad. The one really super nice thing about the bumpers though, is they hold the pacifiers in the crib. I can't tell you how annoying it is at 3 in the morning to try and find a pacifier that's fallen through the slats!

[stefani]

Our safety class recommended that we did NOT use bumpers, so we did not, and my son did not have problems with it. A friend said that her son kept hitting his head on the slats, so she used bumpers to protect his head. My son is almost a year old now and he seems to enjoy banging his head on walls / furniture anyway :-) so I don't worry about his head hitting the slats!

To prevent limbs from getting stuck in between the slats there is a crib netting but we did not use that because I could not find it at that time. I think One Step Ahead carries that now.

DS did not use pacifiers much, so I did not have trouble with that falling out of the crib.

Hope that helps.

Stefani.

[trentsmom]

Never used bumpers. Sometimes DS will sleep with an arm or leg outside of the crib, but he's always been able to get it back in himself.

[Rikkele]

Yes, I use bumpers. Initially I was nervous about it but has not been a problem and will continue to use them until she starts stepping on them.

[tinkerbell1217]

I used bumpers with my first two and will again with #3. The new ones we have tie at both top and bottom though. With my first two, they tied at the top only. I used them for about 6-7 months or so with my first two. They don't make me nervous in the least and when they started rolling over alot at least they didn't knock their little heads against the crib or get limbs stuck. When I took the bumpers out, we had bumped heads and legs stuck a few times. In our case, the bumpers were needed as far as I am concerned. Its an individual decision and if they are used properly, and taken out when baby starts to pull up, I think they are safe.