Do you use bumper pads?

[cindylouhoo]

DS is 9 wks. old, and we're about ready to move him from his co-sleeper to the crib. We had purchased a crib bedding set and it included the bumper pads. Right now the pads are attached mostly for looks as DS is not using the crib yet. Can they be a SIDS risk? Do you use them?

[nfowife]

When my DD was little and not moving around much, they were pretty much for looks (she started sleeping in her crib full-time at 4 months). Once she started rolling over, she was (and still is) all over the place when she sleeps. I took the front bumper panel out last week (mine is in 4 pieces) because she was squishing it down and I didn't want it to get all bunchy, and that night she got her legs stuck in the slats, while laying on her tummy. So for now, I put them back in. Some say there is a SIDS risk but you need to do what feels right for your child.

[SpaceGal]

We've always had ours in. At first DS didn't move much so I was not too worried. As he got squirmier I would tuck the bumper into the gaps between the crib and mattress just in case. It worked out okay for us. DS is now one and we still have it because he is always bumping his head and we just feel better having a little cushion for his noggin.

[LBW]

I didn't use them with DS1 and won't with DS2. I'm all for simplicity, and since I was reading conflicting info about whether or not they were a SIDS risk, I figured I'd just go without. I would imagine that using them makes changing sheets a little bit harder, too, so not having to deal with that was a bonus.

I never missed them. Liam was a very INactive sleeper - when he woke up he was usually in the same place as when he fell asleep. I don't know if I would have felt like bumpers were necessary if he was moving around a lot and getting arms and legs stuck in the crib's slats.

[kusiakje]

As PP said, the information is conflicting, so I decided to use them. I could only find 2 instances where a death was actually attributed to the bumper pads...and that wasn't an official declaration. That seemed to be the parents' opinion, because they felt like they'd done everything else right. It was very possible that the bumpers weren't the cause.

I was further convinced that we should use the bumper pads when our birthing class instructor told us not to use them and said "I know it upsets people when I say this, but really, the worst case scenario is that the baby will hit his head on the crib and crack his skull." She said it in this "no big deal" kind of way, but all I kept thinking was "cracked skull?!?! Hell no...." I looked at DH and he shook his head to indicate "yeah...we're keeping them."

I may have reconsidered the bumper pads if we had had a preemie or a baby that seemed more fragile and vulnerable, but DD has always been ridiculously strong, so I felt like she could take on the bumpers. Plus, I never once found DD anywhere near the bumpers in our crib until she started rolling over a couple months ago. Now, the risk of SIDS is practically nil, and DD is constantly bumping various parts of her body in the crib rails because she wants to be Roly Poly Olly, the brave explorer of every inch of her crib, so I'm glad that we have the bumpers to keep her from hurting herself.

--Jessica
Mom to Katarina (DOB 9/16/05)

[jhrabosk]

I wasn't a big fan of spending the money on the bumpers, but when we moved DD from her bassinet into the big crib, it just seemed like it might be scary to her. We found a plain, inexpensive bumper at Buy Buy Baby and put it in to help her feel cozier.

My DD is also not a big mover in her sleep, so I don't worry about the SIDS risk.

[o_mom]

Just have to say that if an infant is hitting their head on the crib hard enough to crack their skull, they usually have help doing it, IYKWIM. At that point, a thin piece of polyester batting would do nothing to prevent it.

[o_mom]

We did not use bumper pads. I was concerned about the SIDS risk, and we didn't have a bedding set anyway. We used a CribShield to keep arms and legs in. It is mesh that wraps the entire wall of the crib. I figured by the time they were rolling enough to get to the bumpers, it would be almost time to take them out. You are supposed to remove them aroud 5-6 months, when they start sitting up or pulling up.

[stefani]

No, never did and we did not miss it.

DS started sleeping in the crib since 1 week old. I slept on the sofa in his room until he was 8 weeks old and time for me to go back to work.

A friend of mine said that her DS used to hit his head & get arms/ legs stuck in the crib so she could not imagine not using bumper pads. DS would hit his head on the wall (not in the crib) purposedly anyway (sigh...) and did not have problems with hitting his head or getting arms / legs stuck without being able to move them out himself.

I think you just have to do what feels right for you. Whether it is a SIDS risk or not seems to be controversial. I did not want to add that risk, but I did let DS sleep on his tummy for naps since 4 weeks old (he still loves to sleep on his tummy, butt high up in the air, legs crossed underneath - frog boy position, said DH - even now at 2.5 years old). So it was a SIDS risk, but DS could sleep for much longer period that way than on his back... so we had to make choices...

Hope you are getting more sleep :-)

[amp]

With DS I didn't, due to the SIDS risk and added cost of one.

This time around, I got suckered by a cute, girly bedding set and have used it, but let me tell you, it is a PITB to change the sheets w/ that sucker on there!