Bumpers?

AlliJeee

So Im genuinely confused about something...Ive read that blankets and bumpers in a crib before a first birthday pose a suffocation/strangulation risk to infants. However, anytime I browse through crib bedding, there is a bumper option.  Do people still buy these?  Are they not really a risk?  Are you planning on buying a bumper for your LOs crib?  

#FTMProblems

klc31883

We used the breathable kind.  Yes, the regular kind can pose a lot of risk, to me it wasn't worth the risk and fear of something bad happening. 

Livingthemommylife

The ones you see in nursery pictures are for aesthetic value. Yes, it has been known for bumpers and pillows to be suffocating hazards. I buy the breathable mesh bumpers. They come in a few different colors. They've worked for us, for both kids.

mrsodonnell12

They are unsafe. They are cute but unsafe. I don't get why the sets come with them.... But there are a lot of things sold for babies that aren't safe.

missnacholover

I am not buying them. 

sunflwra

Our nursery set came with normal bumpers and we didn't want to use them so we reused the fabric for other things. We planned on buying the breathable ones if we needed them but DD isn't a thrasher so never did.

mussalynn

We didn't use bumpers at all in the beginning, but did buy some when DS was around 6 months-ish, when he was rolling around like crazy and whacking his head on the crib rails.  And then I actually had to buy another set (I bought both used, which I recommend - they're ridiculously expensive new) to wrap around the top just after DS turned one because he was literally chewing chunks of wood out of it.  So yes, there are definitely good reasons to have bumpers, even if not at first!

Maelara

We don't use a bumper. The most annoying thing I find is that the soothers fall out of the crib. I'll take that over the risk though.

AlliJeee

Mesh Bumpers?  See, hadn't heard about this!  Problem solved!  Thanks ladies!!!!!

PineApple85

We used the bumpers - not the breathable ones - but we also didn't move him to his crib until he was nearly 6 months old (prior to that he was in a pack-n-play in our room).  I wasn't planning to, but DS tosses and turns.  I had also seen him on several occasions pick his head up and adjust (while he was sleeping) when his airway had become blocked so I was confident that he would be alright.  It's not for everyone but he's nearing two now and they are still there and I'm thankful for them.  

I definitely wouldn't start your newborn in the crib with the non-breathable bumpers.  Not all infants will pick their head up in their sleep and adjust.

abbyful

Just because something is sold doesn't mean it is safe. We didn't use bumpers for DS, not using for this baby either. Fitted sheet & a crib skirt is still cute, and much safer!

(Just a tangent, also with "sold doesn't mean safe", after market car seat add-ons are also a no-no. Like the cute strap covers, infant positioners, etc. If it didn't come with the car seat and isn't sold by the same manufacturer your seat is from, don't use it. No 3rd party add-ons between baby and the seat or straps.)

lisaren

I used the breathable bumper. Never the solid ones.

Manateearmz

Lurking from Dec 14.

We used the breathable ones until DD was about a year. She started being a maniac in her sleep and would bang her head on the bars and cry because it woke her up, I replaced the breathable ones with the ones that came with the set for this reason. Only after she was over a year old and had no problems moving around on her own. Then when she was 18 months and teething I folded them over the top of her crib rail to keep her from chewing off the top of her crib.

CoffeeAndWine

My first two ended up using a bumper once they were rolling. They had a tendency to hit their heads and get their legs stuck in the slats. My 3rd never had problems with that so she never used one. The bedding sets are adorable with them but I won't be buying one unless I think it's needed after baby is 6+ months.

momtojad

No bumpers here.  We use a slumber sheet so there is no need for blanket either.

kaimom2

No bumpers here - just not worth the risk.  He is a really sound sleeper and doesn't roll around a lot though.  If after 6-8 months he had started to roll, I would have considered adding them.  His bink does fall out almost every night though.  He learned pretty quickly to go back to sleep with out it.

carcrashheart

Didn't have bumpers. No need. I bought the mesh bumpers when he got his leg stuck a couple of times but they were annoying and he just wanted to play with them. I returned them and he never got stuck again. Some states they are illegal to sell in (Maryland is one).

melissajam

We started using the breathable ones for DD after she started getting her legs and arms stuck between the slats. If she didn't have that problem we wouldn't have used any.

morrkim

We didn't use them until she started rolling around and got her legs and arms through the bars and couldn't figure out how to free herself. At that point we got the breathable. When she started using them to climb, I took them out and she was fine.

Emmy Lou

My spazztastic kids would repeatedly bang their heads into the bars of the crib in their sleep, so we ended up putting the bumpers in around 6 months.

mb314

We skipped them.  Once (and only once) DS' leg got caught between the bars, but he cried and I was able to easily dislodge it.  No big deal.  I also swaddled DS until he was like 7 or 8 months so we didn't have much problem with him moving around. 

jf198400

We didn't use them in the beginning, but neither kid slept in the crib the first 5months anyways. When dd started really moving around she got her arm and leg stuck through the bars and was crying for someone to come free her. That's when we put the bumpers on. We figured she was so mobile, rolling around in her sleep, that she was past the point of worrying about bumpers.

phdprocrastinator

Yeah, I didn't see the need to get a bedding set.  You can't use the bumpers and the blankets usually feel horrible (and you can't use those either).

We started with just fitted sheets.  Around 6 months, she went through a spat of getting her arms and legs stuck, so we got breathable bumpers.  Took those off before she was a year.  

We also used sleep sacks once we stopped swaddling.  I'm kind of sad she's refused to go back in a sack after the summer.  I liked knowing she'd stay warm all night... now she kicks off her blankets and wakes up because she's too cold.  (She's 2 now, so there's no worry).  

TXSparky

phdprocrastinator said:

Yeah, I didn't see the need to get a bedding set.  You can't use the bumpers and the blankets usually feel horrible (and you can't use those either).

We started with just fitted sheets.  Around 6 months, she went through a spat of getting her arms and legs stuck, so we got breathable bumpers.  Took those off before she was a year.  

We also used sleep sacks once we stopped swaddling.  I'm kind of sad she's refused to go back in a sack after the summer.  I liked knowing she'd stay warm all night... now she kicks off her blankets and wakes up because she's too cold.  (She's 2 now, so there's no worry).  

You can hang the blanket on the wall for decoration. That's what we did. It turned out really cute.

ccam

We didn't buy a bedding set for DS. We did have a breathable bumper but never ended up using it.