Crib Bumpers?

althardt624 · August 2011

So I've heard and read that you shouldn't put bumpers in the crib with your baby. Can someone explain why it's nearly impossible to buy a bedding set without them and the bumper is almost always the cutest part of the bedding - and completes the theme?!?!

Am I missing something and there's some really cool alternate thing you can do with them?

Sorry if this is a dumb question, but I've become really frustrated with this.

Thanks for your help!

clarks415 · August 2011

They say babies can smother against them. My cousin's Ped told her not to use them with her son who was a preemie. So she didn't. Her next son she didn't use them and he got his poor little arm stuck in between the bars

So it's kind of a double edge sword. I think babies are better in a bassinet until they are like 12 wks old then move them to the crib w/ a bumper once they have built up a little more strength.

funkymonkeyohyeahhh · August 2011

The cuteness factor isn't worth possible suffocation to me. Nothing should be in the crib except baby. There are plenty of cute nurseries without bumpers. I think bedding sets are a waste of money. We are buying a fitted sheet and picking out some fabric to make a bed skirt (there are tons of no sew tutorials online).

Breathable bumpers are an option once baby starts moving to prevent limbs getting caught.

althardt624 · August 2011

We had planned to keep our little guy in a bassinet for a while, too, I just wasn't sure if the bumpers were never allowed or were okay after a certain age, so thank you for the information. Glad to see it's not a total waste!

HopingForOne · August 2011

From what I've read, bumpers are never recommended. For a young baby, they raise the risk of SIDS (30%). For a baby who can roll, it's a suffocation hazards. For an old baby, they can climb up on them and launch themselves out of the crib (potentially). I never used them. If I have an issue with this kid getting their limbs stuck, I will use breathable bumpers.

The reason why they sell them in bedding sets is because they are still currently legal to sell, and companies want to make money - and obviously they can charge more for a bedding set if they include more pieces, you know?

HopingForOne · August 2011

P.S. Wanna hear something funny? Not only did my crib come with a sticker on it saying not the use bumpers in it, but....the BEDDING SET I bought -which CAME WITH BUMPERS - said not to either. Lol. That was a bit of a "logic fail".

althardt624 · August 2011

This is helpful, ladies. Thank you and all good to know. And so sad that they do still sell them and are still a HUGE part of the bedding in nursery pictures, etc. Thanks again for all of the information, really!

funkymonkeyohyeahhh · August 2011

I think saying they're able to be used after 12 weeks and baby "builds up strength" is misleading. Baby is no less susceptible to suffocation.

This is the first article that popped up when I Googled "crib bumper safety" but there are tons. An excerpt states: "But most child-safety organizations, including the American Academy of Pediatrics and First Candle, warn against using crib bumpers, especially soft, pillow-like ones, because of the risk of suffocation. Maryland is considering banning their sale, and the Illinois attorney general is pushing for a ban." and "The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) says it knows of 690 infant deaths associated with pillows and cushions from 1992 to February 2010."

jjoli · August 2011

We used one. DD slept in a moses basket at first, then she coslept for awhile and when we moved her into her crib the bumper was in and we never had any problems with it, we ended up keeping it on when we changed her bed to the toddler bed for a few months because she kept rolling into the sides. Now she is in a toddler daybed with a pillow and her own comforter but she is 2. We sold our bedding set because we changed decor and when we have another baby they will share a room, so we won't buy another set or anything, just a sheet. But we will also cosleep.

Something you can do is make pillows out of them for decor, or you can make a play mat out of them.

mamamimi77 · August 2011

we used/use one. We had it on there at first when he couldnt roll and then took it off for awhile when he could and then put it back on. By that time he was also able to move his head away from it if he got his face stuck in the side. they never go all the way up the side of the crib, so even using a breathable one will not insure against arms getting caught at the top. We use one because my son had clubfeet and wears a large brace at night. When he would roll(he tosses and turns alot) he would ram his brace or his head into the side of the crib, causing damage (to the crib and himself) and usually waking himself up.

We are aware of the safety concerns but if you followed every safety concern that they make a new law about you would probably go crazy trying to conform to it all. So do what you are comfortable with and let it go after that. I mean, we all probably had bumpers in our crib and we all made it here right? I realize that they have been labeled as unsafe, just as dropside cribs have. I will not buy a dropside crib but you also have to do what works for you. im not minimizing those that have been hurt by bumpers/dropside cribs etc, a child dying is tragic no matter what the reason.

mamamimi77 · August 2011

funkymonkeyohyeahhh:

I think saying they're able to be used after 12 weeks and baby "builds up strength" is misleading. Baby is no less susceptible to suffocation.

This is the first article that popped up when I Googled "crib bumper safety" but there are tons. An excerpt states: "But most child-safety organizations, including the American Academy of Pediatrics and First Candle, warn against using crib bumpers, especially soft, pillow-like ones, because of the risk of suffocation. Maryland is considering banning their sale, and the Illinois attorney general is pushing for a ban." and "The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) says it knows of 690 infant deaths associated with pillows and cushions from 1992 to February 2010."

also, this article does not specifically say "crib bumpers" caused those deaths. it says pillows and cushions - which easily could be ignorant parents putting an actual pillow in the kids crib.

DaisyKD · August 2011

this frustrated me too, that every single bedding set comes with a bumper, and they seem so overpriced. I am not willing to risk it and we are using a breathable bumper. But then we didn't want to pay the money for a bedding set that we wouldn't use the comforter or bumper.

We ended up getting a bedskirt and matching curtains at target, and are going to register for crib sheets and a breathable bumper to match. I had a really hard time finding a cute cribskirt that wasn't part of a bedding set. I don't sew, so I couldn't just pick some cute material and make my own.

But we finally found one at target.com and are happy with it.

KissyFishyLips · August 2011

We've had a breathable bumper from the start. DD (8 months old) wedges herself into the corners of the crib most nights, with her face up against the side. While she's fully capable of rolling and moving away, that's where she likes to sleep and so at least she can breathe through the mesh.

Kimee13 · August 2011

Bumpers are a DON'T no matter what the age of the baby. Not only is it a risk for suffocating but older babies can use them to climb out of the crib. Buy a breathable bumper if you need one.

There are plenty of options for a la carte bedding. We bought ours at Restoration Hardware and love it - I had no need for a bumper, window valances, or a quilt so we spent a little more but got exactly what we wanted/needed.

As for the 'if you followed every safety rule....." argument, there is a reason that infant mortality is 50% less than what it was 30 years ago(or so our ER Dr told us when she was expressing her disbelief in people sleeping with their babies) and that is because of the updated safety rules. DH is a police officer and EVERY year at training the Medical Examiner lectures them that #2 biggest no-no's are a crib bumper and sleeping with your baby in bed with you. Scare tactic or not, that was enough for us!

purple4u · August 2011

We are planning on making a soft book for LO with the bumper that comes with our bedding set. This way I don't feel like I wasted it. We are using breathable bumpers in the crib.

RachiCakes · August 2011

DaisyKD:

this frustrated me too, that every single bedding set comes with a bumper, and they seem so overpriced. I am not willing to risk it and we are using a breathable bumper. But then we didn't want to pay the money for a bedding set that we wouldn't use the comforter or bumper.

We ended up getting a bedskirt and matching curtains at target, and are going to register for crib sheets and a breathable bumper to match. I had a really hard time finding a cute cribskirt that wasn't part of a bedding set. I don't sew, so I couldn't just pick some cute material and make my own.

But we finally found one at target.com and are happy with it.

I don't sew either but found fabrics that I love - found a listing for crib skirts on etsy.com (there are millions of them) and ordered from there. I just sent her links to the fabric I picked out and she ordered it and is making the skirts for me! A lot of the etsy shops have cute fabrics already posted to choose from too if you wanted to go this route. They range in price from like $45 - $150 I think. It depends on what style you like!

loryn1691 · August 2011

There are multiple issues with the bumpers. They don't allow for proper air flow, so CO2 gets trapped in the crib with the baby. This doesn't always cause death but it can cause other effects such as breathing issues and slugishness. On top of there there are the issues with suffocation, entanglement, and the ability for the baby to use it to climb out once they are large enough. I use WONDER BUMPERS on my crib. You can get them at www.gomamagodesigns.com. They go on each individual crib rail and really work WITH your crib so there are none of the issues that come with the traditional bumpers. You get all the air flow you need but still get to protect them from bumps and bruises. My son is 5 and a half months old, I call him my little wild thing because he is so active, he flails around in his crib, sleeps against his rails, and sticks his legs and arms through the openings. I can honestly say I have never seen a bruise on him in the four and a half months he's been sleeping in his crib! I've also never been woken up in the middle of the night to find him screaming because he was stuck. The bumpers still have the cute factor that all the other dangerous, traditional sets have as well. I know we wouldn't be able to live without them!

jjoli · August 2011

Kimee13:
Bumpers are a DON'T no matter what the age of the baby. Not only is it a risk for suffocating but older babies can use them to climb out of the crib. Buy a breathable bumper if you need one.

There are plenty of options for a la carte bedding. We bought ours at Restoration Hardware and love it - I had no need for a bumper, window valances, or a quilt so we spent a little more but got exactly what we wanted/needed.

As for the 'if you followed every safety rule....." argument, there is a reason that infant mortality is 50% less than what it was 30 years ago(or so our ER Dr told us when she was expressing her disbelief in people sleeping with their babies) and that is because of the updated safety rules. DH is a police officer and EVERY year at training the Medical Examiner lectures them that #2 biggest no-no's are a crib bumper and sleeping with your baby in bed with you. Scare tactic or not, that was enough for us!

Now even though we used a crib bumper I can agree that it is probably better if not used and safer. But I disagree with co-sleeping. There is a reason that 90% of the world bed shares, because when practiced correctly it is safer than crib/cot sleeping. I just took a whole class on this, now that doesn't make me an expert or anything but the US is on of the only countries that the majority of people don't full-time or part-time bed share it is becoming much more popular here as well. Just thought I would put in my two cents as well.

carissa_danielle · August 2011

jjoli:

We used one. DD slept in a moses basket at first, then she coslept for awhile and when we moved her into her crib the bumper was in and we never had any problems with it, we ended up keeping it on when we changed her bed to the toddler bed for a few months because she kept rolling into the sides. Now she is in a toddler daybed with a pillow and her own comforter but she is 2. We sold our bedding set because we changed decor and when we have another baby they will share a room, so we won't buy another set or anything, just a sheet. But we will also cosleep.

Something you can do is make pillows out of them for decor, or you can make a play mat out of them.

Love the idea! Where would I find other ideas for my crib bumpers?! Did you do any of these ideas with yours?

jjoli · August 2011

carissa_danielle:
jjoli:

We used one. DD slept in a moses basket at first, then she coslept for awhile and when we moved her into her crib the bumper was in and we never had any problems with it, we ended up keeping it on when we changed her bed to the toddler bed for a few months because she kept rolling into the sides. Now she is in a toddler daybed with a pillow and her own comforter but she is 2. We sold our bedding set because we changed decor and when we have another baby they will share a room, so we won't buy another set or anything, just a sheet. But we will also cosleep.

Something you can do is make pillows out of them for decor, or you can make a play mat out of them.

Love the idea! Where would I find other ideas for my crib bumpers?! Did you do any of these ideas with yours?

We ended up using ours, she co slept with use for most of the first year of her life. And we ended up redoing her room shortly after a year, well begun the process of turning it into a big girl room. We were going to keep the decor and use her bumper for a play mat and make a square one and attach the four sides into a square and put a piece of matching material or use the quilt that comes with the bedding set as the center and we were going to attach ribbon, buttons, ribbon loops for attaaching links and toys, baby safe mirror, and a few other tactile things onto both the bumper raised edge and the material (we were going to use fleece) or quilt. It is actually pretty simple and mostly straight lines for sewing and we were going to attach the other pieces with embroidery floss and do it by hand so we knew it was nice and sturdy.

And for pillows we were just going to make four long skinny pillow by taking each section of the bumper and cutting (obviously) it and taking off the straps that attach it to the crib and then using fleece or flannel and some pillow stuffing make these for long rectangluar pillows, they would work great as proping up baby when older, you just have to pick which side of the bumper to use. Or do two of each.

jjoli · August 2011

jjoli:
carissa_danielle:
jjoli:

We used one. DD slept in a moses basket at first, then she coslept for awhile and when we moved her into her crib the bumper was in and we never had any problems with it, we ended up keeping it on when we changed her bed to the toddler bed for a few months because she kept rolling into the sides. Now she is in a toddler daybed with a pillow and her own comforter but she is 2. We sold our bedding set because we changed decor and when we have another baby they will share a room, so we won't buy another set or anything, just a sheet. But we will also cosleep.

Something you can do is make pillows out of them for decor, or you can make a play mat out of them.

Love the idea! Where would I find other ideas for my crib bumpers?! Did you do any of these ideas with yours?
We ended up using ours, she co slept with use for most of the first year of her life. And we ended up redoing her room shortly after a year, well begun the process of turning it into a big girl room. We were going to keep the decor and use her bumper for a play mat and make a square one and attach the four sides into a square and put a piece of matching material or use the quilt that comes with the bedding set as the center and we were going to attach ribbon, buttons, ribbon loops for attaaching links and toys, baby safe mirror, and a few other tactile things onto both the bumper raised edge and the material (we were going to use fleece) or quilt. It is actually pretty simple and mostly straight lines for sewing and we were going to attach the other pieces with embroidery floss and do it by hand so we knew it was nice and sturdy.
And for pillows we were just going to make four long skinny pillow by taking each section of the bumper and cutting (obviously) it and taking off the straps that attach it to the crib and then using fleece or flannel and some pillow stuffing make these for long rectangluar pillows, they would work great as proping up baby when older, you just have to pick which side of the bumper to use. Or do two of each.

Also

Remove the print fabric and make matching curtains,
a photo album cover, pillows with the fabric and
stuffing, or even make few baby clothes.

You can cut them down as a draft blocker or cut them and fill
with rice and herbs or essential oils and make some heat packs. Great
for helping children to sleep or keeping little feet warm.

You could cut the bumpers to make a soft "book" of the images. My
daughter loves her cloth books and the images on your bumper look very
"kid friendly".

Another idea is to use the bumpers as "trim" on things like laundry
baskets, storage bins or diaper pails in the nursery. Since they are
part of your set, they will coordinate the entire room for a "designer"
look. Don?t forget to save some of the bumper for a valance over the
window!

Why not take a
solid color fabric that matches the print best and, along the pads
running horizontally, sew on little pockets to house small toys,
stuffed animals, shoes, pictures, anything like that that will look
cute in the pockets. Just hang the whole pad on the wall.

pierogigirl · August 2011

We used the breathable bumper with DS1 and will again with DS2. I have a bumper from the crib set and I intended to use it to make something else, but I never did. Now that DS1 is getting ready to move to a big boy bed I might make a couple of decorative pillows out of it. I've seen people unstuff them and make a valance or you could cut it up and make some wall art that matches your nursery.

If I were going to buy new bedding for DS2- which I'm not - I would just get a couple of sheets and call it a day. The crib skirt only looked good when the crib was up at the highest setting (so not long) and the comforter is just sitting on the back of the rocker.

nbunt598 · August 2011

The bumper is not safe, but a breathable bumper is a nice alternative. If you want to decorate the nursery a bit, it is really easy (even for a beginner) to make a crib skirt and valance.

Another thing that sold me on doing the separates is the fact that the set I fell in love with was $200. I wouldn't justify that amount for bedding for myself, so why would I throw money out the window when I would only use half the pieces of the baby set?

deveroe21 · August 2011

I wondered the exact same thing about bumpers. I was confused by why every company sold them and every mother I knew used them, but every doctor says they're a definite danger.

I'm so glad I came here. You guys gave FABULOUS ideas for using them in other crafty ways (the book, play mat, wall storage). It's 3:30 in the morning, but I feel so excited that I want to create something now.

Kimee13 · August 2011

jjoli:
Kimee13:

Bumpers are a DON'T no matter what the age of the baby. Not only is it a risk for suffocating but older babies can use them to climb out of the crib. Buy a breathable bumper if you need one.

There are plenty of options for a la carte bedding. We bought ours at Restoration Hardware and love it - I had no need for a bumper, window valances, or a quilt so we spent a little more but got exactly what we wanted/needed.

As for the 'if you followed every safety rule....." argument, there is a reason that infant mortality is 50% less than what it was 30 years ago(or so our ER Dr told us when she was expressing her disbelief in people sleeping with their babies) and that is because of the updated safety rules. DH is a police officer and EVERY year at training the Medical Examiner lectures them that #2 biggest no-no's are a crib bumper and sleeping with your baby in bed with you. Scare tactic or not, that was enough for us!

Now even though we used a crib bumper I can agree that it is probably better if not used and safer. But I disagree with co-sleeping. There is a reason that 90% of the world bed shares, because when practiced correctly it is safer than crib/cot sleeping. I just took a whole class on this, now that doesn't make me an expert or anything but the US is on of the only countries that the majority of people don't full-time or part-time bed share it is becoming much more popular here as well. Just thought I would put in my two cents as well.

DH has gone to at least 3 infant deaths in the last 2 years where an adult has unintentionally suffocated a baby that was in bed with them - that scared us beyond words. I'm curious as to who sponsored these classes you took - I know this is a topic that I have brought up with our Pediatrician, my OB/GYN, ER Docs along with the law enforcement/EMT community and they've all been strictly against co-sleeping with a baby in your bed. You'll have to excuse my ignorance because I never researched it since it wasn't an option for us, but how is sharing a bed with a tiny baby with pillows, blankets, 100-200 lb adults be more safe than a crib with the appropriate safety precautions taken?

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