Can we talk about bumpers?

Funnygirl34 · September 2012

What are you guys going to do about the bumper situation? No bumper? Breathable bumper? Regular, padded bumper?

I obviously want to do what's best for my baby but have heard many different things from people on what is best/recommended. I'd love to hear your opinions!

SarahRae85 · September 2012

I have a breathable bumper that I love. I didn't get it for my first because I was convince it would look ridiculous and tacky (my opinion on 90% of bumpers), but my 2nd kept getting her arms and legs stuck in the bars at night and waking up just for that. The breathable bumper was one of my favorite purchases and surprisingly nice-looking with how simple they are. I save the set and will be using them again. I got it in the green color, mostly because I had green sheets on my daughter's bed at the time (older girl got the pink ones!), but now I'm happy I can use them with a boy as well. Plus the green looks very nice paired with the darker wood cribs.

jmayamama · September 2012

We have a breatheable bumper. I recently took them off and DS kept waking up from bumping his head. They're back on now :

steph620 · September 2012

I'm curious to see what people say because I thought they were all the same Embarrassed

*Hangs head in shame*

wittyschaffy · September 2012

Not doing them - I taught Infant CPR for ages and it was drilled into my head that bumpers and heavy bedding seem to be guilty parties in increasing SIDS risk. If we have a kiddo that insists on sticking their arms and legs through the crib slats in their sleep, I'd consider breathable ones but ONLY if it is a problem.

Momof2Es · September 2012

We got a breathable bumper for DD. I mostly just wanted it so she couldn't get her arms or legs stuck in the bars as easily. As soon as she started standing on it though, we took it out.

sucrets4 · September 2012

We had a breathable one, but didn't need it for awhile since she was late to roll. She has only gotten stuck once in her life, and that was when she was much older.

I wouldn't do anything in the beginning and see how your baby is. If they're wiggly and move a lot, then do a breathable one.

swelniak · September 2012

steph620:
I'm curious to see what people say because I thought they were all the same [:]Hangs head in shamenbsp;

Ditto!

covertxxamour · September 2012

Breathable. I highly recommend them. I definitely wouldn't do regular ones, because they do, have, and can contribute to SIDS.

aimeecasey · September 2012

We've never had a bumper. She's gotten a leg caught once in her year and half and haven't seen a need for one. If we did have a bumper our only choice would be a breathable bumper.

denison2 · September 2012

The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends against all bumpers. And anything else in the crib for that matter. I'm always going to be the goodie two shoes on this one- as a pediatric PT I've met asphyxiation and near strangulation babies and families who have had SIDS incidents. I won't risk it.

Annabelle7 · September 2012

We didn't have a bumper for my son. Yes, his leg and arm got stuck once or twice. I pushed it back through, no big deal. I won't have any bumpers for the twins either. SIDS scares the crap out of me.

kac831 · September 2012

Right now we aren't doing one, I would consider a breathable bumper if needed later.

5dogs · September 2012

We never used a bumper as DD never bothered playing with the bars. However she was able to pull herself up and over the edge of her crib just before turning 1 (on the lowest setting) so she went on to a mattress on the floor really early.

watermellens · September 2012

We've always used a regular bumper for DS since the day we brought him home. I took it off for one night overnight to wash it and his pacifier kept falling through the crib slats and onto the floor. Crying. Wake up. Replace. Repeat. It was awful!

I'm sure we'll do a bumper this time around too.

MSW_721 · September 2012

We didn't use any bumper for DS. I didn't want to risk it and he didn't move around that much anyways.

allclad13 · September 2012

So is anyone planning to buy a non-breathable bumper at all? I am considering getting one to use once the baby is older, just because they can be so cute. But if they continue to be a risk for a long time it might not even be worth buying one? What are you all doing?

watermellens · September 2012

allclad13:
So is anyone planning to buy a non-breathable bumper at all? I am considering getting one to use once the baby is older, just because they can be so cute. But if they continue to be a risk for a long time it might not even be worth buying one? What are you all doing?

see my post above.

DS didn't move around much in sleep and when he did, his head was strong enough to roll away if he smushed it up against the bumper.

epona3 · September 2012

We used this breathable bumper. It's not super cushy, but it kept her from getting her foot caught in the slats, and I didn't worry about her suffocating like I would with a traditional padded bumper.

cwelshsm · September 2012

I have both and I am glad that I did. We started with the breathable, but after awhile DD was all over the crib and was getting her leg stuck and the breathable ones just collapse. So, we switched to the regular bumpers, which were great for awhile. I liked that they didn't collapse under the weight of her leg and provided some padding for her little head. But then after some time we got sick of the difficultly it presented with changing the sheets. At some point we tried no bumpers, but that was a huge fail, because DD's pacis kept falling out of the crib and she would cry for them. So, the breathable ones went back on. We still have the breathables on because she still loves her paci for sleeping.

benmel31 · September 2012

I am going straight to breathable bumpers. I keep reading how little of the items in the crib sets go unused. I am skipping a set altogether and just getting the items we want.

lkm2006 · September 2012

We have always (and still do ) use the regular bumpers with DS. When he was tiny, I kept the fan on so I wasn't worried about air circulation.

Then when he started moving, he only moved upward and he would always run his head into the crib rails so I'm thankful he had the bumper there. There were times he would even get close to the edge with his mouth/nose but his head automatically turned and he could never actually smush his face all the way in.

I know they aren't recommended but as a parent, you do what you believe it best for YOUR child. My baby also slept on his tummy which isn't recommended but that's the only why he ever slept. Does that mean I'm a bad parent? No, unless the AAP is coming to sleep at my house they don't get an opinion

Each baby is different so I don't think it's fair to just have a blanket statement of "no bumpers" for every baby.

ETA: I'm sure I will get flamed for using regular bumpers but I did want to point out that the ribbons on them are super tiny so there is NO way they could ever cause harm and they aren't super padded where DS could use them to stand up on and climb out of the climb. They are more bendy (is that a word?) and smush down every time he tries to stand on them.

thecarrotflower · September 2012

We aren't going to get one.

BlinkyT · September 2012

I am a NICU nurse and we teach parents to follow the American Academy of Pediatrics recommendation, which is to NOT use any type of bumpers, including breathable bumpers. The breathable bumpers can pose a risk of strangulation. I discussed this with one of the attending ER physicians as well, and her position is that infants do not have the strength to "bump" their heads into railings and railings should be of a size that prevents entrapment anyway. So, there is no need for bumpers of any sort.

If anyone is interested the AAP offers lots of tidbits on safe sleep for infants: https://www.aap.org/en-us/about-the-aap/aap-press-room/Pages/AAP-Expands-Guidelines-for-Infant-Sleep-Safety-and-SIDS-Risk-Reduction.aspx

shibby00 · September 2012

We started with none, and then I got really tired of her getting stuck and losing pacifiers all night long. I got a breathable one and it is great! I held it against my face and I could breathe just fine through it. No worries the second time around. If I have another mover, I'll use the breathable bumper. DD never stood on it, but I've read where some babies use them to climb out of their cribs.

ebp913 · September 2012

We had some regular traditional bumpers that came with our bedding. I didn't use them for ahwhile because there was really no purpose. Then when Olivia was about 6-7 months (I think) I put them back on because she likes to sleep against things and she was waking up from hitting her head. I am aware that she wasn't hurting herself but I think she just wanted to be close to something soft. At that point, she was near crawling and completely able to roll over so I wasn't really concerned about her suffocating in the bumper. I only put them in when we reached that point. She also slept with a Snuza (movement monitor) on so I wasn't worried.

MrsHucks · September 2012

From everything I have read it is not recommended to us any kind of the bumper, even the breathable ones. We do not plan on using one at all. Although I think they look cute I just don't think it is worth the risk.

Abeja1226 · September 2012

We used/use a breathable bumper for DD and will do the same for this one.

drewiekc · September 2012

I have a regular bumper in DD's crib right now. We put it on when we lowered the mattress due to her rolling around and pulling up, somewhere around 6-ish months. It's alright, but not necessary. She still gets her arms and legs through the slats of the crib above the bumper from moving around so much at night.

Undecided on what I'll do for this baby, will depend on the bedding I get. Newborns definitely do not need them on the crib.

MommaAJ · September 2012

I plan on getting a new breathable bumper once/if it becomes a problem with baby getting arms/legs through bars. I realized they sell them at Target when I was there the other day - when I had my daughter, I had to search online for something like that!

Want a personalized experience?

Can we talk about bumpers?

Re: Can we talk about bumpers?

Choose Another Board

Search Boards