FTM--bumpers

jmarie051912 · December 2012

Hi Everyone,

I'm sure this discussion has happened on here many times before but I must ask advice. My husband and I are starting to look at bedding settings for our little one that is due in May. Some come with bumpers and some do not. I know there is debate on whether or not they are safe for little ones. I personally am fine without them but my husband wants them. And I want our little one to be as safe as possible. So what is considered safe? TIA for all advice!! As a first time mom I am pretty paranoid that I won't do the right thing!

drpayne · December 2012

We skip them. Not worth the worry.

LolaBelle515 · December 2012

I worried enough about my little one when he moved into his crib...I would skip them. My pediatrician told us to skip them, too.

We did find that we needed to purchase breathable bumpers...because our LO would stick his arm/foot out of the crib in the middle of the night.

Honestly, I don't think traditional bumpers add that much to the decor as it is....there are plenty of other, 100% safe, ways to make your nursery beautiful and safe!

gimmietimmies · December 2012

The recommendation is no bumpers. This includes breathable bumpers. SIDS and suffocation isn't the only risk, strangulation is the other. Breathable bumpers can't get around that.

bethCT · December 2012

first, trust yourself!

byt second, and I hope this does not come off a b!tchy, but stand up for yourself and your baby! You are facing months, if not years of other people giving you bad, wrong, odd advise, generally unprompted . if you do not want bumpers, tell him why, google is your friend here! Tell him how kids roll into bumpers and suffocate, how they climb up on bumpers to climb out of the crib and fall. Start defending your baby now and be strong! You are the mommy, you are in charge!

if you try, you can find people to tell you bumpers are safe, or that car seats are bad... trust yourself and your instincts (and use a car seat!! )

jobiann · December 2012

drpayne:
We skip them. Not worth the worry.

This!

jmarie051912 · December 2012

Thanks Ladies

I really appreciate all advice! I think we're going to skip the bumpers and stick with basic sheets and maybe a dust ruffle!

OUKatie · December 2012

I just bought a pretty dust ruffle that went with her room (this one in white) then bought some cute sheets. You can see the pattern of the sheets through the crib slats and it looks great. It's also a million times easier to change the crib sheet without a bumper.

srheflin91 · December 2012

I am also a FTM, and many of my friends with one or two kids say one thing: It's your choice, but make sure you are informed. Some choose to use them, some do not. Personally I will use them, but before I made the decision, I read up on all the information I could find, and also, we decided after she starts moving around a lot, we are probably going to remove the bumper from her crib, and perhaps use it as decor somewhere else, or I will make something out of the material to reuse in her toddler years.

I have heard that the breathable bumpers are much safer and resemble the PnP netting, so we've also looked into those for when she starts moving around, because I am definitely worried about her getting her arms, legs, ect stuck in the railings.

CarlaAndJames · December 2012

There are basically no benefits to them aside from looks, and I just couldn't raise a risk to my baby, even a small one, for such a silly reason.

It's not just about suffocation up against the bumper itself. It's about restricting airflow inside the crib when they can't move, suffocation once they are starting to move, strangulation when they are tossing and turning, and a fall risk since they can use them to climb out of the crib when they are older.

I believe it's not legal to sell them in the city of Chicago, and I'm hoping the rest of the country catches onto that soon.

luvmyducks · December 2012

We bought a set that had them but didn't use them until DD was over a year old--so quite recently. We used a breathable bumper before that. I just like the idea of something there so she isn't getting caught between the slats and so she doesn't bump her head on them either.

ETA: We started using them after a year bc I felt better about the SIDs risk and because she is such a mobile baby in the crib. She loves to cram herself up in one of the corners and the padded bumpers make it a little more comfy for her. I don't use them for looks. And she couldn't possible climb up them--they aren't strong enough.

Katie829 · December 2012

We use breathable bumpers.She got her arms stuck once without the bumpers and freaked. I wouldn't use the regular. My daughter moves throughout the crib and I am afraid that she will get her face stuck against the bumpers and cannot breathe.

Elsa1984 · December 2012

My daughter is almost 14mo, we never used one....not even a breathable one. My friends son had a regular one until he was rolling over and then it was replaced with a breathable one. He was 16mo when they removed the breathable one.

If you are looking at different bedding, check out the Skip Hop collections on their main website. They came out with these sheets that are really cool, the top looks like a regular sheet and the sides have designs like a bumper. So from the side, it looks like a bumper....but it's a sheet. They started making them after my LO was born.

fryrat · December 2012

We did not get bumpers. The sets that you see in the store has a whole bunch of things you are not supposed to put in an infant's crib, so we just got sheets.

We were fine with the setup, and would often go to wake her, finding her in the crib, up against the rails. This definitely helped reassure that we made the right decision for us.

Fast froward to 6 months old... DD is now moving more forcefully, scooting and such, and has woken herself up by 2 things. Bumping her head on the rails, and launching her pacifier out of the crib, so she can't get it back in her mouth. We just put bumpers in last week. I know she is very good at pushing away from things, so I do not worry about breathing. She sleeps so much better now, and when she wakes, she like to look at the fish and try to touch them.

Go with your gut. There are options, just make sure you are comfortable with whatever is best for your sanity and safety.

etude de la vie · December 2012

Check out wonder bumpers. They are not a SIDS risk, breathable, soft, they can't use them to climb out, and go vertically around each crib slate.

We got ours from BRU online but you can get them other places too.

This and my angelcare monitor was my favorite purchases with DS 2

chardonnay24 · December 2012

We didn't use bumpers. My son never bumped his head or got his limbs stuck in the slats.

chardonnay24 · December 2012

fryrat:

We did not get bumpers. The sets that you see in the store has a whole bunch of things you are not supposed to put in an infant's crib, so we just got sheets.

We were fine with the setup, and would often go to wake her, finding her in the crib, up against the rails. This definitely helped reassure that we made the right decision for us.

Fast froward to 6 months old... DD is now moving more forcefully, scooting and such, and has woken herself up by 2 things. Bumping her head on the rails, and launching her pacifier out of the crib, so she can't get it back in her mouth. We just put bumpers in last week. I know she is very good at pushing away from things, so I do not worry about breathing. She sleeps so much better now, and when she wakes, she like to look at the fish and try to touch them.

Go with your gut. There are options, just make sure you are comfortable with whatever is best for your sanity and safety.

Babies and toddlers can use crib bumpers to stand on and climb out of the crib. My son was pulling up and crusing by 6 months, so just be careful. Just because the risk of suffocation has decreased, there are still other risks. At least try breathable bumpers, which collapse when the baby stands on them.

JenK1108 · December 2012

As others have said already, they are not recommended. However, I will add - once your baby gets older, opinions generally start to differ more on this subject. I was adamantly against them and didn't use them in our crib when my son was born. About 6 months, I bought some and we have been using them since. He was getting his legs and arms stuck in between the slats of the crib, and it was one too many nights of him waking up screaming. I polled my friends, and I would say that 90% of them used them. I was still nervous the first few nights, but he rolled over all the time at that point, so he was fine. I would still have not used them in the beginning. Just remember.....you can always get them later if you need them - there's really no need for them in the beginning.

jmw222 · December 2012

Elsa1984:
My daughter is almost 14mo, we never used one....not even a breathable one. My friends son had a regular one until he was rolling over and then it was replaced with a breathable one. He was 16mo when they removed the breathable one. If you are looking at different bedding, check out the Skip Hop collections on their main website. They came out with these sheets that are really cool, the top looks like a regular sheet and the sides have designs like a bumper. So from the side, it looks like a bumper....but it's a sheet. They started making them after my LO was born.

Our bedding set came with the bumper, and I kept it in her crib until we moved her in there. She has not spent one night with a bumper of any kind. And now I wish we had just spent money on nice sheets. We don't use the blanket or the bumper that came with the set. The next baby is getting the Skip Hop sheets.

bananers · December 2012

We are just buying/registering for sheets, no bedding "sets" since we don't need all the extras. I will either buy or make a crib skirt to add some more color to the decor. If there comes a day when DS is getting his arms or legs stuck, we'll reevaluate at that time, but for now, we are going with nothing.

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