to bumper or not to bumper?

treehugginbride · February 2013

Of course i've read that really baby bumpers aren't safe, or to remove them once the baby is mobile, however there are a billion different opinions out there, so i figured i would seek out a few more..

As far as a matching bed set, comforter/quilt, pillows, bumpers, what should i do and what should i not do?

sort of need to decide on all these things early as my aunt and i will be making them. will probably do a quilt to use when LO is older, or even just for looks, and i'm curious about the practical use of all the other cutesy matching things. questions? comments? dos and donts?

TIA

=Lee=B · February 2013

We'll be using a sheet and eventually a sleep sack but that's it. With all the experts warning against pillows, blankets and crib bumpers I don't see the point in buying anything more than a comfy sheet as it's all just "for show" and not meant to be used.

That said, I do plan to leave babe in the crib as long as possible rather than early transition to toddler bed and if she does end up getting limbs and head wounds in there after a year and she isn't a climber I would start to add bumpers as I wouldn't be concerned about the breathing issues like with a new born. But even then, less is more.

CarlaAndJames · February 2013

Never used one, never missed it. It's illegal to even sell them in the city of Chicago and I'm hoping the rest of the country follows suit in the next few years.

Sheet only in their bed! I bought sheets and made a crib skirt, saved me lots of money!

blinnea23 · February 2013

No bumper for me either. I plan on getting a few cute sheets and matching teething guard and crib skirt for cutesy accents but nothing else.

KarenBoschetti · February 2013

Infant deaths over a span of 20 years, from 1985-2005, were examined and of those, 27 deaths were related to bumpers. If a statistic of 1.35 deaths per year is enough to make you want to do away with something, then do it. It's a personal choice as is any parenting decision. Your child has a greater chance of dying in a car accident on the way home from the hospital than dying from a crib bumper. I get that bad things happen, but I can't imagine spending my child's entire life eliminating any and all potential dangers to them. Reality is your baby will probably be fine with a crib bumper. You can get to know your little one and their sleeping habits and there may be stages where you feel more comfortable leaving it off or keeping it on. If you want a crib bumper then buy one. Don't let other moms choices dictate your own. You have to do what's comfortable for you, and most likely that will sometimes entail going against what the experts suggest. Parenting a child is not black and white. Each one is different and each parent is different. I'm not telling you to ignore safety advisories, but don't be so intent on following others that you're not listening to your own instincts as a mother.

virginiagirl11 · February 2013

I understand accepting that you can't eliminate every and all dangers that your child will encounter throughout his/her life, but why not eliminate the easy ones?Seems pretty clear to me.

Don't use it. You don't need it and it's a 100% avoidable, unnecessary risk & expense. If your child, when he/she gets a little older, needs something to keep from poking limbs out of the crib, you can get a breathable bumper from Amazon. That's what we did. And, btw, it was such a pita to have on the crib when I needed to change the sheets after a diaper blow-out that I only kept it on there as long as absolutely necessary - about two months until DS stopped sticking his arms/legs through the slats. You may not even need it at all depending on your LO.

All you really need are 2-3 crib sheets. Seriously. You can also buy a quilt if you want and use that for tummy time. And you can still have a really adorable nursery. Actually, I prefer rooms that are put-together but look like they came together organically over rooms where everything has the same matching pattern. But, really, you don't need the rest of that stuff at all.

sep08 · February 2013

We never used a bumper and although my son got his limbs stuck in the slats on occasion, it was never a big deal and it seemed like he figured it out pretty quick. He sleeps in a sleep sack which keeps him plenty warm (was swaddled as a newborn). No blankets or pillows or anything. I just bought a couple crib sheets that I liked and my mom made a coordinating crib skirt and quilt. We used the quilt for tummy time when he was younger. I could see that a cute coordinating pillow could be useful for a glider/recliner if you have one in the room.

anakah · February 2013

For our twins, we borrowed a crib bedding set from a friend that included crib skirt, comforter, traditional bumper, and sheets for DS and bought a breathable bumper, sheets, and crib skirt for DD. We also tucked them in with blankets at night because they hated sleep sacks. At a year we put standard size pillows in their cribs to encourage sleeping in their own beds instead of ours. We figure they sleep on pillows in our bed so why not give them pillows in their bed, maybe that's why they like to sleep in our bed in the first place.

All that said, we have used angelcare monitors religiously since day 1.

azzyberry · February 2013

All you need is a fitted bed sheet and a sleep sack. That's it.

Bumpers, pillows, blankets, etc. are dangerous and unnecessary.

Angela814 · February 2013

No bumpers for us. I wouldn't bother with any sort of matching set, unless maybe you plan to convert your crib to a toddler bed later. A toddler bed is the same size as a crib, so you could use the pillow and comforter with that. All you really need is a mattress protector and a few crib sheets.

PhillyGal34 · February 2013

We only have a sheet. We use a sleep sack or fleece pj's. I also made a teething guard that velcros on to the crib for when he starts to stand and possibly chew.

If your aunt is looking to make something maybe that would work

MrsNole · February 2013

I got a whole set. I didn't use the bumpers at all until she could stand up and then used the bumpers as teethers. Here is what I am talking about though it's not my picture...

RivieraBound · February 2013

No bumper for us. There are some cute bumper free crib sets out there!

smittendorff · February 2013

I went with the recommendation NOT to use bumpers because of the safety risk. And I never even considered changing. We got the individual pieces we could safely use (skipping the bumper and the quilt). My boys slept in Halo SleepSacks instead of loose blankets, which were much safer and couldn't be kicked off, plus prevented legs from getting stuck.

kateraid · February 2013

I just got a fitted crib sheet with a matching change pad cover and blanket that I drape over his glider for snuggling while feeding. They all coordinate. You don't need bumpers they aren't safe. You could do a blanket for floor play but don't put it in the crib. Maybe make a matching sleep sack?

prettypinkypeonies · March 2013

We used them with my now 4 year old, and I'm planning on using it with this kid. I'm honestly not too concerned about it.

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