Crib Bumpers... Yes or No?

Lauren716 · August 2013

As a FTM I have been doing my share of research, one thing I am having a hard time with is crib bumpers. I have polled my friends for their opinions and have received strong views on both sides. I have also read a number of articles from all sides. I would love to hear what you think. Bumpers, breathable bumper or no bumper? So many decisions!

cpm1223 · August 2013

No to regular bumpers, and maybe to a mesh bumper once LO starts moving around. There are way more reasons for me to not use a bumper than reasons to use them. They just aren't safe.

litzo27 · August 2013

We used breathable mesh bumper once they start rolling and getting hands stuck into slats. I see only downsides to using regular bumper - no way I would use them.

Ljessen13 · August 2013

litzo27 said:

We used breathable mesh bumper once they start rolling and getting hands stuck into slats. I see only downsides to using regular bumper - no way I would use them.

This!!!!!!! We registered for a mesh bumper when lo is older but will not be using it in the beginning

Deblondie1 · August 2013

Nay for us. I considered a mesh bumper when E went into her crib but never got around to buying it. In retrospect it would have been nice to not go on paci hunts in the dark in the middle of the night. But at the same time there was a real possibility of her getting tangled in the ties if we had had one so... Yeah I probably won't get one for this LO either.

BuckeyeANG · August 2013

We never used a bumper with DS1. He went through a phase at about 8 months where he would get his leg stuck in the crib slats. But he figured out pretty quickly how to avoid that.

iwalktheline · August 2013

I agree with the PPs. I will probably get a mesh bumper, but only when LO starts moving around.

valigrl21 · August 2013

We never used them with DD and probably won't with this DD either. DD got stuck maybe once or twice and it was NBD. I would much rather deal with that then deal with the increased SIDS risk.

bookkitten · August 2013

We didn't use a bumper with my son. I think he got his leg stuck once. More risks than benefits, in my opinion.

Jackapatamus · August 2013

No! We never used for DS and only problem we ever had was missing pacifiers!

SarahA918 · August 2013

I'm not going to use them either.

susieandmarty · August 2013

No bumpers. So not worth the risk. Aside from sids kids can start to climb them as well breathable or not. My dd never had a bumper and we never had an issue

Jmattis · August 2013

No bumpers for us. Why risk it?

petitmonstree · August 2013

We will not be using bumpers this time around. We had a regular one with DD and we decided not to use it after all (was only like $10 on clearance at Target). I would go with a breathable bumper this time but most that I've seen do not work with the crib we have. Plus with DD her limbs would just go over the bumper and through the spaces anyhow so it was pointless lol.

SvedkaStoli · August 2013

Mesh bumpers, if any.

baby2ra · August 2013

We did not use one until my daughter's head and neck were stronger. She was probably around 6 months old when we first put one in her crib. We have always used a mesh one and will do the same with this LO. I don't think they are appropriate until the baby is strong enough to move away from it if needed.

tootsscott · August 2013

We registered for them, but if we don't get them gifted, probably won't get them.

litzo27 · August 2013

Deblondie1 said:
Nay for us. I considered a mesh bumper when E went into her crib but never got around to buying it. In retrospect it would have been nice to not go on paci hunts in the dark in the middle of the night. But at the same time there was a real possibility of her getting tangled in the ties if we had had one so... Yeah I probably won't get one for this LO either.

FYI mesh bumpers don't have ties. At least one we got on Amazon. It just goes around slats on velcro.

LimeDrops · August 2013

I use traditional bumpers but I know it's not medically advised and I totally understand people who choose not to.i also think the vertical bumpers look nice but have never used them.

moosebaby2011 · August 2013

We had a breathable one that we used for a while, but then DS started trying to use it as a step so we took it out.

0hkgbs · August 2013

cpm1223 said:
No to regular bumpers, and maybe to a mesh bumper once LO starts moving around. There are way more reasons for me to not use a bumper than reasons to use them. They just aren't safe.

I feel the same way. With my dd we used the mesh bumpers once she became mobile in her crib and was getting her foot stuck.

Lena122 · August 2013

DS didn't need a bumper until he was about 18 months old. He doesn't thrash or move around in his sleep so he never really needed them. At 18 months he slipped when jumping in his crib and his leg got jammed so now we have bumpers up. I think it really depends on each baby as to whether or not you "need" them.

jldubb0626 · August 2013

We used mesh with DS. He moved a lot and got stuck so it was worth it. I'll never use regular bumpers. Ever.

Arrgcr · August 2013

I used a regular bumper with DS. It was NBD. HOWEVER, at the time I was a 'young' mom (21) and was never around kids so I didn't know any better. I just used what came in the bedding kit. Now that I know of other options and the risks involved, I feel like we got lucky with him and Ive been looking at other options for this one. Please feel free to tag me in replies and list brands, styles, etc of what y'all are leaning towards!

RobynLovesDano · August 2013

Def. go with a breathable if you are uncertain. That way you get the best of both worlds! They can't get their limbs caught, and you also don't have to worry about suffocation

Sweetiejules12 · August 2013

The academy of pediatrics and SIDS organizations do not advise nor recommend using bumpers, regular or mesh ones. As a maternity nurse teaching parents what is cute is not always safe, I applaud target stores for not advertising cribs with bumpers in them and was excited to find that they are not included in the bedding sets anymore. More babies have been shown to suffocate by rolling into them then by getting injured sticking there arm or leg out of the crib or hitting their heads on the rail. It's just like teaching grandparents that babies always go to sleep on their back for the safest sleep, educating one person at a time could save a baby.

ach298 · August 2013

We used a mesh bumper from 5 months until 9 months. Then we moved in with the inlaws and DS went back to sleeping in a PnP until we found our new house. We ended up not putting the bumpers back in simply because he didn't really seem to need them anymore and he was starting to get mobile.

ksonne · August 2013

We didn't use any bumpers for DS and he rarely got a limb stuck. I would consider mesh bumpers if the next LO gets stuck a lot. But I'm not planning to buy them unless I absolutely need to.

LexGator · August 2013

No bumpers

shortstuff15 · August 2013

We've used regular bumpers for both girls, but we only bought the set after my oldest kept getting her foot stuck through the slats and it was waking her up because she couldn't get it back out. She was about 6/7 months old at that point. They stayed in her crib until we moved her to a twin bed at 18 months. Even if she stood on them, they just squished flat under her weight, so it wasn't a big deal.

With my second we didn't put them in until about 7/8 months. We did it as a preventative measure, but we probably could have gotten away without it as she didn't move around as much at all. At any rate, we will use them if we have to for this baby too. But then again, I use a blanket from day 1, so take my advice with a grain of salt.

AnnikaD20 · August 2013

My understanding is that by the time they're moving around, can roll themselves over, etc they're usually past the period of highest risk for SIDS. So I may add a mesh bumper later if my LO ends up being one of those babies who gets stuck in the crib slats a lot. No bumper whatsoever to start with though. I know SIDS isn't completely preventable, but I'm going to do everything I can to lower the risk.

sunnyplaces · August 2013

Deblondie1 said:
In retrospect it would have been nice to not go on paci hunts in the dark in the middle of the night.

I hadn't even considered the paci hunt. Good point... I don't know what the hell I'm going to do. When I search for bumpers (mesh or otherwise) I just wind up searching through cute bed sheets and I make no progress.

biblionerd · August 2013

no bumpers

nbbride06 · August 2013

Do your own safety research and make the choice that works best for your child. We didn't have one in the crib at all until DD started getting her legs caught in the crib slats around 9 months old. We put in a regular bumper and it's still there and she's 2. She's never tried to climb it and really can't move very far since she's still in a sleep sack.

rowanthefrog · August 2013

Regular bumpers - no. Read the studies. The cuteness is simply not worth the SIDS risk.

I do use breathable bumpers once baby starts moving around in the crib.

From the American Academy of Pediatrics website:

Bumper Pads and Similar Products Are not Recommended

Bumper pads and similar products that attach to crib slats or sides are frequently used with the thought of protecting infants from injury. Initially, bumper pads were developed to prevent head entrapment between crib slats.¹⁹⁵ However, newer crib standards that require crib slat spacing to be less than 2⅜ inches have obviated the need for crib bumpers. In addition, infant deaths have occurred because of bumper pads. A recent report by Thach et al,¹⁹⁶ who used CPSC data, found that deaths attributed to bumper pads were from 3 mechanisms: (1) suffocation against soft, pillow-like bumper pads; (2) entrapment between the mattress or crib and firm bumper pads; and (3) strangulation from bumper pad ties. However, the CPSC believes that there were other confounding factors, such as the presence of pillows and/or blankets, that might have contributed to many of the deaths in this report.²Thach et al¹⁹⁶ also analyzed crib injuries that might have been prevented by bumper pad use and concluded that the use of bumper pads only prevents minor injuries. A more recent study of crib injuries that used data from the CPSC National Electronic Injury Surveillance System concluded that the potential benefits of preventing minor injury with bumper pad use were far outweighed by the risk of serious injury such as suffocation or strangulation.¹⁹⁷ In addition, most bumper pads obscure infant and parent visibility, which might increase parental anxiety.¹⁹⁵ There are other products that attach to crib sides or crib slats that claim to protect infants from injury. However, there are no published data that support these claims. Because of the potential for suffocation, entrapment, and strangulation and lack of evidence to support that bumper pads or similar products that attach to crib slats or sides prevent injury in young infants, the AAP does not recommend their use.

Unknown · August 2013

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eav2c · August 2013

No. I do have breathable bumpers for my first but he never slept in a crib so they were unused. To me, they are not worth the risk.

laowaigringa · August 2013

NO! My mom is a neonatal nurse and she once saw a picture of a friend's baby on FB in his crib with a bumper and she told me to call her right away and tell her to get rid of it! In fact, I even heard this summer that the state of Maryland has outlawed the sale of them altogether. Just not safe at all. That said though, I don't know much about the mesh ones.

SunflowersBride · August 2013

Absolutely not to regular bumpers, we will see about the mesh bumpers (but probably not, just not willing to chance it).

KimberlyTX · August 2013

I am definitely in the minority here. We had a mesh bumper on the crib from day 1 (although DD didn't sleep in it until she was 4 months old). We switched to a regular bumper (it's lightly padded but not one of the really puffy ones) when she was maybe 9 months old? At that point, I knew she could roll away from the bumper if she ended up against it (and actually watched her do it, just to make sure). For me, it wasn't about the cuteness of the bumper, but about keeping DD from continually smacking her head on the crib slats, which she was doing with the mesh one.

We will most likely do the same with this LO. But you should do what you are going to be comfortable with.

karah4816 · August 2013

No bumpers at all for me, we all know the regular ones are not safe and there is not much information available on the mesh ones. For me the anxiety about the risk would be much worse than having to get up more because one of the babies got a leg or arm stuck

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