crib bumper - is it ever "safe" to put in crib?

dear all.....

of course all the bedding sets for cribs include that bumper....I read that you're suppose to put in bumpers before 4 months or so...but how can it even be safe after? even more so the babies will be moving much more by then and pulling stuff.

just looking for some feedbacks and what you gals did.

alexa

 

QUOTE(alexafaeh @ Dec 10 2007, 03:27 PM) [snapback]528124[/snapback]
dear all.....

of course all the bedding sets for cribs include that bumper....I read that you're suppose to put in bumpers before 4 months or so...but how can it even be safe after? even more so the babies will be moving much more by then and pulling stuff.

just looking for some feedbacks and what you gals did.

alexa

Mine are 7.5 months old and I haven't put the bumper up yet. There was time when my DD was learning to crawl and she'd back up and get her leg caught in the rails but that time only lasted about a week. I haven't seen a need for it yet.

HTH.

Sotto

 

I've just read so many articles about how bumpers contribute to SIDS, so I don't use them. But I don't know if the risk factor changes/reduces when they are older. I just would never want to risk it!

 

I hear you both.....just wondering what other use I could have for the bumper....

 

I've never used bumpers and am never going to. When the babies are younger, it's a risk factor for SIDS. When they're older and moving around, there's a risk for entanglement/suffocation/other accidents. A mom on this board wrote about her baby getting trapped between the bumper and the side of the crib.

Worst part is, bumpers serve NO purpose other than looking cute. Some say that they keep babies from bumping their heads on the sides of the crib - but babies bump their heads on things all the time, and worst case they cry a minute, then get distracted and start giggling at something.

 

We used bumpers from day 1, and they are still in their beds. My girls have a habit of sticking body parts out of teh slats and I've found them stuck several times, even with bumpers in!

 

We use the bumpers and I don't intend on stopping. I thought I might seperate the girls to sleep and I was going to take the bumpers off so they could still see each other. As soon as I took the bumper off one of my girls got her leg caught and couldn't get out. I put them right back on & they are still sleeping together.

Missy

 

We've also used bumpers from day 1, though they really co-slept or where in the pack-n-play for the first 4 months. My two don't move much at all in thier sleep and have always been back sleepers so I honestly felt safe using them.

HTH

 

We use the breathable bumpers. The bumpers that came with my nursery bedding set are sitting in the babies closet. Come to think of it, so are the matching quilts....and the matching sheets....

Anyways, as you can see I clearly think that the bedding sets were a bit of a waste of money. If I had to do it over again, I would have just bought the whole lot separately - sheets, breathable bumper and dust ruffle.

The breathable bumpers can be purchased at BRU or online at BRU for a better selection. They keep the kiddos from getting their "parts" stuck, but allow them to breathe freely when they smush their cute little faces up against them!

Good Luck!
Suzi

 

I've never used bumpers and I didn't get a bedding set because its largely useless. You can get everything separately and only the things you need. You probably don't need the quilt, and the bumpers are debatable (some use them and some don't), and the dust ruffle doesn't work with our cribs because they have drawers underneath. Plus the ones I liked were super expensive.

If you decide to go with the breathable bumpers make sure they work with your cribs.. I returned mine because they didn't fit and DH and I decided to go bumper free.

 

We initially used bumpers but Maisy --at one week old-- worked her way up into the bumper, had her face planted in it, and nearly gave DH a heart attack when he went to check on them. We took the bumpers out that day and only decided to get the breathable bumpers when the girls started getting their legs stuck in the crib slats. They have been great, we still use them, the have a little padding which I think is comfortable for Keira who likes to sleep up against the side of the crib.

 

My babies are 6 months old and I still use the bumper. The only reason I do is because my son got his finger stuck (somehow...don't ask) in the rails and had a big black and blue on his thumb and hand. He also got his foot stuck too in the middle of the night....He moves around a lot. The bumper prevents him from getting stuck. I don't really see the point of using it before 4 months - They don't even move around to the sides so what is the purpose? I thought the purpse was to protect little fingers and feet to get caught....I don't know..

 

We've used bumpers from the beginning and I have never felt uncomfortable about it. They've never come anywhere near getting stuck in them, and they are crawling all over the place in their cribs--so it helps keep their limbs contained. Honestly, I've never really understood how they were that big a risk. I guess you just have to do what you're comfortable with.

Reyna

 

We bought those cute, expensive bumpers for the boys and then as soon as we brought them home, became totally paranoid about SIDS so we took them out and put Breathable Bumpers in. Our kiddos are 11 months old and we still use them. Good luck!

 

I've used the bumpers from their sets from day one - both my kids do laps around the cribs and the once or twice I took them out to wash them and didn't get them back in I got woken up multiple times because of body parts out of the rails!

 

We did not use bumpers, nor did we get matching setups for the cribs. You can't have blankets or pillows in there anyway, so the only thing that would be "coordinated" would be the sheet and the bumpers.

We haven't had any problems with legs getting stuck.

And an added bonus: it is easier to change the crib sheet without having to deal with a bumper.

Do whatever you and your doc. feel is best. (Ours expressly told us "no bumpers.")

 

I think ppl who use bumpers and ppl who do not is pretty split down the middle, however, we also used them from day 1. I took them out when they were about 11m and they must flip around alot because everytime I would go in and check their leg or arm would be hanging out of the bars. My son also split his forhead open just after their 1st birthday so I decided to leave them in because of the wound and I was afraid of him bumping it. I left their bumpers on until this past summer when they were about 19/20 months.

 

I am not sure how a bumper could cause SIDS. SIDS isn't suffocating. My friends little boy died of SIDS and he wasn't even in a crib and I gave that little boy CPR within seconds of his heart stopping. It was still quivering when we tried to get it back into rhythm. he didn't smother on anything. As far as scooting. My son can role over from back to belly and scoot from laying one direction to completely sideways. He is 3 weeks and has done this since he was a week old. So I always keep sister next to him when possible or he will go on a mission to cuddle her when she isn't there. My oldest co slept with us most of his life due to
medical reasons and my severe post traumatic stress after my friends baby died of SIDS. So I dont know that his bumper was ever an issue.

 

I used them with all 3 of my kids, from birth to just about the time they moved into a big kid bed (well Josh is still in the crib).
I don't see anything wrong with them. I have heard of deaths that would not have happened if the bumper was in there. So really to me you just have to decide what is best for you and your child. Thats all I worry about.

 

We have used bumpers from day 1 and we still do. One of mine uses it as a pillow and the other likes to prop his foot on top of it and lay on his side.

 

Well, we didn't have a crib until they were 2 months old so we had the bumpers, but they barely slept in the crib. We took the bumpers out when they started crawling..maybe 7 months and then put them back in like 2 months ago. We may have to take Jake's out because he uses it to get taller.

As far as SIDS goes, my understanding (and I could be wrong) is not that the baby will suffocate, but SIDS babies have a reflex that isn't properly developed related to breathing. Stomach sleeping or bumpers are a risk for those babies. Again, I could be wrong...but that was my recollection from reading materials last year.

Basically I had bumpers growing up, slept on my stomach etc. We also have blankets in the crib now (we didn't in the very early days, when we swaddled) since the kids really do whatever they want. It's like worrying about having them sleep on their back when they can roll over to their stomach.

 

Obviously it's not the end of the world if you use bumpers - lots of people do it with no problems. But to me, ANYTHING that's associated with an increased risk of SIDS is just not worth it.

QUOTE
Bumper pads may be a contributing factor in SIDS deaths and should be removed. Health Canada, the Canadian government's health department, issued an advisory[13] recommending against the use of bumper pads, with the warning that they may decrease the amount of oxygen rich air available to the baby:

The presence of bumper pads in a crib may also be a contributing factor for Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS). These products may reduce the flow of oxygen rich air to the infant in the crib. Furthermore, proposed theories indicate that the rebreathing of carbon dioxide plays a role in the occurrence of SIDS.


(From wikipedia)

Here are bits of another article:

QUOTE
Although bumper pads are theoretically designed to prevent injury to a baby while in the crib or bassinet, the risk of accidental death or injury to an infant from using them outweighs their possible benefits, according to a new study by pediatric researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis.

...Of the deaths in which there was a formal investigation, 11 infants likely suffocated when their face rested against the bumper pad, 13 infants died from being wedged between the bumper pad and another object and three infants died from strangulation by a bumper tie.


WAY too scary for me!

 

Lilly got stuck under the bumper pad once(I came in to find her covered from the neck up), so I pulled the pads out of both cribs and never put them back. WAY too scary! They were so cute, blue for him and pink for her, but not worth the danger in my opinion. I'll take a plain, undecorated yet safe crib!
Helen
PS Let me add, I had read about the increase of SIDS with the bumpers, but bought them anyway, and after having safely used them with 2 older daughters, I wouldn't have removed them had I not gotten the fright of finding her like that.

 

we've had them from day 1 as well.

Around 6 months or so the girls snuggled up to them and fell asleep. I'm glad I have them.

Now my girls are little monkeys and jump all aroudn their cribs in the morning, i'm glad they are there so they aren't whacking their heads!!

 

QUOTE(DATJMom @ Dec 11 2007, 03:37 AM) [snapback]528734[/snapback]
We have used bumpers from day 1 and we still do. One of mine uses it as a pillow and the other likes to prop his foot on top of it and lay on his side.



Same here! Mine crawl all over their crib and don't have any problems. At first it made me a little nervous that they liked to burry their faces in them but they love to snuggle up to them. They still manage to get a leg out once in a while. One of my little guys always falls asleep on his back with one leg propped up on the bumbers. I think it is really what you are comfortable with.

 

We started with bumpers and still have them. My DDs did not have any particular risk factors for SIDS and it just didn't seem that dangerous to me. (They also barely slept in their cribs until they were 4 months.)

When they started pulling up, I wondered if I should take the bumpers out, but they never tried to step on them. And they like to sleep pressed right up against them, so I was afraid they'd be uncomfy if I took them out.

 

7.5 months here and we use the bumper still... I dont see me taking it you to be honest i feel safe with them...

 

My DS uses a bumped but DD does not. He was having a really hard time sleeping through the night as he kept getting himself pinned against the rails when he was learning to roll over. We put a bumper in to see what would happen and he slept straight through the night (and has for 2 weeks straight). We have the video monitors for their rooms though, so it helped to put my mind at ease that I could see what was going on in there. I've not had any problems with them!

 

I didn't want to chance it. We know a couple who had boy twins, and she used bumpers. One rolled over into it and smuthered (sp?) to death... SO it is something I don't use.

I do use them for decoration but anytime the kids were in the crib I took it off. Usually I didn't mess with it at all...

 

QUOTE(alexafaeh @ Dec 10 2007, 03:36 PM) [snapback]528149[/snapback]
I hear you both.....just wondering what other use I could have for the bumper....


After we took ours out of the cribs (maybe about 6 months, when we saw the boys start to get their arms up under them), we used them for babyproofing. We wrapped them around the bottom of bookcases in the living room where the boys play all the time. It covers the hard corners and also blocked them from getting at the stuff in the bookcase. (Of course now they can pull up and it doesn't serve that purpose anymore, but it worked for awhile!)

Just an idea of something you can use it for if you don't use it in the crib.

 

we used the bumpers then around 4-5 months we took them out because we were paranoid and put in the mesh ones. They were terrible. Kept sliding down and were just such a cold look and feel on the bed. Around 8 months or so, we put the regular bumpers back on and found that they were so much happier with them on. My girls love to snuggle up against them when they sleep. I guess it's comforting for them. I don't intend on taking them down ever. I have them tied in a special way that keeps them up but if they try to step on them, they slide down. So they can't use them to try and climb out.

 

We had them up from birth to about 6 months (when they learned to roll) and then removed them until about 12 months or so (when they coudl stand). One of the girls was getting her legs stuck in the crib rails and the bumpers prevented it...now they still have them and curl up next to them.

We have a drafty house too and I think the bumpers make it more cozy.

KC