Crib Bumpers

I've never had the bumpers on their cribs since we brought the twins home.
I was too paranoid when they were sharing a crib and all swaddled up, and now
that they are in their own crib, I'm paranoid because
one is starting to roll over during the night.

Will I ever be able to use them?
When is a safe time to use them?
Obviously it's all aesthetics. The bumpers are so cute (and expensive!) that I was hoping to
use them at some point!
The twins are 6 months, by the way.

Thanks everyone!

 

We have used them ever since they were in their cribs. I still have them in. They use them as pillows and foot props. We have never had any issues with them.

 

I think the risks with regular bumpers are threefold... First, they can mash their face on it and suffocate, second, it doesn't let air go through well, and the dangerous gas emitted by standard mattresses are more likely to get 'stuck' on the mattress and your child is more likely to breathe them (reasons why fans reduce SIDS too), third, they can climb over them to get out of the crib.

There's a reason the AAP doesn't recommend the use of them.

If you really want a bumper because your babies are getting their legs stuck (happened a lot with DS), I'd get a breathable bumper. They can breathe through it, the air goes through, and if they put too much weight on them it will slide down, so they're perfectly safe.

I had no problem with legs stuck with DD though, so I think it might only be a problem for plump babies.

 

We never used bumpers, but I know that some people have and had no problems with them. Its really about your personal preference and comfort level.

 

We've always used them without incident. We did with DD as well.

ETA - I found them very useful as DD got older because she couldn't see me check on her and it blocked the interesting things to look at around her room. I'd imagine it be useful for twins to shield them from looking at their sibling, assuming this was a distraction.

 

We used them for a while then took them out when they were rolling all over the place. As soon as they learned to sit up we put them back in and they are still in there. Mine both sleep better with them in there for some reason.

 

I feel the same way...I got the bumpers before I had a pediatrician to talk to...when I asked her, she said no bumpers in the beginning for the same reasons Fran27 said in her post. I love my bumpers (how cute they are), but they've never been on the crib. They really haven't used any of the expensive bedding set I bought except the crib skirt and sheets. The comforters hang on a mini quilt rack and the bumpers are literally stuffed under each crib (no where else to store them!). I thought maybe I could use the comforters when I convert it to a toddler bed with the bumpers cut into throw pillows or just as padding on the three sides. Someone should tell the people in "expecting twins" to skip the fancy sets!

 

We've also had ours on the cribs since the babies were born. Same with DD. We haven't had any problems with them and my girls like to cuddle up next to them. Of course my girls all sleep with blankets and stuffed animals. I'm not a rule follower. ardon:

 

I used the breathable bumpers until my girls were 8-9 months old and were a lot stronger and could move around as they pleased. At that point I put the more padded bumpers in because they were falling and jumping all over the place.

 

QUOTE(lucky123 @ Dec 9 2008, 09:28 AM) [snapback]1103536[/snapback]
We've always used them without incident. We did with DD as well.

ETA - I found them very useful as DD got older because she couldn't see me check on her and it blocked the interesting things to look at around her room. I'd imagine it be useful for twins to shield them from looking at their sibling, assuming this was a distraction.


Same here, we used them from day one. I also had the comforters draped over the back of their crib and tucked in behind the mattress until they started playing with it. I'm hoping to use those when we convert to toddler beds. I do think the bumpers help them not be so distracted and so far they aren't climbing them.

 

I think its a personal preference.

Personally our crib bumpers came with the bedding set and I actually sold them...on here actually!

 

QUOTE(Kate1587 @ Dec 9 2008, 04:02 PM) [snapback]1103481[/snapback]
I've never had the bumpers on their cribs since we brought the twins home.
I was too paranoid when they were sharing a crib and all swaddled up, and now
that they are in their own crib, I'm paranoid because
one is starting to roll over during the night.

Will I ever be able to use them?
When is a safe time to use them?
Obviously it's all aesthetics. The bumpers are so cute (and expensive!) that I was hoping to
use them at some point!
The twins are 6 months, by the way.

Thanks everyone!


I wish I´d never bought mine! I must say that I did use one in DS´s crib for a couple of months but put it down one side of the crib as he started moving around and ended up pressed against the side of his cot. It was to protect his head against the wood more than anything. He loved looking at the pictures too and it was useful as a buffer to stop his dummy (i.e. pacifier) falling on the floor.

We decided to do the same for DD´s cot. However, I removed both of them when I found DD had managed to pull hers out and had her head underneath it. She was crying as she couldn´t get out and it was a definite suffocation threat. I hadn´t forseen that as DS had never done anything like that. Maybe I will use them when they are older but for now, it´s a clear no-no for me!

 

I started using mine just before a year to keep binkies in the crib. :good: Otherwise, I never would have used them.

 

I know it is controversial, but we have used ours since they moved into their own room at about 3 months old. Before then I wanted to be able to see them in the crib without having to get out of bed every time they made a peep. But when we moved them into their own rooms it helped to block out distractions (like their sibling), and keep errant arms and legs in the crib. I have one who liked to sleep face down with one arm and one leg outside the crib. To this day he snuggles up with his, or uses it as foot prop. As they got older and toppled over while learning to sit and then stand and fall down gracefully it helped with some of the nasty head banging.

We plan to leave them in until they start trying to use them to crawl out or they have outlived their usefulness in some other way.

I think alot of it depends on your kids though. Mine have shown no interest in pulling them down or anything else bad and they have been more benefit than hinderance. I will say though changing the sheets got much more difficult with the bumpers.