Bumper Pads for Cribs

It is still the advice of the American Academy of Pediatrics to not have anything in the crib with an infant including blankets, stuffed animals and bumper pads. However, businesses are not going to stop producing items that people will still buy. That is why they are in the store. My pediatrician also warned me that bumpers also can help babies climb out of the crib in addition to being a suffocation hazard. My advice would be decorate the walls of the baby room not the crib.

I know the latest is still not to use them in cribs. However, I have used them with both my 21 month old and my 6 month old. I have had no problems. I took the bumpers off when my 21 month old was old enough to move around in her crib, and then her paci fell out, her legs and hands got stuck. I felt like that was more unsafe! So I put them back in! The funny thing is too, that they both would snuggle into the bumper and fall right asleep. Anyhow, I am not giving you ANY recommendation. But I feel like for years we were all sleeping in cribs with bumpers.

Hi I am a labor/delivery and mother/baby nurse, and we tell all of our moms who are going home after delivery not to use bumper pads. This is a more recent recommendation. I actually used them with my daughter and she is only 2, because no one told me differently. For training at work, we had to watch a video regarding SIDS. They acutally had mothers who had lost small children to SIDS recreate the scene, in which they would place a baby doll in the position that is was found when not breathing. Several of these babies were rolled over into the bumper pad, and had suffocated. The common fear then becomes what if they get caught in the railing. Most babies if they get a leg stuck, they will cry to let you know, but it won't cause them to suffocate. Hope this helps.

I haven't read through all of the responses...but we have the breathable mesh bumper pad (available at Babies R Us and elsewhere). I was worried about suffocation with others when my little one was younger and now I think he would use the thicker one as a step to climb out of the crib. We put the mesh one on because one morning I went in his room and his thigh was somewhat stuck between the slats in the sides of the crib!

The recommendation is still the same but the baby stores know that us moms love to make our babies nurseries look as nice as possible and they make loads of money from the matching bumper pads and blankets etc. Have you seen how much those sets cost? The advice is still to put nothing in the crib at all and to use those sleep sacks which are safer than blankets.

Bumper pads AND sleep positioners are both connected to SIDS--I didn't use either with my two (ages 3 1/2 and 16 months). Your job is to keep your baby safe--the baby store's job is to sell stuff! Just because they put it in a display doesn't mean it's safe for your baby. You're being smart to question that!

they all say not to use them but they keep making them i never liked them or used them but that just me so whet we did was cut the pannel 2 1/2 3 LONG SEW THEM TOGETHER THEN WE HAD SOMETHING TO ROLL AND PLAY ON hard wood floors or outside

I never used a bumper. they are actually pretty unnecessary, and just for looks. I thought my daughter's bed would look cuter with one, but I couldn't risk her safety for cuteness! Blankets are also unnecessary, since babies can't keep them on them until they are over a year. Just dress the baby warm enough.

Just because someone may write on here that they went against safety guidelines that have saved lots of babies, doesn't mean that their way will be safe for YOUR baby!

personally, i used them with both my kids. they say not to use them, but they say also not to use blankets and stuff, too. i think it's b/c if you don't swaddle the baby they could get tangled in the blanket and possibly suffocate. i think it's the same reason for the bumpers, so they don't wiggle up to it and get their head stuck with their face into the bumper when they can't even pick up their heads yet. but, when my kids were newborns and swaddled, they didn't really move around in bed so i didn't see the problem, and by the time they could move around enough to get close to the bumper, they could move their heads around well on their own so i didn't worry about it. besides, my kids got up a lot during the night so they didn't really have time to move around that much!
a couple of times when i was washing the bumper, my son got his ankle stuck in between the slats of his crib (he had extremely chubby legs) so i used the bumper to keep their legs or arms from getting stuck, also.

I saw a link to the mesh bumper in one of the earlier posts - I have one, it's called 'breathablebaby' and you can also go to breathablebaby.com for more information (but you have to go to somewhere like Toys R Us to purchase). Seemed like a good solution to the suffocation/stuck limbs dilemma. I really think it looks nice too.

I am a mother of four grown children and have used bumper pads for all four. HOWEVER, research says not to use a bumper pad or blanket until the child is much older. Yes, I do see them on display at stores such as The Baby Room and wonder why, but no one can tell me that answer. Best bet is to check with your pediatrician.

I agree w/ Melissa B. I had 4 children and used bumper pads w/ all of them, but that's just what I did. If I didn't their arms and legs would go through the bars. I also used sleep positioners for all of my children. I never heard anything about those causing SIDS, I've done research on SIDS for a research paper. I was always cautious about putting babies to sleep on their back, especially when they're newborns. I always thought they might not be able to turn over if they spit up while they were sleeping, so I always put them on their sides. Again, that's just an opinion. Trust your gut. Things are changing all of the time. When we were growing up we used bumper pads, rode bikes w/o helmets, and numerous things that are a big no no now. Good luck!

Hi M., I am unsure of the answer to your question but if you decide to use the bumper pads. I have one that is sports themed for a boy. Its is mostly blue with little bears and different types of balls on it. It was barely used because of the very same issue. You can have it if you like. Just let me know..

They display them because they are pretty and they want you to give in and buy the $150-200 set. It is still recommended that you not use one since it restricts airflow in/around the crib and it may still be a suffocation risk. They sell breathable ones that are excellent if you have a scooter like I did and are afraid of them getting limbs stuck in the bars (or just hanging out of the crib!). They're only like $25. If you like the sets, usually you can buy just a blanket and the sheets and accessories for the set separately. The quilt doesn't get used, the bumper doesn't get used, and you can buy separate crib skirts that are just solid color or stripe or whatever to match the sheets you get.

Another concern about the bumpers is that they can be stood on once the child is old enough to climb... but you just take it out once your child is able to stand.

You don't want him to roll into the cushions and smother. So it will depend on how mobile he is, but a sleep positioner could help with worries about bumper pads and just keep the stuffed animals away from their face.

I had bumper pads on the crib and a few animals, but kept them on the opposite side of the bed. She didn't move around very much and once she was capable of moving she could roll back over, so I didn't worry. When she was just a few weeks old I'd put her to sleep on top of a few folded blankets in her crib. She somehow rolled off of them and was laying face down in the corner of the crib...talk about a heart attack! She was fine, but I made sure she was on a flat surface after that and never had any other scares.

Heres the logic behind it...

If a child rolls into it and can not roll away from it again they may suffocate...

Personally, I would put mine in the crib... But baby did not SLEEP in the crib until older than 6 months... It was used as a changinf table with the mattress all the way up. By the time baby was ready to go in the crib, I would lower the mattress and the PULL THE BUMPER DOWN and make sure that it was AROUND THE MATTRESS. Not sticking up above the mattress but filling in that small area that the matress doesn't QUITE fill all the way around the crib. (Just thick enough to fit a bumper)... You can still see it, its cute, and useful... Once the munchkin starts pulling it up, I take it out...

I think in the stores they do that mainly for display. The quilted, thick bumper pads are never a good idea! What I actually have for my son now is a breathable crib bumper. I found it at Babies R Us, not that expensive, and it blocks his arms and legs from going through the slats. I attached a link below just in case you want to check it out. Hope this helps. :)

http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2266849

i have always used a bumper in my girls cribs, and they always had blankets and a few stuff animals at the end of the crib for decorations. i am sure you will hear a lot of responses against it but you do what you think would be right.

This is what the pros say
No soft bedding
No soft blankets
no bumpers etc

The bumpers babies can get their heads under the bumper or the blanket or the animal and sufficate
They also can increase the chance of SIDs.
That is what i was told
If you buy one with a bumper you can take it and put it at the bottom of the crib to match the decor just not where the baby is.

No bumper pads. They can cause suffocation.

The now have breathable bumper pads that are safe (not decorative) if you have child who is getting hands, legs, arms stuck in the bars.

Really it is up to you on what you do. I did have a bumper pad but I also had a sleep positioner so it wasn't like my DD rolled around alot. I only covered her with a blanket someone knitted for me that had very large holes so even if she got it over her head she would be able to breath.

Although I also put her on her stomach to sleep as she would not sleep on her back. I read alot on SIDS before I did this and decided it was right for me and her. Doesn't mean it will be right for the baby I am expecting in Aug.

Good luck and do what you feel is right.

You are still not supposed to put anything in the crib with your baby, daycares can't even swaddle your baby to put them to sleep. They do sell breathable bumpers, I boutgh my daughter a set when she could roll over and potentially get a limb caught in her crib. She is 2 now and has her bumpers that match her bedroom set, but until about 18 months I used the breathable bumpers. They are available on line or at babies r us.