To Baby Bump or Not to Baby Bump?

I have a bumper pad... but I also bought the Angel Care monitor system which monitors my sons breathing.. if for any reason it doesn't sense his breathing.. an alarm will go off.

It is awesome. When it has gone off, it has always been because he was too far away from the sensors.. at the foot of the bed.. or a few times because his face was on the bumper pad. He is 9 months old.

It is a little pricey but worth the price for my peace of mind.

J.

Speaking of SIDS, my niece lost her daughter to it 3 days after shots too. She is a nurse and her husband an emt. I begged my daughter to wait until after her new baby was a year old to start them, after all, there's not near the risk of diptheria, whooping cough etc now as in the days when I was young. When's the last time you heard of anyone even having diptheria? She did wait, despite a lot of feedback from her doc and today Madison is a robust 21 month old who has never been sick (nurses told my daughter the kids who wait for vaccines are the healthiest because their tiny immune systems are not compromised with these deadly diseases at such a young age).Just wait til your sweetie is over like 9 months old or so. It is SO scary that docs won't wait. Babies do not need these SO early. Google "SIDS Vacination" or something like it and read the evidence. All the best, G.

Hello T.,

how old is your crib? her head should not fit through the slots, if so, I would not use it. I used the 'baby bump that was the thickness of a comforter and I intertwined out and back in behind one of the slats it every 3 slots so that it would fit tightly. Good luck and follow your instincts.

well new sids info is that it's a malfunctioning gland in the brain that stops the babies from breathing. Not because they suffocate in their crib. And EVEN if you catch them not breathing if it's a true SIDS case CPR or anything won't work on them. It's just like their lungs shut off and won't ever work again.
That being said we do use a crib bumper. My DD slept with us for 4 months and then we transitioned to her crib. She has always had a bumper on and never had any issues. She's fixin to turn 1 Wednesday!

Hi T.--I kept my daughter in her cradle til about 3-4 mo.-just like you and then when I put her in the crib--I left the pads in and kept using the baby positioner in the crib. This kept her from rolling around too much---just kept her in the middle of her crib. You have had some good ideas from the other posts!! Good Luck!

Someone else mentioned the breathable bumpers. I have a 4 month old girl and am using the mesh breathable bumpers in her crib. They provide a bit of cushion and keep legs and arms from getting stuck in the slats, but the mesh fabric is breathable in case they bury their face up against it. I used them with my 2 year old daughter, too. You can find them at babies r us, or you can also find them in pastel colors at onestepahead.com

i used one & still do bc my kids always got their feet wedged between the slats, i pulled my bumper in & out of the slats (like mentioned before) so that it was tight & they cant pull it down or get caught up in it. it has worked for me.

I have 3 boys I have always used the bumpers but I have always kept their bedroom cold and the ceiling fan on to help circulate the oxygen in the room. 2 of my boys slept on their tummies... (reflux babies) and my first baby I was so parinoid about everything he slep in his car seat for 5 months... I will say that my youngest did sleep in his swing swaddled up tight for about 3 months because he had colic so bad he could not sleep any other way.

any way, I use the bumpers...
A.

Hi T.,

I think the idea of weaving the bumper through the slats is an excellent idea! I never thought of that. When we put our DD in her crib around 3 months, we did (and still do) use a bumper. She was able to pick up her head, turn her head, and move things away from her face so we felt comfortable. Also, 90%+ cases of SIDS occur w/in 72 hours of vaccinations, so whenever she has had any shots, we keep her in our room for the next few days.

I have found that baby bumpers did not decrease the amount of bruises on the forehead.. to me, they're just for decorations - and later assist in climbing out of the crib.

I had a baby bumper with both my children and my son who just turned one still has one in his crib. My children moved all over the place in their cribs so for me it was safer to have one than not. Does you daughter use a pacifier? Recently some studies have shown that the use of a pacifier has helped with preventing sids. Both my children used on until they were at least 4 months old. If your daughter has good head control and is rolling over then the risk of SIDS very low. I would do some research on SIDS so you will feel more comfortable moving her into her own crib. I put my childrens cribs in my room until they were able to roll over (one way), had great head control, and could lift their chest up using their arms. They were probably a little over 4 months old when I moved them.

We used a bumper for our first baby. One day we went in and his head and face were trapped under the bumper. He was really freaking out. We took it out right then. Now we have our 2nd and didn't see a need for the bumper. This little guy is funny. He was putting his fat legs through the slats and getting wedged in because he would be up to his thighs and couldn't get out. We had to rescue him many times.

Our solution? I know this is gonna sound trashy and it looks bad but... We use a piece of cardboard (cut up and pieced in a long continuous piece) weaved thru the bars. I know it sounds like something from the TV show Earl. But it was free and it works!

Not sure what we'll do he starts pulling up.

I used mine until my daughter rolled over and became more mobile...and replaced it with the breathable bumper which we are still using at 7 months to keep her from getting caught. I got mine at babies r us.

I used the bumpers in our son's crib, but also used a positioner, which he was used to. Our bumpers were handmade though, so not as stiff as the store bought ones, so I had less concern there. I just couldn't stand the thought of him hitting his head or getting an arm or leg stuck.

T.,

Not to be too simplistic, but a bump on the head or run the risk of suffocation resulting in death? Rest assured that most babies do not squirm around at such a rate that they are able to do any serious damage to their heads via ramming them into the crib railings. I am not sure how you can envision your baby being strangled by the slats. Is your crib an older crib where the slats are so far apart that the baby's head will fit through? If the answer is yes, then I would invest in a new crib. If finances are an issue, then I would search Craig's List and that FreeCycle.org website for a newer styled crib.

Good luck and best wishes :)