Crib Bumpers - Clarks Summit, PA

Hi Brooke,

Once my son started moving around, I took the crib bumpers out and replaced them with the breathable bumbers - they are a mesh material so your baby can still breathe if he gets pushed up against them and they keep little arms and legs from getting caught in the rails. You can buy them at babies r us.

J.

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We kept ours in until our son was 7 months old. Some people thought that was too long, but he never tried to climb out of the crib and never used it as leverage to get himself up higher in the crib. It worked for us, but do what you think is best. If he isn't trying to get up on it, I don't think that it would be an issue leaving it in longer. Good luck! :)

Hi Brooke, I left the bumpers in the crib with all three of my girls until they moved to their toddler bed for the same reason. If you make sure that the bumpers are secured tightly, and well maintained (clean, no rips or strings) they should not really pose a risk until your son starts to use them as a step up and out of the crib...which is a sure sign that it's time to move him out of the crib anyway. I am glad that my kids are older...it seems like every year there are more and more things in and around the house to live in fear of anymore for parents of babies and todlers. From all that I see and read here it's a wonder all three of mine survived at all! LOL Best wishes and Good luck.

They make bumpers made of mesh (like the side of a playpen). I haven't seen them in the store, but I did see them on babiesrus.com. I have not used them, but do plan to get them when my little guy gets a crib.
They are much safer than the bulky bumpers and will keep his little limbs in the crib. May not keep him from bumping his head, but that'll happen in a few months anyway when he starts to move around more.

There are open weave netting crib slat covers to keep your baby from tangling in the crib slats, just google it to see if this might work.

I used bumpers but soon had to remove them again as my son started climbing on top of them to try to climb the crib.

I went back and forth about the whole bumper issue. We had already removed everything from the crib except a few small plush toys and my babies both slept in sleepy sacks.

Hi Brooke, My daughter Chassidy is 15 months old and I took the crip bumper away about a month or so ago. She kept pulling it to a point the strings that tie to the crib ripped off. If you tie pretty tight he wont be able to get tangle in it (not just yet at least), if you feel more comfortable taking it off then you can but I personally reccommend keeping it longer, I took the bumper off once when was 8 months old and the same thing would happen, she would get her arms and legs tangled. Just go with your instict, believe me I didnt sleep for 3 days after I took it off cause I was scared something might happen. Hope this works :0) let me know if you need other advice :0)

I didn't read all the responses, but just wanted to tell you that the same thing happened to us when we took our daughter's bumper out of her crib. She got her leg stuck one night pretty badly and cried for a long time. The next day we went to BRU and bought the breathable bumper. It worked great, and still does. It keeps her legs and arms in and I don't have to worry about her smothering in it.

For safety concerns (increased risk of SIDS) we never used the traditional bumper that comes with the bedding set. When our son started getting his legs and arms caught in the bars we purchased a mesh bumper. The mesh bumper allows more air flow and has velcro instead of ties, it isn't as cute but does the trick. Our pediatrician was very against bumpers of any kind but said the mesh ones were a little safer. My son is 10 months old and we are still using the mesh bumper but he is starting to pull the velcro apart(after it is washed several times it doesn't stay on as tightly as when it was new.

they do make vented crib bumpers. I used those in our crib. They still allow air to flow through and prevent the little arms and legs from getting stuck. Good luck!!

I know everyone has a different opinion on this, but bumpers stayed in both our kids' cribs until they moved to a toddler bed (at age 2). We had fairly thin bumpers that stayed close to the sides of the cribs when tied so the air was plenty breathable and neither kid ever tried to step on them to climb out (they were too thin to really try to stand on actually). My son really liked to sleep along the top of the crib (shortways) all curled up with his head in the top corner so at least he had a cushion. He would also get his ankles stuck between the bars so we just left them in and had no issues. They both also liked "talking" to the animals all along the bumpers and I would've hated taking their "friends" away. :) Definitely do what you feel is right but, for what it's worth, I would think if your little one can easily lift his head already, you'd be safe leaving them in.

Brooke - I had the same concerns for my son at this age. He'd wake himself (and me!) several times through the night because his arms or legs were stuck in his crib rails. I bought a breathable crib bumper, and it worked wonderfully. It kept him from getting tangled, and put my mind at ease, since it wasn't a solid fabric. Try Googling on "breathable crib bumper", or go to this website for info: http://www.breathablebaby.com/

A.

Brooke,
Better safe than sorry--see article below and decide for yourself:

Crib Bumper Pads Are They Safe?

Crib bumper pads are a very common baby product, and parents often use bumper pads thinking they are increasing the safety of their child's crib. However, many health agencies and Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) awareness groups are now recommending that parents skip the crib bumper, saying the need for crib bumpers has passed and that using these products may actually put children at greater risk for suffocation or death.
Why Do We Use Crib Bumper Pads?
Crib bumper pads became popular in older-style cribs where the slats were far enough apart that a baby's head could become trapped between the slats, posing a suffocation risk. Today, all cribs sold in the United States and Canada are required to have slats close enough together that it's nearly impossible for an infant's head to fit through. So why do we still use the crib bumper pads? For some parents, the reason may be as simple as liking the way the bumper pad looks. The matched crib bedding sets in stores are often cute and the package deal makes for a nice coordinated nursery. Other parents are worried about their child's arms and legs sticking through the crib sides, and some worry that the baby will hit his or her head on the crib sides and cause injury. According to Health Canada, it is nearly impossible for an infant to hit his or her head hard enough on the crib to cause bruising or injury. Health Canada also reports that serious injury is not likely when a child puts his or her arms and legs through the crib slats. The baby will either remove their arm or leg from the slats if possible, or make enough noise to alert a parent for help.

Which Groups Have Recommended Against Bumper Pads?
Some major children's safety organizations have recently suggested that parents and child care providers should remove crib bumper pads from baby cribs. The groups include: American Academy of Pediatrics, Health Canada, National Center for Health and Safety in Child Care, the Consumer Product Safety Commission and the First Candle/National SIDS Alliance. Some state and regional Back to Sleep campaigns now recommend removing bumper pads, as well.

Why Do These Groups Recommend Against Crib Bumper Pads?
One reason child safety organizations recommend against crib bumpers is that they pose a risk of suffocation. Just like a pillow or thick blanket, crib bumper pads can restrict a baby's breathing if the bumper is up next to the baby's nose or mouth. Suffocation risk is greatest when babies are very young and unable to move themselves away from potential hazards.
Rebreathing of air is another concern with crib bumper pads. The bumper reduces the flow of fresh air around baby during sleep. The American Academy of Pediatrics suggests that some infants, when they are overheated or lack sufficient oxygen during sleep, are unable to arouse themselves enough to prevent hypoxia and death. The AAP states that re-breathing of air may in fact be a contributing factor to SIDS.

Solutions
Since many infant safety organizations now recommend that nothing be inside the crib at all, the safest route for parents and babies would be to remove crib bumper pads altogether. For day care centers, the push for increased sleep safety may soon result in states mandating that child care providers no longer use crib bumper pads. For parents who are still concerned about their child sticking arms and legs through the crib slats, and feel that they must use a bumper pad, there are new mesh crib bumpers on the market today that allow more air to flow through the crib.

They sell "breathable" crib bumpers. They have vent holes to prevent suffocation. I would switch to one of these to get the best of both worlds.

I kept my kids bumpers in until they were big enough to try using them to climb out of the crib, around age 2. At that point I did still have a few problems with them waking to a leg stuck between the slats, but they must have gotten used to it and learned to sleep differently because that slowly disappeared and they were fine.

I just heard about a new, breatheable, mesh bumper they are selling at Babies R Us. I haven't looked or researched vanything about it, my 3-month old just started rolling tummy to back, no back to tummy, yet! It might be worth looking into!?!?

I attempted to take the bumpers out once and put them back the very next day. My oldest is 3 1/2 and my youngest is 15 months. I've never had any problems with the crib bumpers. If you're really concerned with suffocation, they do sell breathable bumpers. I'd stick with the bumpers unless you want to deal with him waking every time he gets stuck.

Babies r us sells a breathable mesh bumper that is very safe to use. I have used them with my last 2 children. One is now 4 years old and the baby is 5 months. They are great! They provide some cushion and keep baby's arms and legs from slipping thru the slats. The magazine One Step Ahead sells these also. Good Luck! I know what you are going thru and this will help solve your problem.

J.

Brooke,
I have used bumbers on both my children and never had any problem. But if you are concerned with suffocation I have seen a BreathableBaby Crib Bumper at www.onestepahead.com. This might be a better alternative then regular bumbers. Hope this helps.

Hi Brooke,
My son is now 18 months old and we actually have 2 crib bumpers (one on top of another - 2 high) since he is pulling himself up and standing and falling down, it protects his head.

I would be worried more about the limbs getting stuck and causing injury to be honest but Babies R Us sells breathable crib bumpers so you wouldn't have to worry about the suffocation issue. I think they are plain white.

Good luck to you.

L.

I never took my daughter's bumpers out because she is a very active sleeper. In fact they are still on, even though her crib is converted to a toddler bed. On the other side of the coin, my SIL never put them in, having the same concerns that you have over safety. She did find breathe-able bumpers. They sit flush against the crib rails and are made of a tight-weave mesh. That way baby can't get a limb stuck....but there is no worry of SIDS.

Good Luck!

Hi there! I would take the bumper pad & anything else, other than your lil fella out!!! Rather be safe than sorry. One Step Ahead sells a breathable bumper pad (item #14041)...it gets mannnny thumbs up! My sister-in-law loves her's. It could be the best $27.95 you spend! ;)
Hope this helps!
J.

As soon as they can start moving around is when they should come out. You'll hear allot of moms say that they left their bumpers in for a long time and nothing happened. Well, if you let your child play in the street nothing may happen, but why take the chance? They do make mesh sheilds that you can put around the crib that is not a suffication hazzard and will help stop your child's limbs from going through the slats. One of triplets had that problem cuz he was all over the place when he slept. The bad part was he was the chunkier one of the bunch so when he got stuck, he got stuck good, lol. You probably will have to order online for the guard as I don't see them in stores too much.

K. B
mom to 5 including triplets (turned 4 today!)

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We still have the bumpers on in our 11 month old daughter's crib.

Brooke,
My son is 20 months old and we plan on having htem in until he is out of his crib in a toddler bed. It was more of a concern for us shen his legs and arms were hanging out of the crib when he was sleeping and bumping into the sides and having a bump on his head. Your child will be fine but do what you need to do. Tie the strings in knots and he will be just fine. If they were really that bad of a safety issue no one would be using them. But you are the Mother and do what ou feel is right for you.
Christina

We have a breatheable bumper that we got from babies r us. That prevented my son from getting his arms/legs through the slats, but he was safe from suffocating.

My son is 6 months old and still has his bumpers on. I am leaving them on to prevent injury top him due to his being a wigle worm. I discussed this with my Ped. who advised me to leave them on. I would ask your Ped. on what they advise just to be safe :)

Have you looked into getting a "breathable bumper"?

We had the same situation...he was a nut while he was sleeping when he got older so we just left them in. I tried taking them out, but when I checked on himin the middle of the night, his poor little face was squished against the rails and his arm was through the slats! So I put them back in! But I have heard that those breathable ones are nice.

Brooke,

If your worried about your child getting caught in the pad, weave the pad tightly through the rungs of the crib. Ties them tight. If the pad is not big enough us a bed sheet. Make it as taught as you can, that way they wont get caught up in the rungs and they wont bump their heads either.

I had the same problem with my daughter. I ended up buying a breathable mesh bumper and it's been great. I don't worry about her suffocating and her legs don't get stuck anymore. I hope that helps!

If your baby is old enough to move around he is old enough to move his head away from the bumper. You may not know this, I didn't....that a baby is BORN the instinct to find air, your baby will not press his face onto something that will not allow him to not breath.
My daughter is 2 and I had her bumper in the whole time til we moved to her daybed set up, it is soft and she used to play with it and have fun.

Just get the "Breathable Bumpers". They have them at Target & Babies R Us. They are not expensive, and well worth the piece of mind. I really can't believe some of the responses to your request. I can't believe that in this day and age, with all of the studies and information, people still have those big thick bumpers on their children's cribs. Just because you were lucky and did't have a problem, doesn't mean that everyone will be as lucky. It's taking a BIG risk of SIDS to have them on the crib. Just get the Breahable ones and you'll be fine. My daughter still has them on her crib & she's 2!
Good Luck -