Breathable Bumper Worth It?

I loved the breathable bumper and I actually used it for a very long time. Once my son was moving more he could try to stand up on the one that came with the set. For my peace of mind I used the breathable bumper and now all my friends have used one too.

My daughter is 2 and we still use the breathable bumper. She used to get her feet stuck often and would lose her pacifier. They are very easy to use, and not that expensive.

We really liked the Breathable Bumper -- for the SIDS reasons most others have already mentioned, but also because as our daughters grew older and started climbing more, it doesn't support their weight and give them a "leg up" to get out of the crib the way a more structured bumper would.

-A.

please dont use a regular bumper. i cant believe they still make them. when they talk about a baby suffocating on it, its not only talking about when the baby is tiny and cant back up and gets pressed against it. a lot of suffocation occurs from a baby having their face close to something, not necessarily pressed against it, and they re-breathe their own carbon dioxide as they sleep, therefore not getting sufficient oxygen over a period of time. i have a friend who lost their baby at 6 mos, obviously mobile, using a little blanket that ended up over his face, of course not tightly or anything. i dont know anything about the breathable bumpers. you really dont need them, unless your baby has a head banging issue, he is really not going to hit his head very hard. think about it, how much momentum can he possibly get going in there? i know they are pretty, i bought the fancy set (waste of $$) with my first baby too. used it until i walked into the room to find him sleeping soundly with his face against the bumper just like they say. i had a mini-heart attack and took it right out. *** however, if you do want a solution.. here it is.. the crib tent 2. its ugly, yes. and there is nothing better, imo. getting their arms and legs caught definitely is an issue, the crib tent will prevent it, and will keep his paci or whatever in there too. more importantly, you will be very very happy later if he gets used to it now. i know right now it seems like forever away, but in the blink of an eye he will be standing up in there and hooking that little foot over the edge, and you will be freaking out about letting him fall out vs dealing with putting him into a bed. i would imagine its very hard to get most babies used to the crib tent later on. my 2nd 2 kids used it from the start, they never knew otherwise, and its a lifesaver. after 3 kids i have tried a good amount of the products/gimmicks out there, and i put this in my top 5 easily. one step ahead will have them, though maybe you can get it cheaper on ebay. and its not a bad idea to buy those zip-off sheets, as its a pain to change the sheets with it. i dont have them, i was too cheap, i just take the mattress out and layer my sheets/pads on it and just pull them off as needed, a great tip for the middle of the night mess, by the way. changing the sheets with a bumper is a pain too, so not much difference there. but it is safe, and thats all that matters.

Yes you should use the breathable bumper. Don't use the regular bumpers. My husband worked with someone who lost their baby girl because she sufficated against a regular bumper. So I never bothered with a regular bumper. But the breatheable pumpers are nice because my daughter had gotten her foot caught in the slats a couple times.

I used to be anti bumper until my daughter would stick her hands and feet through the crib slats. I know many will tell you that bumpers are merely for decoration but they do serve a purpose if you don't have one and your little one gets their leg stuck. For the safest alternative, I chose the breathable baby bumper because it does not cause suffocation. My daughter is 18 months and still has it in her crib. I love it and was so glad I found it.

We didn't purchase a regular bumper because of all the SIDS warning. As my daughter got older probably around 6 months where she was moving around more she did get her feet stuck when she was sleeping which she woke up screaming and it took awhile to calm her down. Once we got the breathable bumper we didn't have any more issues. So far that it was helpful. I've used it again for my second one right off the bat and he is now 14 months and we still have it on. The breathable bumpers are a thinner materials so when it gets stepped on it squishy so no chance of using it as support to get out of the crib. Not so sure about the regular ones. Hope this helps.

I haven't read your other responses so I apoligize if this is redundant. I personally had this same dilema. I did remove the expensive decorative bumper and replace it with the breathable bumper for some piece of mind. My daughter, now 18mo, moves around quite a bit at night and usually ends up right up against the rails so to me this is definately worth it. Think about what would you loose if you use it vs what you would lose if you don't.

Go with your gut!

Nope - bumpers are used for decoration, then I got rid of it completely. So they bump their head a bit, they'll learn to be careful. :)

We used the breathable bumper for a few months with our twins and eventually just took them out. They are now 15 months and never have problems with getting stuck or banging their heads. They are just fine! Please don't put the regular bumper back in. I have heard horror stories like the ones here. They shouldn't even be sold any more.

I say keep the breathable bumper. We have two -- one for each child (ages 22 months and 6.5 months). While the bumpers aren't attractive, we like them for the following reasons:
1. Our kids won't suffocate when they roll against the bumper (this is only an issue with our 6 month old currently)
2. The bumper keeps pacifiers and other safe crib toys in the crib -- which makes middle of the night pacifier searches a heck of a lot easier
3. The bumper doesn't have padding and therefore collapses under my 22 month old's weight when he steps on it to try to get out of his crib -- so he has to stay in!
4. It's portable and folds up relatively small, so when we travel to my inlaws' or parents' house we can take it along and use in their crib
5. It keeps arms and legs in the crib and not stuck through the slats (which is proving to be useful for both of my boys right now ... )
6. It washes easily and dries quickly

Hope this helps! Good luck with your decision.

Hi E.,
I haven't had a baby in 10 years, but this seems like a lot of money to spend. I don't think you're really going to get much use out of your regular bumper set if you are waiting to put it on and your baby is already almost six months old - bumpers come out of the crib entirely once a baby can pull themselves up to stand (and this can happen at 8 months).
Good luck.

I love the breathable bumper and used it for both of my kids. Regular bumpers pose danger as they can suffocate kids sicne they tend to snuggle against the side of the crib. We used it to help prevent their feet from getting stuck, keeping pacifiers in the crib and to make it a little more comfortable.

We love the Breathable Bumper. I got it for my first after he did get his foot stuck, which was very scary. My son was also an active sleeper and it was a little protection from the bars. I just bought a new one to match my 6 month old baby's room. It is totally worth it for the price.

I also wanted to add, you should never use a regular bumper at all because of the SIDS risk and the chance they will use it to climb out. We have only used the Breathable Bumper. I don't suggest putting it back on. The SIDS risk goes down, but now away once they are moving around.

Hi E.,

I just recently took a CPR course. I asked the instructor about using breathable bumpers instead of regular bumpers. She had told me not to use any bumpers in the crib at all. She told the class that the baby is safest in a crib with no bumpers and no blankets. I decided against using the bumpers based on this information. Best wishes

To be honest, I think bumpers in general are not worth it. You need to remove them once they start pulling up anyway (which was 6 months for us) and they don't actually DO anything. When my son was an infant I rolled up some big bath towels and tied them on with ribbons - and that was just fine and looked cute -- which I think is the primary purpose of bumpers anyway!
Obviouslty the AA of Pediatrics advises against any bumpers now, so who knows? I'd say don't bother.
Enjoy your boy and know that he will grow so fast that bumpers will be a thing of the past soon anyway!

Hi E.,
It is my understanding that bumpers are really just for show. As the baby becomes more mobile you are supposed to remove the bumper as it can be attributed to SIDS. The baby can get his head stuck underneath the bumper and as the baby begins to want to stand, a bumper can be a vehicle to stand on and jump out of the crib.
So in my opinion, you should not waste your money on another bumper. Use the beautiful one you have now and as he gets more mobile, you should remove it altogether. I would google the topic and see what experts have to say. But this is how I raised my now 8 year old boy and my now 10 month old daughter. She has had a bumper in her crib since birth. I plan on removing it as soon as I feel she moves around in her crib more. Hope this helps.

A. Reyman
Hands In time
www.handsintimenyc.com

I am a stay at home mom in NYC.

I personally do not like to use any bumper, however, my daughter did put her little leg in between the wooden bars and was stuck. I did purchase the breathable bumper and it has not happened since. It also helps keep the pacifier in the crib. Hope this helps!

Hi E.,

We love our breathable bumper and I would and have recommended to friends. It keeps my daughter from putting her arms and legs through the bars of the crib.

I think the regular themed bumper crib sets are kind of an old idea since you are told you can't use the bumper or the blanket for SIDs purposes. The sheets are a pain because they don't stretch to fit the matresses after a couple of washings and all you are left with is the skirt. I bought all the themed decor separately (hamper, wall hangings, valence, lamp, switch plate, rug) and matched the breathable bumper color to my theme. It still looked really nice. Good luck!! :-)

Had one when my 2 were that age. Worked very well. and I never put my other bumper back up. It is aslo nice when they are moving and turning that they always seem to get over to the side of the crib.. so it was nice that the breathable bumper was there even when they were older.