Crib bumper--yea or nay?

[Auspicious]

I have read in separate sources that you should have a crib bumper, to keep the baby from bumping her head (is this a serious problem? don't do that, baby!) and that you should not have a crib bumper, as they fall under the category of the verboten "soft bedding."

(Everyone seems to agree that no matter what, it has to come out before they figure out how to step on it to boost themselves up and out.)

(And then there's the unpadded ones, like this:
http://www.target.com/gp/detail.html/re ... B0002AJ8LA
What does that do? Just keep them from jamming their feet between the bars? Do they do better if they can't see out or something?)

What do you guys say?

[migirl]

I didn't do a bumper w/ DS, and he never had problems with getting limbs stuck through the slats or bumping his head. I decided not to do a bumper because (1) I was worried more about suffocation than a little bump on the head , and (2) I was only going to be able to use it for a few months so it seemed like a waste and just another "thing" to have to buy.

[pstone]

I don't see the point. We had one and yes taking it out to change the sheets is a total pain. I also don't know what baby is rolling around hitting their head, especially since we swaddled for a long long time. Just another thing to spend your money on.

I used a bumper for all 3 kiddos. Mine would get arms and legs through the slats while sleeping. Mine were all able to climb out of the crib without even stepping on the bumper. By child #3, I could easily change the sheets without removing the bumper, it just took 2 kids-worth of practice.

Since the bumper is in the same motif as the rest of the room, I cut it apart to free up the fabric and made monogrammed ribbon tag blankets out of it when I didn't need it anymore. I don't have a before picture of the bumper, but here is after...

[migirl]

I can't see how it would be an issue in terms of suffocation unless it wasn't tied on properly.

The suffocation risk comes when the child may have his/her face pressed up against the bumper...

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.

[DCJenn]

Of course, since Nikolai was 13 months old when he came home, it's different but we used the bumper for a while, until it became obvious that he was such a wild sleeper that he'd get arms and legs out OVER the bumper:



The crib was deconstructed after this picture was taken.

Jenn

So, so, so cute!

[samssugarmomma]

We used a bumper too until she figured out that she could stand on it - around a year maybe? I guess it is different for every kid because she walked before that - around 10 months.

To avoid the hassle of wrestling with the bumper when changing the sheets, we also used a sheet called "The Ultimate Crib Sheet" from BRU - http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.js ... Id=2267582. It goes on top of the pretty crib sheet and has elastic loops that go around the 4 sides of the crib. We only changed the pretty crib sheet once every 2 weeks and we changed the top sheet as needed.

[peggyfromwastate]

ditto the standing on the bumper. I found that kate learned earlier how to get out of the crib by standing on the bumber.

I didn't use one much, except for baby #1, but that was pretty much because I was lazy about it, and didn't want to buy another one, since I had to have 2 cribs for the twins and I only had 1 bumper.

I did have a wild sleeper (Izzy) whose legs did get stuck in the slats. That was a pain, b/c it woke up the house, but it really truly only happened a few times.

Jenn, that is hilarious.

We used a bumper. My kids get their limbs stuck between the slats otherwise. I've taken ours off since she is pulling up so we still have the leg through the slat problem. It wakes everyone up.

[Momo]

We had the same bumper with all four kids. This was a huge necessity for us because our children are "rollers" when they sleep so if it wasn't there they'd hit the side of the crib and wake themselves up. They'd also find a way to get there foot stuck through the bars when the bumper wasn't on. I can't see how it would be an issue in terms of suffocation unless it wasn't tied on properly. I didn't find it to be an issue when changing sheets.

[Auspicious]

Thanks!

[v-girl]

We used a bumper for our oldest (the only one to actually sleep in a crib at home). She had the fattest legs and would get them stuck in the slats. Had to have the bumper to avoid buttering the butterball legs on that chunky monkey.

My mom has a bumper on the crib at her house that the boy sleeps in for naps when he's over there (3-4 times a week).

My mom made dd's crib bedding and made the bumper very non fluffy for fear it would suffocate her beloved granddaughter. However, she ended up sleeping with us until about 7 months at which point I removed it because I was worried she'd stand on it and fall out. I don't think she would have been that skilled, but it was one less thing for me to worry about it when I was stressed over the transition.

*Jenn- that is the cutest pic..he just looks so relaxed and peaceful!

Heidi, I wish I was that crafty. That blanket turned out beautiful!

Jenn, he looks so comfy sleeping like that! So cute!

As for bumpers...I used them with DS until he could pull up. As he got a little older and started rolling around he would lay up against them and I'm sure it was more comfortable than the slats. I agree that it was a major PITA to change the sheets and then have to retie all the sides of the bumper....I think it had about 20 ties.