Advice on "Safety Issues" in the Crib

HELLO J.

My son is 10 month now, he also started standing on the crib at about 7 months and I read the same thing, So I took the bumper out, but then after one day put it back on!
He felt weird in the crib without the bumper and he would hit his head against the crib, plus he also likes to sleep on the corners with his head against the bumper, so I rather have it on then see him hit his head against the wood sides.

I would leave it on....
Regards,

Hi, I just had my house professionally child proofed by Lok Lok and Ana the owner said that the bumpers are fine to keep in. She also told me to remove any large stuffed toys out of the crib because it can be used as a prop to step on to get out of the crib. I highly recommend her company. I hope this helps.

J., I could have wrote your post word for word! My daughter is 8 months old, and I too, thought the bumper had to be removed now that she's pulling on it. Well, the other day we lowered the crib all the way down and took out the bumper. Moments later she was getting her arm stuck through the slats and bumping her head in every direction. That night, she woke up at 4:30am because I think she was scared (she NEVER wakes up in the middle of the night.) So, the bumper is back up and she still pulls on it but there's no way she can climb out by stepping on it. I'm much happier knowing that if she climbs up and falls she'll be padded by the bumper. Plus, it's cozier for when she's falling asleep because it's what she's used to seeing--rather than looking straight out through the slats. I figure we'll leave the bumper up as long as possible or at least until she's able to safely climb up and also sit herself back down without falling sideways into the slats.

If she is standing up and you are concerned she may get out then put the bottom of the crib in the lowest position. The bumper shouldn't provide enough support to get her high enough to climb out for a long time if the crib bottom is low as possible. The main conserns for using bumpers is that the baby could get herself in it and increase the chance of SIDS. If you have been laying her down on her back, and have the bumpers tied down properly and don't have things like pillows, thick comforters, stuffed animals, etc. in the crib when she sleeps she should be fine. I kept my sons bumper on until he moved to a todler bed, and he never climbed out of the crib.

I read somewhere (I think it was in "Secrets of the Baby Whisperer") that bumpers are pretty much an American thing and most countries think they are unnecessary and/or unsafe

Hi J.,

I left my son in the crib until he was over two years (fear of him getting into things in the middle of the night) and never took off the bumper since he liked to do the same thing your daughter does. The one we used was not that thick and would not have provided any additional height. You're instincts are your best source, so if you feel that it is giving her a boost to get out, she will adjust without it. My kids are 10 years apart and have done extremely well when we have made big changes in their lives (crib to bed, potty training, taking away pacifiers and bottles) even thought they are opposite sexes and different as night and day. Good luck!

KarynG
SAHM mom of Jamie (12) and Brady (2)

If you want to keep the bumpers (and even if you don't), I highly recommend that you buy a crib tent. This way it is impossible for your little one to climb out. As I'm sure you're aware, that can be extremely dangerous.

A crib tent will cost about $70, but is well worth it in my opinion. Here's an example:
http://store.babycenter.com/product/code/1444.do

My son is now 22 months, and we took his bumper out at about six months when he started sitting up. He got his leg stuck once, but never had another problem. The bigger issue is that he would lose his pacifier out of the crib at night and cry for it. Of course, since he couldn't get it back in again, that didn't matter so much.

My daughter is now 8 months old as well, and we took her bumper out about two weeks ago. She had started crawling and pulling up, and I was mostly concerned about her pushing up against the slats, like you. She actually has done extremely well -- no extremities stuck in the slats, and she even keeps her pacifier in the crib and gets it back in herself when she needs it.

Good luck!

S.

hey J.! i have no idea, what about a thin bumper. have you lowered her bed in the crib yet? we lowered ours to the bottom and it helped considerably. give bella a kiss - HJ

My son was the same way. When I took out his bumper pad I got this thing called a Breathable Crib Shield. I'm not sure where I got it, but I have seen Breathable Bumper Pads on One Step Ahead.com. You could also try Babies R Us. What it is is like a mesh netting that has holes in it and it covers the whole crib so there little legs and arms don't get stuck in the slats. Hope that helps.

My son is 23 months and his bumper came out around 20 months. I had taken it out aroun 8 or 9 months to clean it and thought maybe it was time to leave it out. That night I woke up to blood curdling screams from his room. He'd gotten his leg wedged to his mid-thigh. Sam's a scrawny kid, so I never took the chance again of him getting stuck like that.

I have to ditto removing any large animals or pillows or the like. They are much more likely to aid in an "escape".

Onestepahead.com has some great baby-proofing items for cribs, including a crib tent and a taller mesh "bumper".

My son always had a body part sticking out of the slats when he was in a crib but it never hurt him. I would think the fall from the crib if she climbed out would be worse than anything she could do in the crib...? Just wait till she starts climbing out!! Man you think you have questions now!! LOL Once mine started climbing out I have not got a good nights sleep since he had to be moved to a toddler bed! Take care and enjoy your daughter.

T.

I had bumpers with pillows tucked into them so it would be soft so that is my daughter was standing up and she fell back she wouldn't hit her head on wood. At 10 months she crawled out and landed on the floor! no damage done, she was fine and the ped told me that happens all the time. We didn't want it to happen again so we kept the soft pillows tucked into the bumpers but added a crib tent. We bought it at babies r us, its white mesh and zips up. My daughter hasn't climbed out since and we can sleep peacefully!
Lots of Luck
E. and Madylin 14 months

Hi J.,

I personally don't see any need to take down the bumper. It is there for your daughter's safety, especially since she loves to sleeps toward the side of her crib. As long as you put the crib on its lowest setting so she cannot get out, she should be fine. I never removed the bumper from my son's crib, and he slept in his crib until he was 1&1/2.
Good luck!
A.

Hello! My son is 23 months and we still have a bumper on his crib. i think its mainly your mothers instinct as well as your child - Adrian doesn't try to climb out and loves the soft part of his bumper - he puts his back against it! i also put him in a sleeping bag - every since he came out of his swaddle. I lived in London and this is a big thing over there and I have to say - its been wonderful. He is always nice and snug in his sleeping back and his feet cannot go thru the slats. When Adrian startes standing in his crib - i put the crib on its lowest settings.

good luck! let us know what you do!

C.

Don't assume anything... especially that bumpers are too thin or squishy to aid an escape! This from a Mom of a 17 1/2 month old who has done so twice! (We removed bumpers and lowered the mattress the first time... DH didn't lower it all the way and had to lower it to the lowest notch the second time.) Thank goodness we have soft carpet and no injuries! Since my bumper came in four separate sections, I left the section along the wall in the crib. This way when DD is sleeping she has a soft area to cushion all the wood. Otherwise it would be an escape route! At 17 1/2 months, I still go in and find her with a leg up trying to get over the edge! (She usually just gets stuck and whimpers because she can't go anywhere.) We'll probably have to move her out of her crib soon because she's such a tall girl and I don't want a third escape!
BTW -- DD sleeps all the time with body parts dangling between the slats. Kids can sleep through just about anything.

I worried about my cats getting in the the crib, so I got this cat net. This is if you are worried she might climb out. As for the bumper, you can put this on the outside of the net, on the bars and then slide the matress with the net in. I did this for the first six months of her life. Then I took it off, she seemed to be fine without the bumper. Your's can wear pjs with the foosies, so this will add some comfort.

I've read most of your responses and they say they left the bumper in, my kids wold pul the bumper until it would come loose, which was a safety hazard in itself. We took it out with all three of them at about 6-7 months old. They all three started getting their legs caught for a day or two, but soon figured out that if they persisted to try to climb, then their legs would persist to get stuck. My girls' were in a toddler bed by 14-15 months old, but my son the baby is much too crazy for that. He's 18 months old and he is a climber, leave him for two seconds in the room alone to get the laundry off the dryer to bring in and by the time you walk back in, clothes in hand, he is standing on top of the dresser. If your daughter is not showing signs that she will be able to manipulate the bumper enough to get herself caught in it, or to use it to climb, and it makes you feel better--leave it in. If not take it out and everybody will adjust. Either way, good luck to you.

I lowered the mattress. I felt better with the bumper on. It doesn't boost them up that much. My daughter is 14 months and sticks her arms & legs through as well.

well how squishy is the bumper? my little guy (9 months & 17lbs) is now standing in the crib, but if he were to stand on the bumper it wouldn't 'help' him, lol, as it would squish down flattish- I mean it's kinda 'plump' if you just leave it alone but if you were to put pressure on it, it wouldn't 'help' him any...
hope this helps?

I didn't have a problem with the standing but I did have a problem with my daughter getting her legs stuck in the slats. Not to scare you. She was about the same age(she just turned 1). I was told to take out her bumpers and that they are suppose to be removed at 6 months but was nervous. She only got her leg stuck 1 more time after I removed the bumpers then stopped. My daughter loves to sleep right up to the sides too so I was worried when I removed the bumpers. I rolled blankets and put them along the sides until I thought she was used to the bumpers being gone. I think that was more for me because she's never bumped into or woke up because of the bumpers being gone. Good Luck!!

I never used bumpers on my crib. I used a mesh type material instead of bumpers since I was afraid of SIDS. It worked out fine for me. And you can see through it. And the child cannot get arms/legs through the slats. I can't remember when I eventually took it off and he had nothing. He is 19 months now. If you want more info on the mesh stuff let me know and I'll find out where I got it from. It wasn't very expensive and worked well.