Crib Bumpers - Newark, DE

Hi K.,

I asked my peditrician the same question and he recommended the Breathable Bumpers - if she rolls into it, she will be able to breath and they go all the way up so she won't be able to leverage it to climb out. Hope that helps!

Hi K.,
My daughter is the same age and is crawling (somewhat), but is mainly just trying to pull herself up. A lot of times we find her having pulled herself up in the crib and chewing on the bar :-) Anyway, we have the "Breathable Bumpers" and have absolutley loved them. They're mesh, but cushioned slightly -- and she can definitely breath throught them. She can't use them to climb up, although she is able to stick her arm through underneath them, but that's not much of a problem. She sleeps in a Sleep Sack, so her feet don't stick through the bars anyway (have you tried one of those?). You can get the Breathable Bumper at BabiesRUs. Hope this helps!

I used bumpers with my first until we moved her to a toddler bed at the age of two. I plan to do the same with my one year old, too.

With both my kids they had their bumpers in the their cribs all the way up until they were out of their cribs. I, too, was originally worried about when to take it out but when I did my daughter always had her legs stuck in between the bars, so I put it back in. Both of my kids where fine with in it, I saw more problems without that with it. I just made sure that it always stayed tied tight.
I wouldn't worry about keeping it in. And if you don't already have the crib mattress at its lowest level, then just move it down when she looks like she may be interested in trying to climb out, that too worked for me. At the lowest level my kids couldn't get their little leg up on the top rail in order to get over it. Keep her in the crib as long as you can, once they have the freedom of being able to get out of their own bed sometimes they don't sleep as well anymore. My daughter was ok, maybe a couple days of getting in and out all the time, but my son he was always out of his toddler bed in the middle of the night, just b/c he could be. UGh, enjoy those crib days. J.

I still have the bumper on my 15 month old's crib for the same reason. I actually didn't have it in the crib for the first 6 months (b/c it's such a pain to change the sheets with it on) until she started waking up with limbs through the crib :(. She has a pretty deep crib and hasn't shown any signs of escape yet...

We bought my sun a mesh, breathable crib bumper from OneStepAhead. http://www.onestepahead.com/catalog/product.jsp?productId...

They can still step on it or what not, but I don't worry about it otherwise, because of the breathability.

The reason we are supposed to remove bumpers at around 5 mo. is because at that age they become more mobile, can roll over and smoosh their face into the pillow-y bumpers and suffocate. It is only later around a year or so that bumpers can be used as steps to escape the crib.

We don't use a bumper cuz we use a pack 'n' play bassinet right now (she is going on 4 months) - but the pnp only has mesh, breathable sides as well. When we move and finally buy a crib, we will get the mesh bumper.

Hi,

I think many parents have this same problem. I think the problem with bumpers (although this is new enough both my kids, now 2 1/2 and 5 1/2 used bumpers) is of suffocation. One Step Ahead sells bumpers that are a mesh (no suffocation danger) and go all the way up the sides of the crib (also no way to climb them). I don't know how much they are and if it is worth it to you but it is an option. Go to www.onestepahead.com. the bumpers are called breathablebaby crib bumpers. I just looked at them and they do not go all the way up so your daughter may be able to use them as a step. check it out, it may be one of several similar products. Good luck!

Hi K.,

Try going on wal-marts website and look at the breathable crib shield/bumpers. They are more of a mesh screen rather than a padded bumper. Using these will avoid little arms and legs from getting through the crib slats and also still give you comfort of using bumpers. Plus, these are more recommended b/c they lessen the chance of suffocation by a padded bumper. good luck!

K., My daughter is 20 months and still has bumpers because of the same issue, her legs and arms get stuck in the rails at night and she wakes up. She is my third and with her I have the Breathable Bumpers- I used the thick pillow like bumpers with my other two daughters. I really like the Breathable ones and I feel safer with them then I did with the others which I removed at about 12 months because they were so thick! I personally see no problem with the bumpers in your daughters crib at such a young age-- but you may want to look into the Breathable Bumpers, they may make you feel more secure at night. Good luck- C.

make sure to lower to crib mattress so she can not flip out of the crib. my son did that when he was a little bit older than your daughter. i would keep the bumpers in so they do not hit their heads. it is inevitable that they will stick their legs out of the crib slots but i think the bumper pads give a little more protection, my son is 13 months old and i still have his bumper pads in his crib. he doing just fine.

I read a ton about taking care of babies and raising children, and follow lots of the advice I read, but I also trust my own instincts too. With that being said, I left bumpers in my daughter's (she's almost 4 now) crib until she moved into a toddler bed and they're still in my son's crib (he turned 2 in May). Neither ever tried to climb out and they liked interacting with the animals on the bumper once they were old enough. The real concern about bumpers is the baby not having sufficient "breathing space" when they are infants (6 mos and under) and too little to wake themselves out of a sleep if they're not breathing properly. I know freak accidents can happen, but I just thought I'd share my thoughts and what I chose to do and let you know that all turned out fine for what it's worth!

K.
I recently heard a recorded message thing while on hold for my pediatricians office. It was all of this info about SIDS, and during the list of things to do, they said to remove the crib bumbers and comforter. So, I really think it is for safety reasons so the baby doesn't suffocate. I kept the bumpers on the crib for all four of my kids, because I didn't want them to roll around and bump their head, or have their legs caught between the bars. But, I do realize the Dr's are telling you to remove them for safety issues. Good luck!

Hi K., I really feel that when you are raising a child that you really have to follow your own common sense 99% of the time. I left the bumpers on the crib for each of my girls until they moved onto the toddler bed. All three of my girls usually ended their nights on their tummies with their heads nestled in a corner of the crib...no matter how or where I put them at bedtime! And yes, as they got older and moved more in their sleep I would find an arm or leg under the bumper pad through the slats once in a while. We moved our girls to toddler beds the first time we saw them attempt to climb out of the crib...usually around the age of 2 or 3 depending on development etc. LOL actually our middle one refused to sleep in the toddler bed and went from crib to a twin bed with her older sister at 2 yrs old. Every family is different, every child is different, you just have to find what is best for you and your child. Best wishes and good luck!

Hi K.,
I kept the bumpers in the crib for both of my kids until they came out of the crib. They are now 3 and 5 and no harm done! If you are worried about climbing out, drop your mattress to the next level.

Good luck,
A.

I still have the bumpers in my (almost) 10 month old daughter's crib.

I was always under the impression that the bumpers need to be removed when they were old enough to figure out that they could use them to climb out of the crib. My first 2 never tried it, so the bumpers stayed in for about the first year. By the time #3 came around I never got to putting the bumpers on the crib, but he is definitely the one that would've figured that out.

My daughter is 2 1/2 years old and we just removed her bumper when we converted her crib to a toddler bed. She actually didn't start sleeping in the crib until she was 7 months old and I felt by then she had good enough head control to prevent suffocation since she was crawling. Good luck on whatever you decide.

Hi K.,

Here is a web site: http://www.creative-baby-nursery-rooms.com/crib-bumper-sa...

Hope this helps,

D.

Crib bumpers should be removed as soon as a child can lift themselves up or can scoot around. They can stand on them for leverage, and they can flip out before you realize they can. They can also be a strangulation problem. I'd remove it now. If you're concerned about the legs being caught between the slats, then buy a mesh "bumper" that can be weaved through the slats or strapped around the outside.

K. B
mom to 5 including triplets
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HarrisburgPAChat

I kept mine until my son used it to climb on... i think if it is secured properly, you have a few months before you have to remove it. At 9 months, she shouldn't be able to climb on it...

My daughter is 2-1/2 and I STILL have her in her crib WITH bumpers. I think it's fine, and I would never have her in there without something. As she got older, I just tucked them a little further down alongside the mattress. And if they're climbers and they want out, those bumpers aren't going to make much of a difference. I'm lucky she has never tried to climb out, although by now she certainly could with no problem!

I took a slightly different approach...I have the monitor that not only monitors sound but breathing as well. That way, if my son stopped breathing, the alarm would sound. With that peace of mind, I kept his padded bumper in as well. We had the same problem with limbs sticking out even over the bumper when he was a bit older, but the occurrence was less than if it were removed. We also lowered the crib to the lowest setting to prevent climbing/falling out. All in all, my take is this: there are warnings/suggestions about EVERY aspect of raising a child. Be responsible and go with your gut after becoming fully informed about your choices. Lawyers have recommended warnings for everything to protect manufacturers, and for good reason. I believe that at a certain age, an infant/toddler knows how to get himself/herself out of a situation (i.e. moving the head if having trouble breathing). Up until that point, I had my son in a positioner. I figured that once he could move around, he could get himself out of a situation. However, again, I had the monitor for peace of mind, so go with your gut! Good luck - every stage has such tough decisions!

K.,
I listened to everyone I knew who said "Oh My! You are using bumpers? That is so dangerous! Your child could suffocate!" Ok, so after listening to everyone and removing them when he was 9 months old he would whack his body and head into them in the middle of the night and wake himself up rolling over plus give me a heart attack with the loud noise. I also found his little legs dangling as well as arms out thru the slats and thought the heck with every one else, this is MY child and there is nothing wrong with using bumpers at all. He is strong enough that he will move his head and will not suffocate. My opinion. He is now almost 19 months and I STILL am using bumpers. He can stand on them but they go down and there is no leverage for him to try to climb with them cause they slip down. Sooooo, use your mommy instinct and do what YOU think is right.
Good luck
Christina

The danger is in the few children each year that suffocate laying against them or entangled in them. There is a much, much lower risk of injury due to having an arm or a leg out through the bars.

If you really want a bumper in the crib, I would look at one of the mesh "breatheable" bumpers that are installed tightly across the bars.

S.

I believe it is for safety reasons--suffocation. When your daughter starts rolling around IS the BEST time to take it out of the crib...that way she doesn't suffocate under it. Hope this helped.

my son did this as well, used his bumper as a stepping stool. i forget how old he was (hes 22 months right now), but our crib lowers 3 times. Its on the lowest now. So you might want to check if you can lower the mattress in the crib so that if she does step on it she can't swing her leg over. I think we took the bumper out about 6 months ago and he's only got his legs trapped once to where he couldn't fix it himself. watch as they stand on them though, because they can make them lax to where they don't go up against the rails anymore and it lays down on the mattress. my son used his as a pillow :\ lol we got him a real pillow (a little travel "Cars" one) and removed the bumpers. Good luck!

i think it all depends on the kid. my daughter is 16m and walking, running, jumping and climbing. we still have the bumper in her crib and at that the crib isn't even on the lowest setting. when it comes to parenting, you're the best decision maker for your child.

My second daughter climbed/fell out of the crib at 9 months. I don't even really know how, except that she was a little monkey! We lowered the crib to the lowest setting and removed the crib bumper immediately. My third is now 3 months and I plan to remove it sooner than 9 months :) Back to my second though, she climbed out more purposefully when she was 17 months old and we got a crib tent from Babies R Us or Target. I highly reccomend them for piece of mind! Good luck!

I agree that if you must have bumpers, get the mesh ones, and lower the crib to the bottom level. Even the bumper manufacturers will tell you that you have to remove the bumpers when your child sits or pulls up-- and, yes, their lawyers make them do that for a reason. The crib is the one place that you are supposed to be able to leave your child unsupervised and he or she will be safe... bumpers just make it a more dangerous place for your kid. Even if it isn't *that* much more dangerous, it doesn't seem worth it to me.