Bumper pad debate

Renata - posted on 01/16/2010

We have a wild child that moves around the cot a lot as well. We have the padded bumpers around half of the cot (thats how they came), so we put it around the side that she always seems to stick her arms and legs out of. So she is still getting oxygen and and generally not getting stuck between the slats.

Jade - posted on 01/14/2010

im looking around for bumper pads at the moment i have been on and off about my decision only because some people telling me there unsafe others saying there excellent but my little mans 5 months old and i am getting woken up by loud sreams running in to find him on his belly with his legs hanging through the rails out of the cot and frustrated because he can't get his legs out so it keeps on happening ive decided to buy some havn't found them tho?/?/

Jade - posted on 01/13/2010

i was just curious where you get these mesh breathable bumper pads from i want them??//

Diane - posted on 01/12/2010

I don't use them partly because of the SIDS risk but I the nurse in the hospital said that the new theory is that it's not that babies get their faces pressed against them and suffocate but that the air the babies breathe out (CO2) is heavier is heavier than oxygen and since the bumpers are there it pools and the babies breathe stagnant air and eventually don't have enough oxygen. So basically, if the bumpers are breatheable then the problem should be sloved but then they won't be padded. My babies get their little arms stuck between the slats so I'm going to get the bumpers from a catalog I saw (One Step Ahead), they're breatheable and you can even see through them but they prevent the baby from getting arms and legs through the slats.

Fiona - posted on 01/12/2010

We had bought them, before we had our little girl, but then found out of the risk of sids so took them off. She has started to move around in her cot/crib and i can see that bumpers would be helpful in keeping her arms in.

She rolls on her tummy now i move her back through the night. I spoke to my health centre nurse and she said all i can do is put her to sleep on her back and leave her, she said she has quiet good control over her neck muscels and should be able to move her face from suffercation.

Your baby also sounds quiet strong aswell, just be happy with what you decided, there is only so much we can do as parents, you are her mother and you will make a good decison to suit your little girl. Good Luck

Amy - posted on 01/12/2010

I took the pads out of my daughter's crib too, and like your child mine is also a wild child. The only difference is she kept getting her arms and legs stuck in the bars when sleeping and waking me up with terrified screams because she couldn't get them out. She is also 4.5 months and after two nights of hearing her panic I put them back in. I found a website called breathablebaby.com that has options for safe bumper pads. They're pretty inexpensive and look like they would help for my situation. Maybe they could help for yours as well. One more reason we shouldn't use bumpers is because carbon dioxide is heavier than oxygen and when exhaled it would normally fall to the floor, they say when bumpers are in the crib with no "vent" spots around the crib, the carbon dioxide can't get out of the crib, so the baby ends up breathing it in instead of pure oxygen through the night. This actually worried me more than her getting suffocated by the pad itself...It's a wonder how any of us made it through babyhood!!!lol

Stacey - posted on 01/12/2010

hi,there is a product called air wraps which go around the cot like a bumper,but dont carry the risks.lily my 5 month old moves around her cot all night and these stop her limbs from going through the cot and getting stuck and i have had no sleepless nights since i started using them,also they are not expensive,hope this helps

Rachele - posted on 01/12/2010

We were told by the health nurse that did our prenatal classes that they pose more risk of harm then they do good, so we dont use them.
My daughter stays pretty much stationary when sleeping so I havent had to worry about her head against the rails or anything but when that time comes I will likely roll up towels and place them on her side to prevent her from moving.
Best of luck!

Alyssa - posted on 01/12/2010

My daughter has been sleeping in her crib since 3 mths, and the bumpers have been on there since the first day. She perfers to sleep on her tummy (which is also a risk of SIDS), and she sleeps with a teddy and a blanket (also risks of sids). I check on her regularly during the night, since she sleeps right beside our bed, i can just peek over. She wiggles around sometimes, but its mostly when she wakes up. She is at the point now where if she pulls things to cover her face and can pull them off, so i guess if she rolled up to the bumper, she would roll away.



I think it's a personal preference and whatever makes you comfortable. :)

Micah - posted on 01/11/2010

I had them on until she started rolling around in the crib. I've gone in to find her with her face against the bars. If the pads had been on she could have had trouble breathing. She could move away, I just don't know if she would. Just to be safe I say if they are laying still it's fine, but once they start moving around they should come off. I do think the breathable ones are a good option.

Jessica - posted on 01/11/2010

I have found this great new product....it is a mesh breathable bumper for cribs and I love it. You should try using it. My second son was born with asthma and couldn't have a bumper in his crib I wish that this product was out back then (12 years ago). It is hypoallergenic and can be washed in a washing machine without getting all messed up.

Angie - posted on 01/04/2010

I debated long and hard on this one! I'm still considering and reconsidering my decision. I had the bumpers on up until I moved my baby into his crib a month ago, then I took them off. I decided that any teeny tiny risk of suffocation just isn't worth it to me. Most older generations think I'm silly b/c they've used bumpers for years, but I guess I'd rather be looked at as silly and paranoid then to one day come into my baby's room to find him suffocated against the bumpers. Personal opinion, though.

Stephanie - posted on 01/03/2010

That's a tough one! I've always had the pads on the crib ( my Lo is almost 5 months). In the beginning I figured there was no way she could get to the edge of the crib, and then as she got older and was able to turn her head away and roll over I figured she would move if she needed to. Now everytime I go in after a sleep, she is jammed up sideways at the top of her crib! I would worry too about her getting limbs caught or bumping her head on the wood slats without the pads. We just lowered the crib down, and I considered taking them off thinking that she might be able to use them to climb up eventually, but she sleeps in a Grobag so I decided that it was pretty unlikley. Every other Mom I know never used them, so I think it's a personal preference. But why do they sell them if they are so unsafe?? You would think they would be banned or recalled by now if there was evidence to prove that they caused increase risk of SIDS or re-breathing. Good question!