No More Crib Bumper Pads, Doctors Say
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By Lyz Lenz
When my daughter turned five months old, she started rolling over in her sleep. Like clockwork, every morning starting at 3am, she would roll and get her arm or leg wedged between the bars of the crib and wake up screaming. I’d roll out of bed, unwedge her chubby appendages, which just made her more mad, and rock her back to sleep. Wash. Rinse. Repeat. Until I gave up. Got her up for the morning and began mainlining coffee.
It seemed like she was hell bent on self-destruction: hers and mine. And it occurred to me that this is what parenting a teenager must be like.
At first, I thought she’d grow out of this phase. But as the weeks rolled on, she continued to roll over and stick her arms and legs through the slats and wake up angry. So, I bought a mesh bumper for the crib.
I didn’t want to buy a bumper. I had heard the SIDS warnings and was worried about her smothering herself. I only bought a breathable bumper, because I was assured by friends that the bumper was a “safer” alternative.
However a new announcement by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), has me rethinking my decision. Recently, the AAP released new guidelines for infant cribs. These guidelines include a zero-tolerance policy toward crib bumpers because of the suffocation risk. Previously, the AAP only warned against pillow-like bumpers. Now, the warning includes all bumpers all the time.
In a USA Today article, the Consumer Product Safety Commission warns that breathable bumpers have not been tested and representatives would not recommend using them.
Despite the warning, many parents will continue using bumpers, breathable or not. I know parents who swear by bumpers and adopt the “it didn’t kill our child, it won’t kill yours” attitude, but why take the chance? All too often, I’ve woken up to find my daughter on her side, with her face pressed up against the bumper. Before the warning from the AAP, this was enough for me to consider removing the bumper. And this recent announcement means that tonight my baby will be sleeping bumperless and this mom will not be getting any sleep. But that’s okay. I want my baby to cry at night if it means she’s still safe.
Will you be removing the bumper? Do you think breathable bumpers are a safe alternative or an untested risk?
About the Author:
Lyz Lenz is a writer, a mom and a midwesterner. Although, not in that order. She lives in Iowa and on the web at LyzLenz.com
Just gotta try this Creamy Avocado Dip recipe via Momables.com - love how you can spread it on a sandwich in lieu of Mayo! 
Comment by Mega Hubbard Rankin on Oct 19 2011 05:26:50:
Not sure why you would even take the chance. We are not and will nor be using any bumpers.
Comment by Lynda Miller on Oct 19 2011 05:56:51:
Try a mesh crib tent, covers everything safely. As a bonus if they are early escapers like mine were (9 months) then you can zip it shut and even diaper pin the zipper on the outside if necessary. – Mom of 4.
Comment by Chris on Oct 19 2011 02:00:03:
I make my child sleep in the middle of wooden floor to ensure they don’t smother themselves on the mattress, blankets, or carpet. I also don’t allow them to wear clothes because they may smother themselves on their clothing! What is this world coming to? I know there are more productive things we could be spending our time on!
Comment by tony c on Oct 19 2011 02:05:36:
Know your child. If you have a baby that is young and weak or has breathing issues to begin with – don’t use the bumpers. Not to be mean, but it’s a little bit of common sense. The AAP will not approve because it cannot give a one-size-fits all statement. If you have a chubby baby that wakes uo screaming because they get their leg stuck, I would think they would wake up if smashed up against a bumper. But, ultimatley it is the parents responsibility to determine what is safe. Especially when a child is under 2, the parents need to evaluate EVERYTHING. If you have a doubt, regardless of what so-called experts are saying, do what you think needs to be done.
Comment by Beverly H.S. Grimmett on Oct 19 2011 06:14:22:
I have had bumpers in since he started sleeping in his crib, which was when he was 6 months old (he's 8 months now). We've had no problems, and when I lowered his crib and left the bumper in place, he lost his pacifier (on the floor) AND woke up upteen times. I put a lower bumper back in… He's strong enough to move a blanket from his face, he can crawl…i guess I believe in him?
Comment by Heather Irvine on Oct 19 2011 06:17:31:
Lyz – Hang in there! Give it a few nights & your baby will adjust to the rolling over & getting back to sleep on her own. Common time for babies to be waking up more – make sure she is getting lots of floor practice during the day. I'm a Mom of 5 & Pediatric Sleep Coach so I get calls on this issue all the time. Once she gets confident rolling back & forth (which is why day practice is essential) she will be less startled at night when she rolls over. Try not to intervene too much. Video monitors are great for this so you can keep an eye on her & make sure those little limbs are not caught in the railings before you go in & potentially wake her up.
Comment by Becky on Oct 19 2011 02:25:26:
If you have ever known anyone whose child has died from suffocating in a crib…you would NEVER consider using anything other than a tight fitting sheet in a crib for any child under the age of 2. Any good pediatrician has been saying this for YEARS!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The person who said that they make their child sleep in the middle of a wooden floor thought they were being funny, but that is not funny at all…Americans are the only stupid ones that throw all this suffocating junk in their childrens crib to make it look “pretty” and then wonder why they wake up to a dead kid in the crib. I hope at least one person with a brain reads this and saves their childs life…
Comment by Lyz on Oct 19 2011 02:47:06:
@Chris I hardly think taking bumpers out equates to being a crazy helicopter parent especially when babies are so little. I know you think you’re being funny, but I guess I think that it’s just not an acceptable risk. There are so many risk factors I can’t control, this is a no brainer in my book.
Comment by Danielle on Oct 19 2011 03:47:51:
My daughter slept in the pack’n'play crib in my room for the first 8 months, and we just got her into her own room since she is starting to stand up. The pack’n'play had mesh siding and she was fine, but now that she is in a wooden crib we opted to take out the bumpers because I agree, why even take the risk? She too loves to sleep with her arms and legs sticking out of the crib, until she wants to turn over! Also, since she started sitting up every time she wakes now, she loses her balance often and hits her head on the crib. My husband and I were debating just last night whether or not to either put the bumpers back in or get the mesh one, but after reading this article we are going to go bumperless also. No question about it. Cheers to chugging coffee at 4am!
Comment by feedthesheep on Oct 19 2011 04:13:10:
It is not the crib bumpers or sleeping on stomachs that is killing our children. Look at the peak time frame in which SUIDS/SIDS occurs; 2-4 months of age. Gee, right when our kids are being dosed with a gajillion shots all at once.
My husband and I chose to delay vaccinating our kids until they were beyond age 2. The blood-brain barrier does not fully form until this age, therefore, whatever is injected into our kids goes right to the brain. Are there fully vaccinated kids out there that are O.K.? Sure, but there are many more than ever with a whole host of bizarre unexplainable issues. Coincidentally, our kids have NO allergies, ear infections, sleep problems, behavioral problems, bizarre ticks explained as “an outlet to express their emotions” or any of the myriad of other problems that so many kids today have.
It will NEVER be proven that the amount of vaccines today’s kids are given are injuring them by anyone attached to the AAP, AMA, or any other organization profiting from the vaccine industry because of the huge monetary losses and influx of lawsuits that would ensue.
Inform yourselves and find a way to save our kids youselves. Demand that your children are vaccinated at the levels that existed in the early 80′s, and avoid all of the newer shots being forced upon us.. chicken pox, gardasil and Hep B at birth to name a few.
Comment by Elle on Oct 19 2011 05:34:33:
You know, I am a mother of three and I find these kinds of articles harmful. This announcement is based on a 20 year study that analyzed 27 deaths related to bumper pads. It is extremely sad that 27 babies died between the twenty year time span of the study (1985-2005), but let’s step back from the emotional images here and look just at the facts. 1.35 children died every year from a bumper-pad related death. 4,000,000 are born every year. If someone told you that your child had a 1 in 4,000,000 chance of dying from going to the park, would you then decide not to take your children to the park? Realistically, your child has a better chance of dying in a car crash than from bumper pads – will you decide not to drive your children around? So many things can be hazardous to children – you simply cannot protect them from everything. Please, stop making all us mothers crazy by highlighting each and every faint possibility of fatality because let’s face it – this “hazard” really just constitutes a REMOTELY SMALL CHANCE OF DYING. Stop throwing around these scary terms in order to get our attention and instead, let’s focus on all the positive ways we can build up our children.
Comment by Kara @ Just1Step on Oct 19 2011 06:21:17:
We use a mesh bumper, and it has never worried me. It seems like it would be pretty difficult for a child to suffocate from a mesh bumper.
Comment by Dora on Oct 19 2011 08:33:44:
Bless you Elle for putting it out there. I also agree with feedthesheep. Most of the infants died during the peak of vaccination age as well as the peak for SIDS. Could those 2 be related as well? We will never know. I have a question, how many of the babies who died from the bumper pads were swaddled? When My 10 month old was an infant I swaddled her (everyone was doing it, LOL)and put her down for a nap. I watched her moved towards the side of her crib and then she was stuck and could not get her face away. I picked her up and removed the swaddling. She had been trying to get her hands free. She HATED to have her hands constricted. I have used bumper pads in her crib and she was able to move all around. I had removed them at one point due her Doctor chastising me for using them. That very night she got a black eye from bashing her face into the crib. My bumpers went back in the next morning. I recently removed them due to her trying to stand on them to climb out of the crib. To each their own people. I am sorry for those who have lost a baby. I am tired of the AAP throwing their beliefs out there and making it the gospel.
Comment by C Zebley on Oct 19 2011 08:38:01:
personally i have and do use bumpers as my baby has gotten hurt by getting his leg stuck between the rails of the crib. i think that it should be a decision made by each parent on what will benefit their child best. i am sick of other people trying to make parenting decisions for me! if you are not comfortable using crib bumpers please dont use them, but judge me for making an educated decision on my own.
Comment by Lauren on Oct 19 2011 10:38:12:
I’m not a big fan of the bumpers, I used them very briefly with my first and never again. Granted 27 babies in a 20 year span didn’t seem like it was a super dangerous thing but my kid seemed to be attracted to it and I’d always find myself trying to move his little face away from it and then end up waking him up. We both slept much better with them off. I’ve never had an issue with not using one so I haven’t worried about it but if it was an issue I’d just use common sense. Find a mesh breathable bumper, hold it up to your face, If you can breathe through your baby will be able to breath through it. Find one that attaches without ties or strings that they can wrap around their neck. or go with the wonder bumpers that are basically sleeves for each individual crib bar, making each bar soft.
Comment by Victoria on Oct 20 2011 12:58:19:
I find it funny that this crib bumper issue turned into an anti-vaccination of young babies rant. I agree with those moms who say that education and personal decision is important. And to the author – I would say use the bumpers. If your child can roll herself over, then she can roll away from a bumper if she rolled towards it and put her face up to it. SIDS has unknown causes, but unlike the anti-vaccination crowd, I believe that SIDS is related to other factors that are more respiratory related. Parents or family members who smoke in the home, prematurity, fragile lungs, illness, and sleeping on their stomach (reduces blood flow to the brain) – are all factors that have been found to be related in SIDS deaths. Also, yes using crib bumpers in a young child’s crib (i.e. under 6 months before they can roll over) can be a factor. Once the child can roll over, that risk is essentially gone. ~Victoria BSN, RNC, NICU nurse
Comment by Lyz on Oct 20 2011 02:03:53:
This article is not fear mongering. The AAP came out with new guidelines on crib bumpers, if you accuse anyone of fear-mongering accuse them. I think as parents it’s our job to be aware of these new guidelines and make educated decisions.
And while the risk is small, no it is not an acceptable risk. Having a crib bumper doesn’t improve my baby’s quality of life and the cost benefit analysis doesn’t hold up. To compare removing bumpers to locking my baby in a bubble is a typical straw man logical fallacy.
In this house, we’ll be following the guidelines. I’m not judging you if you don’t, but I do think it’s important to be aware of the guidelines and make your own choice.
Also, how in the heck did this turn into an anti vaccination thing? That’s just crazytown.
Comment by Rene on Oct 20 2011 02:50:11:
My husband and I use the Wonder Bumpers. My son is almost 8 months old and has always been a very active sleeper. We put him in his crib when he was 1 month old because he was very restless in our room. We had him swaddled in the Snug & Tug, Go Mama Go Designs other product, and when I went in to check on him he was on the complete opposite side of the crib, pressed against his rails. Once we stopped swaddling him he would stick his arms and legs through his rails and squish himself as tight as possible against his crib. In seven months I have never seen a bruise on him. We don’t get woken up in the middle of the night because the bumpers allow him to safely get his leg or arm back into the crib. Because the bumpers zip onto each rail of the crib I also don’t have to worry about him suffocating. I recommend the Wonder Bumpers to everyone I know, they’re something that EVERY parent needs. I know they’ve been my key to a good nights sleep.
Comment by co-sleeping on Oct 21 2011 04:26:20:
Sleep next to your baby on a mattress on the floor. The whole idea of cribs is the basic problem.
Comment by Jessica on Oct 21 2011 11:30:28:
I didn’t use a bumper at first, but when I woke up to my daughter screaming because she had both legs twisted in between crib rails, forcing her face into the mattress, I bought one the next day. Yea, she was able to breath well enough to scream, but how long would it have been before she got too tired of trying to lift her head? It’s a bumper similar to the one pictured and we didn’t have any problems with it and no more bruised limbs or close calls. She’s too big for it now, but I guarantee I’ll be using it with my next child as well.
Comment by Lyz on Oct 24 2011 04:01:50:
@co-sleeping Co-sleeping isn’t recommended by the AAP either because of SIDS risks.
Comment by Julie M. on Nov 02 2011 03:30:25:
Run a fan in the room wherever the baby is sleeping! That reduces the risk of SIDS by a shockingly huge percentage, according to one of Dr. Greene’s books. Nowadays, there are soooo many FEWER SIDS deaths since the AAP finally stopped telling us to put babies to bed on their faces which always seemed really stupid. They’re not infallible. Also, one of the vaccines is linked to SIDS — the dTAP, I believe, and the AAP still pushes that on parents. It’s also linked to childhood asthma, so that makes a lot of sense that it might impair the breathing of infants who have a reaction to the shot. Be very vigilant after vaccines to look for reactions. They are common and doctors don’t take them seriously enough so it’s up to parents to report them to the FDA. And if you’re co-sleeping, which is what we have done to two years, make sure you’re not taking any meds or obese. Otherwise, co-sleeping is an awesome option and I think it helps promote easy breastfeeding.
Comment by Faltenbehandlung on Nov 25 2011 07:37:02:
The wonder these bumpers can do! I certainly was at fault when I doubted buying one for my baby at first, and now I couldn’t be any happier.
I take it not as an additional risk, but a risk prevention otherwise.