http://www.cnn.com/2015/12/01/health/crib-bumper-deaths-rise/

Not for babies. If you want it for the look when they are older, so be it

While it may look fashionable - none of that stuff should be in the crib... no soft objects - no bumpers, blankets, pillows or stuffed toys.

They look cute, but they are not safe. And I will ALWAYS choose my child's safety and wellbeing over esthetics. This should be a no-brainer...

Padded crib bumpers are not safe for babies; they are a known suffocation hazard. You can buy mesh crib "bumpers" (i don't know what else to call them), but i would still be careful with those.

modern cribs are designed so that babies can't stick their heads thru side rails. That's the hazard that bumpers were aimed at.

How did we or our adult children ever survive infancy and childhood with all the things that are now considered dangerous?? I can see the reasoning behind some of the newer safety laws but come on.....Our son was born days after the car seat law went into effect. Of course we had to get one to get him home and always used them for him and his sister and now our grandchildren. I get that.

I used mesh only as my baby kept getting his limbs stuck without the mesh- but whatever you do, use common sense and don't overlook safety for cuteness.

Love the look. but they are a hazard to babes.

I have read plenty about furnishing a crib for infants. No pillows. No stuffed animals. No crib bumpers.Nothing that could suffocate a sleeping baby.

I had them 40+ years ago for my kids but my daughter did not for her baby. They are outlawed in Illinois. You can't buy them in stores.

Absolutely love how they look, but personally erred on the side of caution and did not use them. I wouldn't judge others for using them either.

This is cute too, but I wouldn't give it to a child....

Hello Kitty

OK - so crib bumpers aren't knives... but if you know they don't actually perform any useful function - 1. babies are not strong enough to hit their heads hard enough on the bars to actually injure themselves 2. modern cribs are designed so that heads cannot be caught between the bars, why use one? Why take the even relatively small risk for something that is entirely fashion?

I'm not for coddling kids and wrapping them in bubble wrap all of the time - let them play on the monkey bars at the playground, fall down skin their knees, make mistakes and learn to correct them - that's healthy, but this seems different - it's only for you, the baby doesn't care or notice that it's cute and their life experiences won't be marred by the lack of cute crib accessories that could harm them...

Very dangerous. There is a lot of information out there showing these bumpers can lead to suffocation.

Ruth

I thought companies, PB Kids etc have them for purely decorative purposes, however on the item description it says to remove the bumper when the baby can pull themselves up and also when using baby blanket only tuck into below chest high. Unless things have changed in 4 years, it is no soft things in a crib, period. All is takes is a baby to roll itself into a bumper and perhaps can't roll away or move head away and they could suffocate. I thought some states outlawed the sale of bumpers as well?

When my daughter was newborn to about a year old I used a mesh bumper that would not lead to suffocation but would keep her from getting her arms or legs stuck between the crib slats. I also wanted it because she rolls around so much and with such force that I didn't want her hurting herself when she rolled into the wooden sides of the crib. When she was older and would roll and hit the sides of the crib loudly (the back of our crib is solid wood all the way across) I switched to the quilted bumper. When I started using the quilted bumper I was confident that she wouldn't get stuck and I was more worried about her hurting herself when she hit the sides. With both bumpers I made sure they were very snug and that they were tucked tightly between the mattress and slats.

Crib bumpers are not safe. Even if a baby doesn't smother against one, there is an opportunity for the baby to rebreathe CO2 which can lead to death. I am a pediatrician. You will not find a pediatrician in this country who thinks having bumpers, soft toys etc in the crib is safe. Babies died in the past because of this.

Let me say this again. The SIDS rate has dropped substantially over the past 30 years because of safe sleep practices. Babies did die.

First of SIDS is an unknown death not suffocation. All my babies and grand babies had bumpers because they kept them from knocking into the sides of the cot. In South Africa all mothers still use them but they are snug and tight.

we also put babies on their tummies and they are far stronger and can lift their heads and roll over much earlier for this.

i had a cot death baby who happened to be be in a cot without bumpers and there is no explanation the doctors can give for this. It pains me muchly to read this blaming mothers for the deaths of their babies when doctors cannot give explanations.

When my kids were babies (18-24 yrs ago) I had bumpers in the crib and as newborns they were swaddled in a blanket at bedtime and had a small rolled up blanket behind their backs to keep them slightly propped on their sides as was recommended by the pediatrician. When my oldest was born they were just switching from putting babies to sleep on their tummies to propping them on a side. By the time my youngest was born, it was put them on their backs to sleep. Safety regulations are constantly changing, you have to keep up with the changes. I'm sure by the time I have grandchildren, there will be new rules to follow. It's a surprise any of us survived childhood in the 60's and 70's LOL

We didn't use cribs at all; it feels like baby jail to me. We had a double bed mattress that sat atop the box "springs" on the floor with lots of pillows. I'm sure the experts are spinning on that one. We didn't have a lot of money and I'm pretty skeptical of the experts on many subjects.

There were no bumper pads on my crib when I was an infant, but I had them on my babies cribs when they were infants. My grandchildren's cribs have had only the mesh bumper shields to keep their limbs from getting caught in between the crib slats. Having worked in obstetrics 45 years ago, sleep placement for newborns was varied then, from stomach to bolstered side placement to prevent any unwanted skull shaping. Any infant that appeared to "spit up" was placed on their left side to prevent aspiration after feeding. I understand that the doctors now feel that their research is sound and that infants should only sleep on their backs till they are old enough to roll over on their own at which point the child will determine their sleep position. I can't help wonder though how the human race has survived with all the "mistakes" (according to the current recommendations) mothers have made down through generations when putting their infants down to sleep.

My 25 and 30 year olds had bumpers in the crib. As newborns they were swaddled propped on their sides. As a baby son moved around so much we had to remove all the blankets and dress him in heavy warm nightcloths! Safety regulations are constantly changing. Its a wonder any of us survived!

We had a small baby bed that fit between us in the adult bed so we could co-sleep. Then you just need to roll over to nurse. Worked great and had a very happy baby!

Making a beautiful space for our children is fun and a loving gesture, and the picture at the top of this poll is adorable! Safe sleep practices continue to change as knowledge grows. It is true that there is not yet enough known about the cause of SIDS, though current research suggests some physical/neurological susceptibility to breathing challenges--like having a face stuck in a bumper. Why risk it? As for all of us who survived without the latest--you could make the same statement about the polio vaccine, or any bit of progress.

As a (now retired) infant specialist and Montessorian, I encouraged parents to use floor beds (like xartemis, above), and refrain from putting a baby in a position s/he can't get into or out of him/herself, except for practicing tummy time (together). The effort to move their bodies freely in a safe and interesting space is how babies develop their strength, balance and coordination. An exciting and joyful process to watch! We should all work so hard throughout our lives!

I used a bumper with my first only because it came with the crib bedding set. This was over 30 years ago. She got hold of one of the ties and had it wrapped around her fingers before I heard that she was awake. I immediately took it off. It was in the way, anyway, when I needed to change the sheet. I remember being told not to put pillows or stuffed animals in the crib but it hadn't occurred to me that the bumper pad that came with so many bedding sets back then was a hazard. But I also didn't put my babies in a regular crib until they'd outgrown the small bassinet sized crib they started in. By that time they had a bit more control over their movements.

Crib bumpers are not safe. SIDS has gone down significantly since people stopped putting items in the crib. If you're worried about legs getting stuck in the rails, put your baby in a sleep sack. They stay warm all night long and can't pull covers over their heads.

Please watch your children better in the first place with whatever you use! Get rid of bad vices is a start! Let's make happy lives!

We had them after I found my baby, twice, falling out of the crib, with only her hips to get stuck. This is 4 years ago, new crib, in a heavy sleep sack, to standard rails.

Without bumpers, until they are old enough to pull up, it's best to have them. Even the tiniest baby can wiggle. Those wooden rails are hard. Also, the bumpers add a coziness. I can't imagine not using them. But, this is coming from one whose kids slept on their stomachs. I suppose it'/ a mother's choice.

I used the mesh crib bumper.

Sigh... it was a mother's choice to comfort their teething babies with morphine too - until we figured out that it was dangerous... Crib bumpers are not going to kill every child, but having them is like playing a dangerous game of chance with your baby that there is no reason for. We didn't know at first , but we understand this now. Real scientists and real science have proven that babies die from suffocation because of crib bumpers and if one uses a modern safely designed crib, there are no injures that they might prevent.

Really? And you're comparing baby bumpers to morphine, Mother of the Year, how many babies do you know who died from crib bumpers? How many got poisoned from drinking from the water hose? But I knew more than a few who got broken arms from slip-and-slides.

My point is we learn. Things we once thought were good for babies (or
children or ourselves for that matter) we've come to know that they
aren't good for us. Crib bumpers are one of those things. Some localities have already outlawed selling them, and it seems likely that more will because they don't prevent injures, rather they cause them. There will come a day when people will look back and say I can't believe we used to do that - just like not using a car seat, playing with lawn darts, putting lead in paint, or taking laudanum for the vapors...

This wouldn't be the first time something that was made to prevent a danger or provide a huge convenience ended up being a worse problem... Asbestos was considered to be a wonderful fire proof product, until we found out that it causes cancer. DDT was perfect for killing mosquitoes and prevent malaria, unfortunately it killed a lot of other things too. Thalidomide - great for morning sickness, but also really good at causing birth defects. Let the crib bumpers go.. they aren't necessary and even if it isn't a massive epidemic, any baby that dies because of one was a baby that died needlessly.

Mesh crib bumpers are what we used and it was OK.