I see this backfiring as more parents use the clippy things to keep pacifiers near the baby.

Glad to hear this! My daughter is 18 months old and I've had to fend my mother off since I was pregnant. She is insistent that my baby cannot possibly sleep comfortably without a bumper. Finally, when she was about a year old, she just went out and bought one and gave it to me. I sometimes feel guilty that it's still sitting in a closet, still in the packaging. Maybe this will get her to lay off!

I just can't agree with this recommendation. I tried going without bumpers with both my children and put them back on almost immediately due to the number of times they caught their arms and legs between the crib slats. Maybe my children move around more than average but having them wake up screaming because they were hurt was more than I or my husband could handle.

Maybe it's time to consider a different crib design with solid sides.

I must say that I've always been a bit bemused why Americans still use cot bumpers and why it has taken them so long to declare them unsafe. Their use here in Australia, along with quilts, has been a big "no-no" for many many years now due to the high SIDS risk with them. Oh well, better late than never I guess.

The AAP also says all children should get a flu vaccine every year and that the first solid you should feed an infant is rice cereal. They are not the absolute and final word in how to raise your children.

How about an article offering creative ways to repurpose these expensive bumpers and bumper covers we all have?

An easy solution to getting legs caught is to use a sleepsack (aka wearable blanket).

I'm glad they've made this statement, it's about time. Obviously parents are free to ignore the statement, but now they do so at their own risk hopefully knowing the concerns. As parents we all have different levels of risk tolerance. Perhaps crib bumpers are an "acceptable risk" for their child. They can always make their own if it's that important to them. But hopefully now they know it's associated with a SIDS risk. Your choice.

Funny that there is a picture with a big fluffy crib bumper just a few entries down from this one.

I have 3 kids, 6, 4 and 2. Never used a bumper, never felt the need for a bumper other than to keep those darn paci's from falling out of the crib. I just put like 20 of paci's in the crib and hope one will stay within reach :).

We have used a breathable bumper for our little girl and it is great. I was always very nervous about using one of the big fluffy bumpers, not only because of suffocation, but when they get bigger they can use it as a step to climb out of their crib.

Good now I wish they'd bring back the mesh crib shield I used with my first son. It covered more area than the mesh bumpers you can buy now. I never had a single problem with arms or legs getting stuck.

I'm really surprised at the breathable bumpers being included. How could they pose a suffocation hazard? I was planning on using those. Hm. And do parents without bumpers have issues with legs/arms in the crib slats? That's my concern.

@RPK123 - me too. Loads of pacifiers and its all good!

I never understood the point of these and as a person who had a cousin die of SIDS I would never risk it either. If you are concerned about arms and legs getting caught swaddle, swaddle, swaddle! Swaddle Designs makes a HUGE blanket that can be used on babies up to a year old! I did it with my first baby and will again with my second, personally I think it helps them sleep better.

Oh - and as mentioned above, sleepsacks will keep legs in. Arms are out, but we've never had a problem with arms getting stuck between the slats.

I can't remember where, but I remember reading that they didn't want cribs without slats because they were worried about air circulation. (like the whole open top thing didn't help)

I tend to think these guidelines are over-inclusive. Because I don't see a rationale for why a properly and securely attached breathable bumper would pose as a suffocation hazard. Then again, I co-slept with both babies, and the AAP is strongly against that.

Just because it's labelled a breathable bumper doesn't mean it's been extensively tested as safe. The problem is not just actual suffocation, but reduced air circulation causing a build up of CO2 at the babies face.

We never used them and never saw a need for them.

My husband and I planned not to use a bumper, but gave in and got one when she was maybe 6 months. She was a wiggly kid, even in her sleep (still is!) and she developed a tendency to whack her head against the side of the crib and wake up crying. She was terrible to get back to sleep, too, so we gave in and got a bumper, with a slightly guilty conscience, hoping she was past the really risky stage.

What's the verdict on the breathable ones?

I removed the pad when my son was 6 months, and put it back, omg, my son stuck his arm and had bruises on his head! I choose a breathable one. My son made clear very soon that he hated his crib, a nice designer crib, but anyway. No bumpers, no quilts, no soft toys, no nothing, our children begin their lives in a prison! It's time to think about it.

Chose, not choose, I hate autocorrect. Anyway. more hugs, less prisons for babies!

i find it so fascinating... as soon as someone posts a room tour with anything questionable, like a bumper for example, the safety police come out full force to criticize but as soon as ohdeedoh posts a recommendation like this, the rule-breakers come out full force. or are they same commenters?
everybody chiiilllllll. cribs are not prisons. use common sense, or honestly even what i'd like to call Rare Sense, since so few people seem to use it...

@ katid - Lol, I totally agree. I was just thinking the same thing.

@Meg Whalen - we repurposed our bumpers as seat cushions for our wagon, just so happened to fit perfectly with little modification needed. Made our wagon so much comfier and cuter.

I don't use a bumper. . . however we are having a major problem with our 1 year old getting her legs stuck in the crib spindles. I see so many people recommending sleep sacks (and I used to use them) however I don't see any on the market large enough. Any one know where to get bigger sleep sacks (my daughter wears 12-18 month clothing)

I don't see what crib bumpers are for except decoration. I don't have it and don't need it. If parents fight decor versus safety, well, it's their choice. To avoid limbs getting caught between crib slats is to swaddle your baby or put him/her in a wearable blanket, as many have mentioned already before.

Hi Michelle!
My daughter wore sleepsacks until she was almost 3 :) Cotton in summer, fleece in winter -- Halo makes larger sizes, try searching Halo sleepsack on Amazon.

Great news. Maybe it will save a few lives. Better yet, maybe it will change the way manufactures sell and promote their linens.

Makes me wonder if Skip Hop had inside knowledge prior to choosing a patent application for their desings.

What about the Wonder Bumpers?

@Ruthie-we co-slept, too. You can safely co-sleep, and it really helps everyone go back to sleep for night feedings. And we'll do it again with the one on the way!

QUOTE: use common sense, or honestly even what i'd like to call Rare Sense, since so few people seem to use it...

@katid....well said

@ the rest of you...don't you get dizzy reacting to every new report/warning that comes down the pike? Surely your heads are spinning trying to keep up.

Newsflash: There's no truth in the news and no news in the truth.

Use your common...er....rare sense.

Do they advise against bassinets? The ever popular moses basket doesn't have open slats around it's perimeter, so it's the same as a small crib with a bumper...

I must say I am so glad that this is being brought to the public's attention. As a pediatric hospital chaplain--where more than any parent would care to know I am called to be with parents when the very worst happens--I can say that there are certain things that are never happening in my casa: bumpers, co-sleeping and grapes, even cut up, to little people. I sit on a committee for the county that looks at infant mortality...I just cannot do those three. I have seen the ramifications too often.

A lot of comments about the mesh focused on suffocation, but they ignored the issue of strangulation. It is something to consider.

I do agree, however, that as parents we cannot live in mortal fear for we pass this onto our children and teach them anxiety. I am just in a place where bumpers represent more of a risk than I am willing to accept. So...no bumpers for our baby.

we left them off our son's crib until he was around 8 months. he started moving so much, he'd hit his head against the sides of the crib and get his legs stuck in the slats. i figured since he was so strong and mobile at that point they didn't pose much of a risk.

We never used bumpers - despite my mother's warnings that I was a crib head banger. He did fine without them, and never caught his arms or legs, and he was a BIG mover!

We also didn't co-sleep and put him in a crib at about 3 weeks old. We didn't because my dh and I woke up one night with our arms drapped over his tiny swaddled body. We were so sleep deprived that we figured we would squish him. We then tried the mini co-sleeper next to the bed and my husband's snores woke the baby every night!

I think everyone figures out what works for their family and sleep and weighs the risks accordingly. We went without the bumper and without co-sleeping because of (1) safety and (2) the need to sleep.

Gosh, as a previous poster mentioned they are hard to find in Australia for this reason, I have never understood what purpose they had, to read it's to keep pacifiers in alarms me to be honest.

@Megan I think there was a repurposing bumpers post ages ago.

I think that every good parent knows what's best for their child. I tried swaddling, but my son hated it and screamed until I took the blanket off. The best thing we used were those sleep sacks, but they don't make the sizes for older babies. My husband and I sometimes co-slept or we had our son in a bassinet right next to the bed for the first year.

I didn't want bumpers, but as my son grew more mobile he'd wake me up screaming because his legs were jammed through the slots. This happened numerous times during his naps and at night. I finally bought the breathable bumpers and they were awesome! Not once afterward did he get stuck and we all slept better.

My sister-in-law was dead set against co-sleeping, but put her babies on their stomachs to sleep (which I am dead set against), she fed them grapes when they were young and used a pacifier... two things which I never did with my son. Her children are healthy and my child is healthy, but she is their mother as I am my son's. You need to use as some are saying your "rare sense" to know what is and isn't appropriate for you and your OWN family. Educate yourself and don't just go with the flow because some group says it's what needs to be done.

I think it just makes sense. Hopefully we'll see a decrease in SIDS rates. We just co-slept so we could get sleep and nurse easily.

Finally. I always cringed when I saw pictuires of nurseries with cots with bumpers. In Australia we have not used them for many years due to the high risk of SIDS. Since these precautions(along with no toys, quilts(sleeping bags are encouraged as an alternative,ummy chains, etc) there has been a huge drop in SIDS deaths. Seriously people, what would you prefer - a safer environment for your child saving you from the heartache of losing what is most precious to you or pretty cot bumpers?

About time.

I get upset every time I go to Ohdeedoh only to find a post about crib bedding featuring pretty bumpers and nursery tours with crib bumpers.

I hope Ohdeedoh will no longer feature cribs with bumpers in its posts.

@ mschatelaine - disagree.
@ HollyHarr - I agree completely, my babies were always getting their legs stuck & screaming from pain... & to those who keep suggesting sleep sacks, people in the south don't have that option with it being so hot. It's October & last week we had days in the mid-80s.

I started out without a crib bumper precisely because of the warnings about them. I reluctantly went out and purchased a bumper when my son starting rolling around and banging against the sides of his crib, and I removed it when he started pulling up to a stand and stepping on the bumper to gain more height.

I did worry about him getting his arms or legs stuck between the slats, but I observed him with a leg sticking through and then, later that night, rolled over to his other side without a problem. I think the solution to getting arms and legs stuck is to use a crib with the slats too close together for limbs to poke through -- just like we make sure stair railings have the poles too close together for heads to fit through. We have an IKEA Gulliver, for what that's worth.

@jfork and HollyHarr --

There is absolutely no record of serious injury from NOT using bumpers. None. Whereas death has resulted from using bumpers. This is what the authors of the 2007 study about the dangers of using crib bumpers were at great pains to point out.

Advocating the use of a product which has directly resulted in the death and injury of children is unethical and just plain wrong.

If you're worried about pacifiers falling through the slats, there are products like Wubanub and Binki Bear that are small stuffed animals with pacis attached to them. I didn't use one until my daughter was over a year, but it definitely was a lifesaver.

HollyHar-- We live in the south and it gets hot, but I always like a thin sheet on me. I just dressed my daughter in a thin sleep sac and her diaper and she seemed fine.

Glad they made the recommendation. My kids hit their heads a couple of times because we didn't use bumpers, but then they learned not to after a couple of bumps. Maybe tough love, but better a bumped head than something worse.

This was the recommendation that my pediatrician made to us before my son was born 8 years ago. My only wish was that she had mentioned it to us *before* I had hand-sewn the bumpers for his crib. They never were used, and they are still sitting, brand new and beautiful, in a closet. I can't stand to throw it away because it was so much work.

Oh, and also, it's a recommendation, not a law. I would prefer the AAP be over-inclusive than lax in their safety recommendations.

As people have said - the risk of crib bumpers is not just from rolling against it, it's also strangulation - even when properly used.

I used to work in quality control for a kids clothing manufacturer and you wouldn't believe all the rules there are for kids clothes today - for example, no strings above the navel for infant clothing, no pockets, ... and you know why these rules exist? Because kids have died.

The same goes for crib bumpers. When people say "Well, I used crib bumpers with all of my four children and they are still alive." - congratulations. A 1% risk of a kid dying might not seem like a very high risk but that doesn't mean that it can't be your kid.
Why risk something when you don't have to risk it?

My baby is very, very active and used to get stuck in the crib slats as well but she learned and now she doesn't do it anymore. Yes, she occasionally hits her head but that's ok, it's normal and I know it will happen much more once she learns to walk. I am going to try and make her environment as safe as possible. But adding something that could possibly kill her doesn't make sense to me.

Please remember, infants are not like grown ups - they can get tangled in all kinds of stuff and you would never know how they got there. You might not be able to imagine how you could get tangled up in a safely secured (breathable) bumper but obviously it happens. Crib bedding, including bumpers is a very lucrative business so I don't think they'd throw out warnings against them if there wasn't a base to them.

A big part of the reason that no one has "common" sense and we now have to call it "rare" sense is because of agencies like this that tell us what to do in every little aspects of our lives. We no longer have to use any kind of sense, just listen to your "nanny".

This whole subject is ridiculous. What was the Sids rate in the 50s, 60s, 70s? When did SIDs increase? Newsflash: People used bumper pads and stuffed animals and things like that for a long time and suddenly SIDs is so high?

The people in these comments that are calling out for bumper pads to be banned even in pictures need to but out. Just because you see a picture of a crib with a bumper pad does not mean you will become a bumper pad zombie and automatically put one on your crib. My gosh, people! Use one or not, I guess it depends on your opinion. Quit trying to force your opinions on everyone!

I understand that people are all worried about kids getting tangled in their crib bars, but I'm sure we learned not to get tangled in the crib bars. Obviously, I mean, unless you're walking around with your legs all mangled from it.

Crib bumpers: I've said it before. I've bought them and my kids were OK. When my son was born, I HAD to have them. They looked so warm and cozy. Cut to 4.5 months later, his monitor sensor was going off and I ran in to find his head shoved under it, and squirming to get out. After that, I felt like I had wasted a HUGE amount of money. He loved to be in a corner. He also loved to bang his head on the head of his crib. He's no worse for the wear.

However, my with my daughter, we also did a big AAP no no, which was co-sleep. Two kids in two years, and you'll do ANYTHING to get sleep. She used to sleep with her face buried in me, and she's also no worse for the wear.

The deal about being a parent, is that you have to use your own judgement and have a little common sense. Go with what your gut tells you and call it a day.

@jfork
Aden and Anais has very light muslin sleeping sacks if you were interested in going that route.

Wow people get up in arms over crib bumpers!

We didn't register for any. AAP or not, I just don't want em in there. And I am not in the least worried about sids if I had them or not. Do I think we need to stop showing them then? Yea. If something is said to be bad and frowned upon, why show it in pictures because it looks prettier? For example, drinking and smoking while pregnant is a common no-no too, but it's not illegal to do it. Still, you don't see people showing glowing pictures of pregnant women knocking back a beer just cause you can! It sends a bad message, same with every silly picture of every crib under the sun being shown overflowing with crib bumpers and blankets and toys.

All that aside, I get my fill of sids bashing from my family members who work in hospitals. I've talked to a few nurse friends who work in hospital nurseries who have told me every time if you look at the instances of it, its almost always plainly clear WHY it happened- and its either lower class families that are taking poor care of their child in the first place OR parents cramming toys and blankets and more junk in the crib that should be in the whole room cause they think their newborn "needs" it. Bumpers can contribute to that, but usually are not the cause.

In Germany, sleeping bags for babies are widely used, and you can get them in any size and material, for winter, for summer etc. They work fine!

As a paediatrician, I find it disheartening that people would take recommendations based on detailed analysis of historic patterns of injury and mortality and trump that with their own preferences, even worse assume that evidence is nothing more than some superior busybody telling them that their preference is unsafe. For God's sake, read the @#$(#! studies for yourself before you make up your mind, BeccaLouisy and company... if for no other reason that if you think all knowledge is nothing more than opinion, you might change your mind.

oops, that was meant to be 'if for no other reason than if...

@beccalouisey, that is a completely ignorant comment. The rate of SIDS has decreased dramatically over the past few decades precisely because researchers have observed these patterns over time and identified risk factors just like this.

I am surprised that the AAP has not put out recommendations about bumper pads earlier. In Canada the Canadian Paediatric Society published its policy statement about this over 5 years ago.

In summary, aesthetic value, the risk of limb entrapment, and the risk of a child hitting their head against the side of their crib are overshadowed by the hazards of entanglement, entrapment, strangulation, and suffocation (potentially leading to death) that children are exposed to through the use of bumper pads.

Obviously in the end parents will do as they please and cases of SIDS are rare. But I just don't see why you would take a chance with the well-being of your child in a situation like this.

The point of my comment is the hold that other people decide they need to have on every little aspect of people's lives. You are so afraid people will make the wrong decision (in your opinion) that you need to control everything, even to the point of censoring pictures with crib bumpers. My main point is I will be a parent as I judge best, and you can be one as you judge best, and back off of other people who may not agree with everything you try to force on us. Yes I think for myself, I just don't take some announcement on face value. I do read. Ok?

Listen everyone - though this recommendation only came out this week - if you've read any books, magazine articles or online articles by reputable sources, you would ALREADY know that bumpers are not so cool for your baby.

Why are you all up in arms all of a sudden?

Yes, bumpers have now been proven by yet ANOTHER review of existing studies to be unsafe. Case closed - they're not really all that safe. Do you choose to use them? That's up to you.

As a parent, you have to make a lot of choices about safety - cushy bumpers are probably not worth it.

Personally, my baby kept on sticking arms and legs (even with a sleepsack) out of her crib in harm's way (we have to walk by her to get out of our tiny NYC apt and her crib is next to our bedroom door). The crying when she got her arms and legs stuck and being trapped in her sleepsack was also not good. We got breathable bumpers which we pushed as low as we could (so just as much of the bumper was necessary was over the matress) - things have been fine.

Do I feel like this is 100% the safest thing to be doing? No - but you have to think about your choices and do what you have to do to be a good parent.

Listen guys - the jungle gym at the playground is also very dangerous if the child falls from the top - but you all probably let them climb it anyhow.

@ beccalouisey
The APP publishes these research-based recommendations to tell parents about what is known to be less than safe for children. They are not barging into your home and demanding that you remove all bumper pads. That is your choice.

It is telling that you feel the AAP is trying to boss YOU around and tell YOU how to be a parent. People should be thankful to receive this information about child safety rather than harp on about how it infringes on their parental liberties.
In other words, don't take it so personally. The AAP is only trying to HELP YOU care for your child.

Someone asked this earlier but it was never addressed - what is the recommendation for bassinets? Most of them basically have built-in bumpers. And no open sides.

For that matter, the hospital bassinets don't have open sides, either (plastic buckets!), but I suppose very few 24-hour-old babies are rolling over...(my first was rolling over at 10 days, though)

I used a bumper with my first two. It was very thin, and I pushed it all the way down (so only a couple of inches was showing), just to prevent binkies falling out, and arms and legs going through (which they did, all the time, anyway). With a third in the planning stages, I'll definitely be reconsidering.

"Listen guys - the jungle gym at the playground is also very dangerous if the child falls from the top - but you all probably let them climb it anyhow."

When a child is old enough to climb the jungle gym, he or she is at an age when they are being taught about risk, and how to judge appropriate risk. It is an important part of the learning process.

A crib-aged baby is incapable of understanding hazards and learning to manage them is not part of the goal of putting a baby in a crib. A crib is supposed to be one of *the safest* places to put your child, and thus, your child is put in there when you yourself are sleeping and unable to attend to them. Given how much unsupervised time a baby spends in a crib, their crib *must* be safe.

As for the crying-because-arms-get-stuck-between-slats problem: babies eventually learn not to do it.

@Statia - thanks! checking them out now!

@happy birthday: Hard-sided bassinets are not an issue because it's hard to block off air circulation against a hard surface. Imagine holding a pillow over your face, vs holding a book.

I would SO LOVE crib bumpers to be my problem. Mine never slept in it and now does well on a mattress on the floor, with guardrails.

I was so paranoid about bumpers, I refused to put one on my son's crib. He didn't even sleep in the crib at first, he slept next to our bed for four months. Then when we finally transitioned him to his crib in his own room, bam, the first problem we had was that his little arms and legs would get caught in the slats (he was big enough at that point that swaddling didn't do much to contain him, but still too little to pull his limbs out of the slats on his own). So I broke down and bought a breathable bumper. Stuck my own face in it before putting it on to make sure I could breathe, and was surprised how easy it was to breathe through it. We spent a good deal of time making sure we had put it on correctly and that it was tucked in securely so he couldn't get caught underneath it or anything. Once we put them on, he never got stuck again and was actually a great napper from there on out. My personal recommendation would be that if you don't need them, don't use them, but if you find your baby getting repeatedly caught in the slats, by all means do what you have to do. AAP recommendations are just that, recommendations, and unfortunately recommendations tend not to take every circumstance into account. As for the SIDS risk, we greatly reduced that risk by keeping a fan running near the crib at all times. Do what you can. Don't feel guilty if your circumstance requires going against one AAP recommendation. It's not like they're the parenting police.