Parents: So what's the consensus on crib bumpers for infants?

[TastesLikeChicken]

They are good for keeping all the shit in.

When my son was very young we put him to bed one night (He was luckily the kind of kid that slept through the night) and when we woke up in the morning found that he had removed his diaper during the night. Not only that, he happened to have had diarrhea that particular night as well. He was sleeping peacefully in a crib that was smeared with crap from one end to the other and he was thoroughly coated too. Cleanup wasn't a pleasant job but you quickly get used to stuff like that with kids.

Congrats. You have lots of fun ahead of you.

 

[NFS4]

you're having a kid now? I didn't realize you had gotten married

First met my wife in 1998, we started dating in 2003, got engaged in 2008 and married in 2009

 

[amish]

you are going to get parents that are adamant that you do use bumpers and parents that are adamant that you don't.

my 9 month old has them.

pros:
1. shit stays in the crib better. it sucks to search for some random pacifier @ 4am that is actually underneath the
2. little man doesn't smack his head on the bars.
3. keeps him from chewing on the bars.

cons:
1. could have suffocated if he rolled over and somehow squished his face against it and not turned back over. (didn't consider this a likely outcome)
2. makes changing the sheets a pain in the ass. i basically have to remove half of it so that i can change the sheets.
3. now that he can pull himself up he tries to step on the bumper to stand higher.

 

[sactoking]

Crib bumpers should be fine. The whole "crib bumpers are bad" thing came about when Canada's health department hypothesized that they contributed to SIDS by decreasing the amount of oxygen-rich airflow a baby received. That was generally interpreted to mean that a baby's head would somehow get smooshed up against the bumper and they would suffocate but the literal meaning of the warning was that a baby sleeping on its back in a bumpered crib would somehow cause a pocket of carbon dioxide to form around the baby's head and not be able to dissipate.

Since then the American media has taken it and run with it as "bumpers cause SIDS". Unfortunately SIDS is a lot like fibromyalgia, it's what something is classified as when doctors don't know what the hell is going on. SIDS deaths have been "linked" to co-sleeping, genetics, child abuse, brain damage, birth trauma, bacteria, vitamin C, vaccinations, lack of breastfeeding, lack of a pacifier, bumpers, stomach sleeping, bacteria, and smoking. Many of those, like lack of a pacifier, are unexplained and the closest theory doctors have is "Fuck if we know".

The empirical record shows that bumpers are safe. In the rare case that a child dies in a "crib bumper" scenario the cause of death is medically attributed to SIDS, which means the examiner really doesn't know and the bumper is just a convenient boogeyman to blame it on.

 

[SlitheryDee]

As tender as a baby's head is, I doubt it could generate the kind of velocity required to cause damage when just rolling about in a crib. Working its way into a position where it suddenly can't breathe and lacks the strength to get out of seems more likely.

 

[Dr. Zaus]

The crib will be fine; no need to keep it from being damaged by the baby.

 

[DominionSeraph]

I'll have to throw in another hellz nah on that one. Wife sleeps too wild and would probably knock the kid out and the dog would probably pitch a fit

It's natural, so your sleeping behavior is modified to accommodate the baby. Don't knock it -- it's superior to crib and ridiculously superior to "crib in another room" in terms of parental stress. A baby needs a LOT of attention, and constantly disconnecting and reconnecting to him is just gonna wear you down.
It's much easier to just maintain the connection.

 

[Dr. Zaus]

Rolling over on a baby is a super #1 way to kill it.

We got a side-drop bassinet and brought her up next to us. No role-over, but contact/attention when needed.

 

[oynaz]

Rolling over on a baby is a super #1 way to kill it.

No it isn't. They just go grrnnfff and flail their arms until you roll away.

Regarding the bumpers - if a baby is strong enough to move the head so the face is pressed against the bumper, they are strong enough to move it away. If you someone find a single documented case where a baby has pressed and their own face against something and suffocated, I will buy them a big ice cream.

On the other hand, infants stand a very real risk of overheating, and stuffing the crib with all kinds of crap increases this risk.

 

[Dr. Zaus]

No it isn't. They just go grrnnfff and flail their arms until you roll away.

Regarding the bumpers - if a baby is strong enough to move the head so the face is pressed against the bumper, they are strong enough to move it away. If you someone find a single documented case where a baby has pressed and their own face against something and suffocated, I will buy them a big ice cream.

On the other hand, infants stand a very real risk of overheating, and stuffing the crib with all kinds of crap increases this risk.

http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/587355

I want my ice cream!

February issue of Pediatrics.

"ASSB includes suffocation by (1) soft bedding, pillow, or waterbed mattress, (2) overlaying or rolling on top of or against infant while sleeping, or (3) wedging and entrapment of an infant between 2 objects such as a mattress and wall, bed frame, or furniture; and strangulation by asphyxiation, such as when an infant’s head and neck become caught between crib railings," write Carrie K. Shapiro-Mendoza, PhD, MPH, from the Division of Reproductive Health, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia, and colleagues. "ASSB deaths share many of the same sociodemographic characteristics as sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) and cause unknown deaths."

Using US infant mortality data, investigators found that between 1984 and 2004, infant mortality rates attributed to ASSB increased from 2.8 to 12.5 deaths per 100,000 live births. The most dramatic rise occurred between 1996 and 2004, with a 14% average annual increase. The analysis showed that infant mortality attributable to ASSB was highest among infants younger than 3 months, that most cases occurred at 1 month of age, and that deaths occurred more frequently from Sunday through Wednesday compared with Thursday through Saturday.

 

[rh71]

I'll have to throw in another hellz nah on that one. Wife sleeps too wild and would probably knock the kid out and the dog would probably pitch a fit

and besides, sleeping with the child is even more dangerous... suffocation, smothering, leaning on them. How light of a sleeper are these people? Do they wrap themselves in their blanket too?

BTW, how do people do it today with non drop-side cribs? Are the mattresses just a lot higher now? We had to drop the side to pick them up - it's just too far of a reach otherwise, and bad for the back. Why it was really necessary was when putting them down after they've fallen asleep on you... you can't exactly do it gently if you're reaching over the side and all the way down to the mattress.

If mattresses are higher now, what happens when they get bigger and start standing up in their cribs?

 

[J-Money]

No it isn't. They just go grrnnfff and flail their arms until you roll away.

Regarding the bumpers - if a baby is strong enough to move the head so the face is pressed against the bumper, they are strong enough to move it away. If you someone find a single documented case where a baby has pressed and their own face against something and suffocated, I will buy them a big ice cream.

On the other hand, infants stand a very real risk of overheating, and stuffing the crib with all kinds of crap increases this risk.

I know of not one but TWO recent SIDS deaths where a baby rolled over in a crib and suffocated because they were face down, sleeping, and could not roll back over.

Reported on the forums on "The Bump" website. My wife told me about the deaths since she recently had our first child (3 months old now) and frequents the site.

EDIT: See here is one: http://community.thebump.com/cs/ks/forums/thread/63779221.aspx

Really sad :'(

 

[GTaudiophile]

Congrats on the new arrival!

 

[J-Money]

and besides, sleeping with the child is even more dangerous... suffocation, smothering, leaning on them. How light of a sleeper are these people? Do they wrap themselves in their blanket too?

BTW, how do people do it today with non drop-side cribs? Are the mattresses just a lot higher now? We had to drop the side to pick them up - it's just too far of a reach otherwise, and bad for the back. Why it was really necessary was when putting them down after they've fallen asleep on you... you can't exactly do it gently if you're reaching over the side and all the way down to the mattress.

If mattresses are higher now, what happens when they get bigger and start standing up in their cribs?

The mattress in my son's crib is about ~15 inches from the top rail of the crib. But the height of the mattress is adjustable and this is on it's highest setting.

 

[Ketchup]

Congratulations on the great news! All three of mine had bumpers in their infant cribs, and all three turned out fine. If the baby is strong enough to roll over to a bumper in a full size crib, they are small enough to roll away. When they are an infant, this is not an issue. If you do some research, they at much higher risk from being rolled on by a parent, than suffocating under a bumper.

 

[Dr. Zaus]

A fucking N of 3 is not enough to pick up an effect that hits such a small percentage of the population.

Stop being a rube and live your life intelligently.

 

[Ketchup]

A fucking N of 3 is not enough to pick up an effect that hits such a small percentage of the population.

Stop being a rube and live your life intelligently.

Thanks for the insult, I am honored.

 

[Dr. Zaus]

Thanks for the insult, I am honored.

Right? How often does someone call you a rube?

 

[rh71]

EDIT: See here is one: http://community.thebump.com/cs/ks/forums/thread/63779221.aspx

Really sad :'(

so sad reading those signatures with all the goodbye dates.

EDIT>> sorry this shall not be a downer thread... best wishes to you NFS.

 

[waggy]

/thread

No blanket either.

you should use a baby-sack; it's like a potato sack, but it's for babies.

I've had 3 in the past 4 years so if you want to ask anything don't hesitate to PM



.

oh yeah those sacks are great. the babies can still kick and do things they enjoy and they still stay warm.


While the odds of suffacation is low with a blanket or bumbers i never understood on why take the extra chance? sure its a pain crawling under the bed for the pacifier. we just had some extra sitting on the table then in the morning i would get the lost one.

As for co-sleeping we did it on occasion. My wife is the type to fall asleep in one position and not move all night. I on the other had flop around and kick etc. so she would nap with the kids. I did once or twice.

 

[JTsyo]

With out kid we found a bassinet (one that rocks) was better when the kids were young (<3mths). Afterwards we switched to the crib. The crib has bumpers but when our son was able to stand he would step on them and rip the ties out.

 

[JTsyo]

I know of not one but TWO recent SIDS deaths where a baby rolled over in a crib and suffocated because they were face down, sleeping, and could not roll back over.

Reported on the forums on "The Bump" website. My wife told me about the deaths since she recently had our first child (3 months old now) and frequents the site.

EDIT: See here is one: http://community.thebump.com/cs/ks/forums/thread/63779221.aspx

Really sad :'(

:rose; I couldn't stand reading those threads.

 

[HardcoreRobot]

nothing in the crib but baby

another vote for the sleep sack too

 

[alent1234]

I know of not one but TWO recent SIDS deaths where a baby rolled over in a crib and suffocated because they were face down, sleeping, and could not roll back over.

Reported on the forums on "The Bump" website. My wife told me about the deaths since she recently had our first child (3 months old now) and frequents the site.

EDIT: See here is one: http://community.thebump.com/cs/ks/forums/thread/63779221.aspx

Really sad :'(

my second kid likes to sleep on his stomach. liked since he was like 4 months old

pissed me off to no end. i would try to turn him over and he would get pissed off and go back on his stomach

 

[Blieb]

Nice room.

We don't use bumpers.