[Asha0314]

Hello,
I have a 7 month old who has started moving around in the crib alot during sleep. She sometimes sticks her arm underneath the crib bumper and thru the crib slates. Recently, she even had her head under the crib bumper, but of course her head can't fit thru the slates. Is this a good time to remove the crib bumpers? What are some indications that an infant is old enough to not need the crib bumpers any longer?
Thanks in advance for any replies.

[bajj]

I removed mine when they were old enough to pull up to a standing position (while holding on). I did this so they couldn't step up on them and end up tipping over the side of the rail.

[nikkianni]

We never actually used them and DD's always been fine, so I guess you can probably take them out whenever you're ready.

[Stormster]

I'm waiting until E has head control because once he was sitting there (or trying too) and he lost head control and bopped himself on the bumper. I guess that's what they are for!

After that I think it's nice if they can look around.

[srusse24]

We were told by our pediatrician that a child should never sleep in a crib with a bumper. They are a suffocation hazard. We actually took ours out of the crib once DS could roll over (which was at about 4 months).

[Stormster]

E's crib is at an angle most of the time for reflux and when he ends up at the bottom it definitely feels like the bumpers could be a suffocation hazard but it would have to be a very difficult angle to cover his nose and mouth simultaneously. But if you feel it is a suffocation hazard I do think the breathable bumpers are an option.

Also, my friend said when her baby wakes up she really loves to see the colors in her winnie the poo bumper.

That said, this was such a big issue for me!

[arangia]

just as srusse24 said, most dr.s' say "no pads". as well as no big blankets, pillows or plush toys. (so much for those fancy bedding sets!)

we don't have them on T's crib and it doesn't seem to make a difference, by the time she could roll over to it, we'd have taken them out anyway.

[ManyTimesBlessed]

I would take them out since she has started to mess with them. I'd worry she would get tangled up in it or get stuck.

[HBV]

We only just recently took them out when he started to actually stand on them. He's only just now tall enough that it made any difference. H has an iron crib w/ really deep sides and even less space between the rails than most cribs, so I was more concerned about head bumping than crib tipping.

His were breathable linen, so I wasn't ever too worried about the suffocation issue.

[Asha0314]

Hi,
My pediatrician said to keep the bumpers for now, so I guess I will. She does move all over the crib during the night, changing her position by 90 degrees, kicks her covers off or pulls her covers over her head. I've gotten into the habit of checking on her regularly during the night, every couple of hours or so. It gets very cold outside, so I don't want her to stay uncovered for too long if she kicks the covers off.
Thanks again for all the feedback!

[Mystik]

Personally I would go with the fleece sleep sacks over a sleeper for added warmth as opposed to actually putting blankets in the crib, especially knowing they pull them over their head. I mean gosh, if your in there every couple hours throughout the night, you must be excruciatingly sleep deprived. The sleep sacks are safe and a good way to go for the cold weather. Besides that she could easily suffocate herself in a VERY short period of time with a blanket over her face and it could happen easily in between your "check ups".

As for the bumpers I personally used them with both my girls and still do for my 5 month old. Sure she turns all around in the crib, but she has enough control to move away from the side of the crib rather then smooshing her face against it to suffocate herself. So I have no real worries. I recently took out the bumper of my 10 month old because she's standing up and trying to use it for leverage. She can't really get any, but I figured she's not as likely to "bump" her head on a crib rail at this point and it removing it makes it a heck of a lot easier to change the sheets.

[powderpiggy]

With DS, we started out with no crib bumpers. I had read that they could be a suffocation hazard, but at about 3.5 to 4 months, he started moving around a lot at night, and would wake up crying because his little legs were sticking through the bars.

So I did some research and purchased breathable crib bumpers, they are mesh-like and very easy to breath through, they are thin enough that they can be extend below the mattress to prevent little arms and legs or heads from getting under them.

so far the breathable bumpers have worked great. We also use sleep sacks which can help prevent legs from sticking out, but not really the arms.

[Asha0314]

I started using the sleep sacks, and I'll look for the breathable bumpers. Thanks so much for the suggestions!