AAP Declares Crib Bumpers Completely Unsafe

on October 18, 2011 at 12:21 PM

The American Academy of Pediatrics has put its foot down on parents slipping crib bumpers into baby's bed. The nation's most respected group of parenting experts has released yet another set of warnings that the soft pads do nothing but put your baby in danger. So what are the chances that parents will actually listen to the warning this time? Fifty percent? Twenty?

I'd like to put that at 100 percent, but people just seem to love them some crib bumpers. And I don't get it! The AAP is warning that those cute, fluffy pillow-like bands can actually kill our kids. Kill. Not hurt. KILL!

I'm not overstating things. The AAP's newest guidelines warn that these puppies can carry a potential risk of suffocation, strangulation, or entrapment. They make the risk of SIDS climb. And yet with all that scary talk, you can almost guarantee you'll see a bumper on the registry at the next baby shower in your 'hood. Because parents -- well meaning as we all may be -- don't listen.

The AAP first put out a quasi-warning about the bumpers back in 2005. Then came another, stronger one in 2007. And yet in 2011, there are still parents using the things. Heck, when I wrote about the city of Chicago becoming the nation's first town to actually ban the sale and use of bumpers last month, the response on The Stir ranged from "It's about time" to "That's stupid. One more thing for government officials to waste their time regulating ... Share information, sure ... but pass legislation? That's ridiculous."

But that's just the problem. Information has been shared. Over and over and over again. And people still cling to these things like a toddler to a drool-covered stuffed animal that you really want to chuck in the wash.

Why? Have you tried tying one of these things on a crib? They're a pain in the ass. Actually getting all defensive about one of these cumbersome things is like defending those maternity pants with the big belly band as haute couture. We wear them because we don't have much else, not because we actually think they're chic.

The good news is we don't HAVE to use crib bumpers. So ... will you be listening to the AAP?

Image via jessicafm/Flickr

About the author Jeanne Sager

writes articles for The Stir by day, slays closet monsters and bounds through bedtime stories with her elementary schooler by night. Diet Pepsi courses through her veins. The Phineas and Ferb soundtrack reverberates through her brain.

Filed Under: nursery, safety, baby sleep

Comments (131)

Facebook comment from Kate Williams

on Oct 18, 2011 at 12:25 PM

I will be taking mine off my daughters crib as soon as i get home from work... i never thought about it....

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Facebook comment from Carli Drayson

on Oct 18, 2011 at 12:27 PM

I personally think crib bumpers are not only a waste of money but a dangerous thing to be sold because the reality is not all moms are up to date on safety standards. It is the children who end up suffering.

Melissa042807

on Oct 18, 2011 at 12:28 PM

We never used one. A friend of mine bought me a "breathable bumper" (the thin mesh kind) because her own daughter nearly suffocated by rolling up against a traditional bumper pad in her sleep. If she hadn't gone in to check on her baby on a whim, her little girl could have died. That stuck with me. We've never had a problem with the breathable bumper - and now that our son is almost 2 we don't even use it any more.

Facebook comment from Rachel Schiller

on Oct 18, 2011 at 12:29 PM

I used them for the first two babies but when my yougnest was born I washed it and the darn thing shrunk. And in all honesty I don't miss it.

RhondaVeggie

on Oct 18, 2011 at 12:30 PM

It's not a black and white issue. There are plenty of injuries and fatalities that can be prevented by using them too. Any time a baby is left alone somewhere there's a risk of them using whatever is around to do themselves harm whether that's smooching their face in to a bumper or breaking a leg between unpadded bars.

2manydiapers

on Oct 18, 2011 at 12:35 PM

this is why they make breathable bumpers

douxmusique

Those breathable bumpers are a better option. I use bumpers with my two oldest but not the last baby and he was constantly getting his fat legs stuck in between the bars. He would wake up and scream because his legs stuck so badly. I couldn't prevent it but didn't know until later there were better options.

Facebook comment from Sarah Keys

on Oct 18, 2011 at 12:45 PM

I use the breathable bumpers anyway. I don't think I even need them, because my son tends to stay in the middle of his crib, and he's never gotten his arm or leg stuck in between the slats. I guess there's a first time for everything, though.

Nonmember comment from Stephanie

on Oct 18, 2011 at 12:47 PM

What I want to know is when are they going to quit putting them in the crib sets? When I was doing my registry I couldn't find one that DIDN'T come with a bumper and believe me, I looked. So I put them up, took some pictures, and then took them down when we moved our son into his crib. Now he has lovely pink breathable bumpers that we're borrowing from my sister. I mainly use them to keep the pacifier in the crib so I don't have to go digging under the crib in the middle of the night.

xavierlogan09

on Oct 18, 2011 at 12:48 PM

I used a crib bumper when my son was mobile. He would hit his head on the crib in his sleep. Lots of things can kill our children but people will still do those things.