Journal Entry

Crib Bumper Pads

The jury is still out on the effectiveness of crib bumper pads. This can be pretty confusing for new parents; some parenting forums say that crib bumper pads are a requirement, while others preach that they’re a health hazard. Who to believe?

But before we even get into that, if you’re just getting started with buying a crib and getting your first baby set up, you may not even know what a crib bumper pad is. Simply put, it’s a soft padded “fence” that runs around the perimeter of your crib. Usually it’s tied into place, as well as secured between the mattress and the crib wall. The original intent of crib bumpers was both to stop the baby from hitting it’s head on the walls of the crib and to also prevent it from getting stuck between wide crib slats.

Today, cribs sold in the USA are all manufactured to meet government specifications. Even the cheapest cribs on the market conform to slat size regulations, which dictate that crib slats must be spaced no further than 2 3/8th inches apart. This is approximately the size of a soda can, and not even an infant’s head could fit through a gap that small. This renders one of the primary initial purposes of a crib bumper obsolete.

However, parents who fall on the “pro” side of the crib bumper debate point out that wrists or ankles could still become caught in the crib slats. With a crib bumper, access to these slats is completely cut off. Additionally, a common perception is that the crib bumper pads the side of the crib, preventing the baby form striking its head. However, a Canadian health survey pointed out that no infant they observed was capable of moving its head with enough momentum to injure itself if it did strike anything. Other parents reason that the crib bumpers can’t hurt and that they look good. The crib bumper is a primary piece in most crib sets and, sort of like a crib skirt, it can really tie a crib decorating theme or a whole nursery together nicely.

So what about the “con” side? These include several SIDS awareness groups, as well as various online parenting forums. Major groups that have come down against crib bumpers include the American Academy of Pediatrics, the Consumer Product Safety Commission and the First Candle/National SIDS Alliance. These groups contend that crib bumpers pose a possible suffocation risk during the initial infant phase, since an infant could potentially roll itself up against the pad, and then find it unable to roll back. They also assert that crib bumpers block the flow of fresh air at the baby’s level, possibly leading to hypoxia.

To us, there just don’t seem to be enough pros to outweigh the potential cons. If a stuck hand or ankle is a major concern of yours, look for a mesh crib bumper that fits outside of the crib. And for decorating ideas, there are plenty of other baby items you can buy that will make your new nursery look great without even the potential risk associated with crib bumpers.