What is the point of bumper guards on cribs?

Question

My daughter is almost 7 months old, and I was told once they start moving around to take out the bumper guard because they can suffocate etc. But now every morning I run into her room because she has an arm or leg stuck through the slats of her crib. Wouldn't the bumper guard prevent that? She's big enough that she can pick up her head and move it, can't i put the guard back in?

Answer 1

i read a tip where they said you can tie the bumpers on the outside of the crib, i think that would be safe until she can stand up and use it as leverage to climb her way out and possibly fall

Answer 2

Yes, the bumper would prevent stuck arms and legs. If you are worried about suffocation they make breathable bumpers you can use.

Edit - Sleep Positioners are just a waste of money. Receiving Blankets can do the job of a sleep positioner just fine. After they start rolling the sleep positioner is not going to stop them!

Answer 3

She could get her limbs stuck over or under the bumper.  So either get a mesh (breathable) bumper which are taller.  Or just let her be.

http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/cps-spc/legislati...

However, when used correctly, bumper pads should not protect infants from bumping against the sides of a crib or from having limbs become entrapped between the slats of the crib. This is because bumper pads are supposed to be removed from the crib by the time that the infant is able to roll over and sit up unaided (a development milestone normally reached between 4 and 8 months of age), which represents the same time frame in which it is expected that the infant would be able to move over and approach the side of the crib.

(It must also be noted that, for the most part, infants do not sustain major injuries from banging their heads against the sides of their cribs because they are incapable of generating enough force to seriously injure themselves through head banging. The frontal bone, which is the part of the head most frequently struck during crib head banging, is the thickest bone in the body and therefore, is capable of absorbing the shock associated with this type of behaviour.

It should also be noted that it remains possible for an infant to entrap his or her limbs over or under the bumper pads and that infant limb entrapment [between the slats of a crib], in the vast majority of cases, results in no injury or minor injury, such as bruising.)

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.

Answer 4

yes i kept the bumper pads on until my son was in a bed, like you said he would have his arms and legs sticking through the crib or he would bump his head, so don't worry if she can move she will be fine.....good luck

Answer 5

I wouldn't. She could soon figure out how to step on it and possibly crawl over the rails of the crib.

Answer 6

We kept the bumper guards in the crib. I got tired of him screaming because he got his foot stuck. We never had a problem with him pushing them down to try and get out of the crib. We never used a sleep positioner so I don't know anything about those.

Answer 7

If she can pull herself up, no don't put it on. kids use them to stand on and can fall out of crib.

They have bumpers that are like mesh so if she gets stuck by it , she can still breathe.

She won't suffocate. she is big enough to move herself or cry if something is wrong.  

Answer 8

im not a mom yet, but i was wondering this myself. it doesnt make sence

Answer 9

They don't want you using the bumper pads until they are old enough to move around in the crib. I put my daughter's in at 7 months because she kept getting her feet stuck in the bars. I just keep a fan in her room to circulate the air so that the carbon dioxide is being pushed around instead of staying in the crib.  

Answer 10

I used bumpers with both my boys.  I used a sleep positioner when they were infants so they couldn't roll up against it.  Once they outgrew the positioner I worried more about little arms and legs getting caught and twisted than suffocation.  Once they are rolling around they move if they roll their face against it (especially @ 7 months).

*EDIT ~ At this age she's not likely to have the skill or the strength to use it to climb out of the crib.  Just be sure to keep the mattress lowered to the right level to avoid this.