Why are cot bumpers still sold???

[xitedmum]

Walking around the Baby Show (London 20/10/18) I couldn't believe how many cot bumpers were on display. I thought these were a definite no-no. Why are they still sold or does anyone use one and why?? Are they not as dangerous as people made out? Thanks!!

[problembottom]

I had my eye on some White Company ones until our antenatal day on Sunday when the midwife told us they were dangerous and an absolute no no. I had no idea babies had lost their lives because of them! Why on earth are companies still selling them.

[MimiSunshine]

Same issue with socket covers. When was putting a piece of (ill fitting) plastic in a plug socket EVER a good idea???

Yet they’re sold as safety measures. Unless your house is insanely old and you’ve never had the electrics updated then British safety standards mean it’s impossible for little fingers to get anywhere near the live part of a socket.

[olderthanyouthink]

I've been wondering about this and about pram/car seat shades (especially after this summer and seeing it a lot in the news)

[Lazypuppy]

We use cot bumpers, but they are ones that have a bottom that the mattress sits in, so no edges for baby to get stuck under.

[chillpizza]

The only safe cot is an empty cot. I think people that use them currently are complete idiots who are willing to risk their child’s life for the sake of being pretty or a bruise on a leg. Just because your child survived doesn’t change the fact many many haven’t.

[Icouldbehappy]

chillpizza
I totally agree. I can’t believe people are still buying them or justifying using them
And as for socket covers, when they’re plugged in, they make the socket “live” as they’re engaging the contacts inside. Which is nigh on impossible to do with your fingers.
I found this info on a child safety site years ago as I was considering buying them, needless to say I didn’t.
My DC are a lot older now.

THE ONLY SAFE COT IS AN EMPTY ONE.

[Thesearmsofmine]

I agree @chillpizza it makes me quite angry tbh when people come up with crappy justifications for using them. I would much rather get up in the night to fetch a dummy or have my child get a bump on their cot bars over risking something so unnecessary that could kill them.

[BrownCowStunning]

We are still planning on using them, I don’t think they are that dangerous

I bet thats what the parents of babies who have been suffocated or strangled by bumpers thought too.

It's the same as having teddies, cushions, etc in a cot. They just increase the risk of suffocation. I don't understand why anyone would put something in with their baby that would increase the chances of them dying.

[chillpizza]

icould yeah that one shocked me I’d never thought about it before until I was looking for covers but it’s true you need that top hole opened to be able to get near the actual live ports in the holes below as it’s a built in safety feature. We do have one cover but it’s the type that actually locks over the whole thing with things plugged into it that we cannot have being unplugged. You have to actually unscrew the whole unit to fit this type of cover but in protects our must be plugged in at all times plugs.

[Lamona]

So are breathable bumpers safe?

[Icouldbehappy]

There is no such thing a safe bumper of ANY KIND. Do not be fooled.
A SAFE COT IS AN EMPTY COT.
Full stop.

[Lamona]

But I can't see why.
The risks have been (and I'm not diminishing the risks! They're serious and really dangerous)
Suffocation from not being able to move away from bumper
Strangulation by ties.
If there are no ties and no risk of suffocation, what is the is the risk? I'm not saying there is none- just want to know what it is!

[Nellyelora]

@Lamona my understanding is that babies can use the bumper as leverage to pull up and to stand on and then fall out of the cot. Obviously a number of factors are involved here.

[Ceecee18]

@Lamona as well as what Nellyelora said, I thought it was that even Velcro mesh bumpers can be pulled loose by a toddler and they become tangled in it.

Even though that may seem unlikely I don't see how it's worth the risk. DD trashes about a hits her head off the bars, they aren't that hard and she's never been hurt.

[Lamona]

Ok. Thanks!
I don't know if that would put me off using then entirely- more judge when that might be a risk heighwise. It's helpful.
Sorry - it sounds like I work for the bumper- marketing team! I just want to be informed; rather than scared.

[OutPinked]

I saw one made of ROPE earlier . It was handmade and was supposed to look chic and nice, I saw it on Instagram. It just looked plain weird.

I hate sleep positioners personally. Every time I see a pic of a baby in a sleepyhead I wince a bit, they just don’t look safe.

[Capretta]

We use them because we lived in a studio flat and we didn't fancy going to sleep and turning all devices/lights off/not moving every time the baby went to sleep in her cot. So we put a bumper up, so she couldn't see us (which would distract her).

[Capretta]

If bumpers weren't being sold anymore, we would have used a blanket around the outside head part, with ring-links.

[LadyMonicaBaddingham]

Is a cot bumper the same as those padded things to go on the bars?

[LadyMonicaBaddingham]

Sorry if that's a dim question...

[Scottishlass11e]

'Don't think they are that dangerous' tell that to preston's parents, who lost their baby boy due to him dying while these were in use. They've petitioned hard to get these band

[meow1989]

"...the study by Washington University School of Medicine, published today (24 November 2015)  in the Journal of Pediatrics found that 48 infant deaths from 1985-2012 were specifically attributed to cot bumpers. An additional 146 infants were involved in cot bumper incidents in which the babies nearly suffocated, choked or were strangled."
(Lullaby trust press release in 2015). That's not many babies but it's far too many as far as I'm concerned. They also advise that no bumpers or safe. I just can't see any good reason at all the excuse using them when the risks are so clearly identified.

[DaisyDreaming]

Preston’s mum- I’m so sorry to read your sad story, you’ve done amazing work to save so many babies from passing away in the same way

[DaisyDreaming]

I can’t understand why they are on sale still. It annoys me when I see those awful beaded dummy clips being sold on fb but at least you can’t walk into big baby stores and buy them unlike bumpers

[Icouldbehappy]

A SAFE COT IS AN EMPTY COT.
End of story.
Babies can get themselves tied up in a knot, quite literally, on breathable bumpers, velco bumpers, ANY bumpers.
What part of Preston’s story are some people not reading????
After first become aware of a child dying from strangling themselves on a blinds cord, I wonder how many people would still say, oh it’s fine. Ours is different, ours is safe, ours is nowhere near the cot etc etc
Hmmmmm????
Or would you not respond to a risk no matter how unlikely, to safeguard your most precious possession??
The chances of actually being involved in a car crash every day are actually very low, but we still ensure that our babies and children are safely strapped in, don’t we!!!
A SAFE COT IS AN EMPTY COT.