To wonder if it is safe to use cot bumper for baby's cot

[moijejoue]

My DC is 8 months old and today she banged her head quite hard against her cot rail. She was sitting up in her cot and fell backwards trying to reach something.

I don't have a cot bumper as I was told they aren't safe and NHS guidelines say they aren't safe (suffocation and strangulation hazard). I've seen some online advertised as safe and made with breathable fabric and they're fastened on with Velcro rather than ribbon.

AIBU to use a safe version of the cot bumper?
YABU to use the safe version
YANBU to use the safe version

And also, does anyone actually use one themselves for their own DC?

Many thanks!

The mesh ones don't address the risk of positional aphixiation, so no I wouldn't personally. You'll get lots of people along to tell you that they've used them and they are fine. And no doubt 99.99% of the time they are. But do you want to risk being the 0.01%? Personally I'd trust the NHS and the Lullaby Trust.

I wouldn't. At 8 months baby could easily tangle itself and suffocate/ strangle themselves.

Babies are designed to topple over quite a bit.

They really are a suffocation risk. I think it's dreadful that they're allowed to sell these awful things.

If it’s made of breathable mesh, it’s presumably not very padded so wouldn’t have prevented todays head bump anyway? Sorry to hear your baby banged her head, I’m sure she is fine though, they are very robust at this age and it is normal for them to do stuff like this!

Nope, avoid

No there is no need to use one

Please don't, they're not recommended as they can cause suffocation. It's not worth the risk. I alspndoubt yiur baby will be able to do much damage to themselves by bumping into it (and they'll learn not to do it as well)

My DC is 8 months old and today she banged her head quite hard against her cot rail. She was sitting up in her cot and fell backwards trying to reach something.

Take her out when she's awake. Unless I'm missing something.

I wouldn’t - it’s not worth the risk.

No, definitely not. It's not worth the risk. You need to be alert to when she's awake in the cot and get her straight out. Do you have a baby monitor on her? Is the cot on the lowest setting?

No definitely not.

Please don't. A 'breathable' one won't provide enough padding for what you want so will be pointless but will just pose a risk. She could also climb on it and fall out.

And its a really tough read but look up Preston Brian's story. His father had to unwrap the bumper from around him twice. It had been tied on so tightly that the tie had snapped off the bumper itself and was still attached to the cot. To me it would never be worth the risk.

Absolutely not - go against SIDS safe sleeping guidance.

Nope. A slight bump.is better than suffocating. They are not safe and shouldn't be allowed to be sold.

Never used them with our 4 and had no problems

No. No. No. Horrified to see anyone has voted they are. I have lost a baby to SIDS. A slight bang to the head is nothing. These things should be completely illegal, there is no such thing as a "safe bumper."

Please don't.There's good reason that there is a blanket no on them, not a "no with exclusions." It's just not worth the risk.

I wouldn’t risk it personally - the danger of asphyxiation is much greater than the danger of a head bump (even though the latter can be stressful in the moment!).

Entrapment and strangulation are also risks. I can't believe these are still being made!

I know it’s not nice when babies get bumps, but also remember that minor bumps are normal, and part of how they learn by experience to avoid them in future. Whether or not you pad the bed, your baby will find a million other ways to get bumped during the next year or two until they learn to control their body well. Mine was spectacular about finding ways to do this until he was about 2.5 (even got two black eyes from a face plant on an absolutely flat path in the park where he spontaneously fell over…)

I really wouldnt risk it tbh

it’s not safe - end of. Why would you be an exception ?

if she can sit up she should be in a lowered cot. She shouldn’t be able to bang her head on the cot rail. She could easily pull her self up at 8 months 😐

Traditional ones are banded for sale in the uk says it all

Little ones bump their heads - its inevitable at the toppling over stage. Unless the cot is made of stone its not a problem.

Only you can decide if the risk is acceptable to you. I’ve never used cot bumpers but I don’t follow all safe sleep guidelines. I’ve made a decision based on works for me and my family. My 5mo doesn’t share a room with me and has a soft toy, teether and muslin in his cot as they help him sleep. He likes suck on the teether, hold the toy in his hands and put the muslin on his face, it’s part of his routine/self soothing and I know he’s nearly asleep when he does it. When we’re out in the pushchair yesterday he pulled his hat off his head so he could put it over his face because he was tired.