cot bumpers ,, safe or not

[cheesecurry86]

Having read many story on children strangling themselves on there cot bumpers , but the thing is most of the children are nearly 19 months old and shouldnt they be removed from the cot anyway ? is this just a scare story ?

I think they are unnecessary. The risk of strangulation I'm sure is small, but there certainly are several news stories out there where children had died (the one I read recently was a 9 month old baby) so why risk it?

Its not just strangulation - its suffocation too. DC can lie too close to cot bumper, at a point where they can breath so won't move away but close enough that the air in front of their face doesn't circulate properly, meaning CO2 concentration rises/ oxygen concentration decreases, causing what is effectively suffocation.

Also cot bumpers serve absolutely no purpose whatsoever. When lo is young enough to use one they sleep feet to foot of cot, so nowhere near the section of bars/headboard cushioned by the cot bumper. Once they are old enough that the cushioning might possibly serve some purpose, they are at risk of suffocation, strangulation or using it to climb out of the cot.

I was told this in an antenatal class run by the hospital in the first area I lived in when pregnant with DS. I was then told to avoid cot bumpers as part of reducing SIDS by the community midwives in their standard tick box style check list they have to run through with new moms.

So ultimately they serve no purpose and pose a few dangers. If you really want something to wrap around the bars look at an airwrap - its breathable, squashes down if DC tries to use it to climb out and has no ties so poses none of the risks of a traditional cot bumper, although I still don't think its really needed.

Theres just no need for them. The less stuff you can put into a cot the safer it will be.

Not safe for all the reasons above

thank you ladys xxx

We got an Airwrap when DS was about 7 months and wriggling about to stop him getting his legs stuck in the bars. Didn't need it before then.

I had them because from 2 months old Ds use to get legs or arms through the bars and wake up screaming as he would then bend it a funny way I will more than likely be using them again this time if this baby is the same ensure they are fitted correctly they should go below the mattress which a lot of people do not do for some reason

Not safe. I don't plan to get any.

Airwrap will safely address the problems that toomanyanimals describes.

Used airwrap here for dd and now ds. No need for cot bumpers or anything else in the cot for that matter. They should be banned if you ask me.

Airwrap. Although I can't for the life of me remember why we bought it now (DD is 3). Perhaps she kept shoving her legs through the bars and waking herself up? Genuinely confused now I think about it. Got it from Kiddicare if memory serves.

Genuine question - if they are so dangerous why do they come with practically every bed set I've seen? Is there any official guidance on this and can anyone point me in the right direction of where the stories of strangulation are?

Purple monkey speak to your midwife. Like I said the information was given out at antenatal classes run by the hospital in the first area I lived and was actually on the community midwives checklist for reducing SIDS information given out when you've just given birth, in the 3rd area I lived in.

They still sell the damn dangerous things because people buy them! Mostly tends to be the older generation that buy them, because it's what they had in their day.

We got air wrap ones because DS was a nightmare for getting his feet and arms stuck through the bars. There is no way he can climb on them and they are Velcro so he can't strangely himself either.

*strangle

Purple monkey - I have no idea how to do a link on my phone but there is a very brief mention of why they aren't recommended here on the NHS website-

www.nhs.uk/Conditions/pregnancy-and-baby/Pages/what-you-need-for-baby.aspx

Also a pdf here, by wirral nhs, bumpers are listed under equipment as dangerous

<a class="break-all" href="https://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&ei=2IklVJ3JAcLmyQO-7IHQCQ&url=www.wirralct.nhs.uk/attachments/article/19/CP75%2520Clinical%2520protocol%2520for%2520Safe%2520Sleeping%2520Guidance%2520Final%2520January%25202014.pdf&cd=13&ved=0CCwQFjACOAo&usg=AFQjCNHnwVwFV-k8xAsUU4w9x3ZNbHV7Hg&sig2=dIOYhyYZ2X_8od07pwYDyw" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&ei=2IklVJ3JAcLmyQO-7IHQCQ&url=www.wirralct.nhs.uk/attachments/article/19/CP75%2520Clinical%2520protocol%2520for%2520Safe%2520Sleeping%2520Guidance%2520Final%2520January%25202014.pdf&cd=13&ved=0CCwQFjACOAo&usg=AFQjCNHnwVwFV-k8xAsUU4w9x3ZNbHV7Hg&sig2=dIOYhyYZ2X_8od07pwYDyw

Another from NHS scotland : www.readysteadybaby.org.uk/first-days-together/caring-for-your-baby/safe-sleeping.aspx

If you google "cot bumper safety NHS" there's lots of links to different NHS sites all saying not go use them.

*not to use them

Thanks. We were just out looking at some of this stuff and when I said I'd heard they were dangerous DP thought I was just falling victim to internet scaremongering. I'll have some proper references now!

As a Neonatal Nurse I always strongly advise parents NOT to use them. The less stuff you have in the cot the safer for the baby regardless of whether they were born prematurely or full term. We have had an ex-patient (who was with us for a number of months) die as a direct result of being smothered by cot bumpers.

It can be hard to know whats true and what's not, online and seriously confusing when something is acknowledged as dangerous by official sources yet still manufactured and sold in big retailers here. Some american states have apparently banned the sale of them, I think the UK should follow suit.

My mum recently worked on a case where the child was removed from birth mum - one of the (many) reasons the child was removed was due to the use of cot bumpers as it is so dangerous. This was actually stated in the court documents (Although it wouldn't have been the main or only reason of course).

I don't know the details of the case obviously but she said this in disgust at seeing how many bumper sets were still being sold in the shops when we went shopping for baby stuff.