Cot bumpers - yay or nay

[Cherry85]

Some people are saying they are fine, some saying they are not, shops seem on the fence.

Any advice?

We used this one with DD when she was a bit older and would keep sticking her leg out and getting it stuck but until they really start moving there is no need for them and even then unless your DC sticks there legs out constantly you don't need it!

What’s people’s thoughts on breathable bumpers with Velcro fastenings? I used them from my daughter being about 10 months old to stop dummies falling out the cot as she rolled around in her sleep. But I recently saw a campaign suggesting even those are not safe? So then I wondered if I shouldn’t have used them.. we are long in a bed now but I’ve kept them in case they’d come in handy for the same reason for baby2..

There is no such thing as a breathable bumper if the Velcro has been pulled apart and it’s around their neck or the infant has got underneath and is trapped in a position they can’t breathe in.
No need for any bumpers at all. Better a leg trapped momentarily or a dropped dummy than a flaccid baby.

www.researchgate.net/publication/6120147_Deaths_and_Injuries_Attributed_to_Infant_Crib_Bumper_Pads

How about cutting up a pool noodle and wrap it round the bar and seal with duct tape as an alternative

We have used them occasionally, however we have switched to using a blanket. 6 month DD Likes to cover her face wit the blanket.

Sleeping bags stopped my DD constantly trapping her legs, waking herself up and yelling.

None of these products are worth the risk I'd say!

I'm shocked they're still sold to be honest.

Mine has never trapped his arms or legs, and he’s nearly 3. We used a Chicco next to me when he was really young (mesh sides), and like a PP said he was in a sleeping bag after that so couldn’t get his legs between the bars even if he wanted to.

I just don’t think trapped legs and arms are the massive problem Mothercare etc would like you to believe. Certainly not worth the risk of a dead baby.

The only safe cot is an empty cot is what I was told. I don't even think they look nice. Both my boys had gro bags so couldn't get their legs stuck in the bars anyway.

I really did find trapped legs to be a big problem TBF, but gro-bags were a risk-free solution.

Everyone I know (degree educated women) uses the air wrap cot bumpers. They are breathable and very securely attached. They prevent babies from bumping their heads on the hard wooden cot sides and from getting limbs trapped. I started off following the no-bumper advice but got sick of being woken by a screaming baby who had got his legs/arms stuck in the bars yet again.

A sleeping bag works wonders for stuck limbs and much safer as they can’t go over baby’s head.

@user1480880826 "degree educated" doesn't always go hand in hand with common sense, unfortunately.

Doesn't matter if you're 'degree educated', a degree in Art History or English Literature hardly qualifies you to be an expert on child safety.

Not sure what's going on with all these kids as well, my two never bashed their heads on the bars!

Degrees don’t stop babies dying from entrapment or suffocation, sadly.
Better the odd trapped leg which does no harm above a red mark than a dead baby.
I don’t recall mine suffering harm from their cots which had bare bars.

No!

Guess I’ll think twice about using them again .. thankfully the Velcro on ours was difficult for even me to pull apart so we had no issues. My daughter has never been one to fiddle with things so she never touched them. I would never have used them with a newborn/young baby, we had nothing in her cot until 8 months when she became extremely attached to a comforter!

But I guess I figured they were alright as she could easily breathe through them & by 10 months would move herself away if she couldn’t for some reason.. didn’t much think about them coming off her cot!

user1480880826 I have a PhD and didn’t use them, do I win?

How do grobags stop the legs getting trapped? Ds manages when he's in his.