Are Cot bumpers safe? (and other cot questions)

[Mumblesmummy]

My mum has just bought me the most beautiful cot set- bumper, sheets, fleece blanket, quilt etc etc etc all the bits that go with it all. Then DPs family said that we can't use any of that stuff because all the baby can have in it's cot is a fitted sheet and one of those blankets with holes in it. Is this true? I don't want my mum to have wasted the money and the set is so beautiful I hope we can use it.

I think the recommendation is not to use cot bumpers until (I think) 12 months- same for duvet but I think everything else is ok

AFAIK its best to use just sheets and cellular blankets up to 12 months

Cot bumpers are not recommended for a number of reasons:

The ties (although I suspect they are too small to realistically cause harm)
They block the airflow through hte bars which can stop a a baby overheating
When they get older I think they can throretically use them as a step ladder to climb out of cots.

Quilts shouldn't be used until over 12m

It does have sheets and cellular blankets in the set so all is not lost... what about fleece blankets? Are they useable? I could save the cot bumpers and baby quilt and things until he's 12 months.

What about grobags? We have 1.

You could use the fleece blanket in mose3s basket, pram or even when you are snuggled on the sofa with baby. We had a couple of fleecy ones from asda and they got used over and over in the first few months. - Great for lots of things.

We used fleece blankets too. They are very light weight compared with the cellular ones although we had those as well.

Don't worry, a lot babies are in their cots for at least 2 years. Just put the quilt and bumpers out when your baby gets to 12 mths.

No reason not to use fleecy blankets IMO. Just make sure if you use the grobag that yyou don't use blankets etc as well. IME grobags are fab and saves faffing about with blankets etc- if you want to use them you may need more than one though.

cot bumpers are a suffocation risk if the baby manages to wriggle against them

i thought cot bumpers were not a good idea when baby starts to stand as they can use them as a leg up/stand on in order to get (fall) out of the cot.

maybe check with the retailer for the correct age to use them.

i thought you could use cot bumpers till baby could sit up? ive got one as part of my crib set as dd2 used to always wiggle a lot and bump her head on the bars. as long as its tied on very securly (add extra ties if necessary) then there fine - from what i have read and been told etc.

fleecy blankets are fine as well but no quilts, duvets or pillows till at least 1 yr. mothercares coverlets (fleece backed with material) are also fine from birth.

Well various links question the saftey of cot bumpers from all ages TBH.

This is some text from Babyworld -

"Cot bumper
This is a piece of padded fabric which attaches to the inside of the cot. It makes the cot look attractive, gives a young baby something interesting to focus on and helps keep the cot draught-free. However, there are concerns about the safety of cot bumpers on two points: first, the danger of suffocation or strangulation if they loosen and the baby?s head comes into contact with them, and second, that by restricting the flow of air in and out of the cot they may contribute to the baby overheating.

If you do use a bumper, ensure that the fabric ties which attach it are secured properly and out of your baby?s reach, and that the room temperature is well controlled. A cot bumper should be removed altogether once a baby is sitting, as it may be used as a lever to climb out. The babyworld shop offers a range of cot bumpers in attractive designs."

Under 6m
Use a cot umper with caution, tightly tied and in a well controlled room
From 6-9m remove as that will be teh stage they start to pull themselves up and it becomes a climbing risk.

TBH I personally wouldn't and didn';t use cot bumpers at all. Quilt OK from 12m, pillopw from 12m only. Everything else on your list sounds fine.