so are cot bumpers really dangerous?? am i being thick?

[cheritongirl]

Just noticed the label on my ds's cot bumper which says it should have been removed when he could sit up (he is 10 mo and can definitely do that!). Can't quite see why - especially if they are tied loosely..
can anyone explain this to me as my ds rolls around all over the place and i think he will ended up getting a bit battered without it..
ta!

I'm sure I read somewhere that studies have come out neither for nor against bumpers, but that the reason they suggest taking them out when a baby can sit up is to stop the little blighters attempting to climb out of the cot.
If you do want to take them out, he won't get battered, honest. Lots of children survive just fine without them!

some are soggy easily pulled down bumpers
We have hard foam ones and these are safer I think

i read somewhere (baby whisperer i think ?) that they can roll under them and potentially suffocate, and also it keeps the heat in the cot, stops air circulating through.

doesn't stop me having one though, ds loves chatting to his jungle animals in the morning !!

I've just removed them from ds's cot (9 mths) after reading the label too.

He rolls into the bars all the time and I hear lots of clonks and crashes but it's amazing what he'll sleep through!

Don't really understand either though, why you have to take them out. i just do as I'm told.......

I had also read somewhere that cot bumpers are unsuitable for babies under 1 yo? how odd

Funny there is always someone elso with the same question as me! We did not put one on early because we were warned it was a suffocation risk. Yesterday we I was woken by a piercing scream - DD had her leg caught in the bars of the cot (gro bag and all!)
She has a huge bruise! But now I see I shouldn't put a bumper in incase she climbs on it?

When do you use them?

May have to get one anyway, I think a broken leg is more likely without one at this rate!

they are suitable from birth but are supposed to be removed when your lo gets more mobile as they can try to use them to climb out. Depends if your lo is a bit of an escape artist.

From sids website:

Can I use a cot bumper for my baby?

In the past, there were concerns that bumpers might make babies too hot, increasing the risk of cot death. However, recent research has shown that they have neither good nor bad effects. Take it out when your baby can get up on hands and knees so they can?t climb out.

both my two had bumpers from birth without any problems.

DD1 had a cot bumper because everyone did 21 years ago. When she was about 5 months I found her stuck underneath it. She'd wriggled backwards up the cot and got underneath it and couldn't get out. Luckily she hadn't been under it long but she was hot and red in the face. I don't know what they are like now but this was a sort of floppy bumper tied on with strings so it was a bit like having a pillow over her face. I never used one again.