Should you use crib bumper pads?
Should you use crib bumper pads?
In 2011, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) expanded its safe sleep guidelines to recommend that parents never use crib bumpers. Based on the 2007 study, the AAP stated: “There is no evidence that bumper pads prevent injuries, and there is a potential risk of suffocation, strangulation, or entrapment.”
Is it safe to put bumper pads in cribs?
Crib bumper pads have caused injury and death from suffocation and entrapment. Bumper pads reduce air flow and SIDS risk may be increased by overheating or re-breathing stale air. Toddlers may use bumper pads to assist climbing out of crib, leading to falls and injury. Bumper pads contribute to crib clutter.
Are crib bumpers really that bad?
You may have seen crib bumper pads in nursery pictures on social media, or on store shelves. These products may seem harmless, decorative, or even necessary to keep your baby safe, but bumper pads pose a serious, deadly risk to infants. Crib bumpers pose the risk of suffocation, entrapment, and strangulation. That’s why the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) warns against using bumper pads in their safe sleep guidelines which every family should follow.
When can you put the bumpers back in the crib?
If you feel crib bumpers are safe, they can be used when your baby is 6 months old and beyond . However, when he’s able to pull himself up to stand, the bumpers must be removed, as he can use the bumper as an aid in trying to climb out of the crib. This usually does not occur until your baby is at least 8 months old, according to BabyCenter.com.
When do you remove the bumper from the crib?
After 9 to 10 months old, most infants can pull themselves to a standing position and use the crib bumper as a step to fall out of the crib. The American Academy of Pediatrics also states crib bumpers should never be used – and the warnings don’t stop there.