What Is a Crib Bumper?

We are well acquainted with bumper cars, car bumpers, and we may even do the bump, but what are crib bumpers? At one time, every nursery had a wooden crib with a matching comforter set, complete with sailboat or twinkling star sheets, pillow, blanket and crib bumpers. Today crib bumpers seem to be going the way of the eight-track player.

  1. Definition

    • Resting directly above the mattress, a crib bumper is a set of four pads tied to the inside of an infant's crib. Usually made of washable fabric, the pads measure about 8 to 10 inches high and run the length of each of the interior sides.

    Function

    • Made of padded material, the bumper was designed to prevent injury to a baby while sleeping or playing in a crib or bassinet. Theoretically, the bumpers protected the child from banging into the hard wood of the crib and also prevented him from lodging his head and limbs between the slats. They also kept toys, bottles and pacifiers from falling out of the crib. Matching the adorable baby sheets and bedding, decorative use is the main function the bumpers provide today.

    History

    • Cribs manufactured before 1974 often had slats or spindles that were widely spaced. Cases of infants being injured were reported with use of these early cribs. Preventing such cases was the crib bumpers' job. As early as 1991, bumpers' usefulness became obsolete when federal regulations required slats no more than 2 3/8 inches apart. Today cribs that exceed the mandatory and voluntary standards set forth by The Consumer Products Safety Commission are certified by the Juvenile Products Manufacturers Association.

    Problems

    • Despite the cute, coordinated look crib bumpers provide, several safety issues are associated with them. Parents' groups have claimed that children can climb on the pads to exit the crib without parental supervision. Other groups claim that bumpers restrict the air-flow around the crib, which might be a contributing factor to sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS). Perhaps the most worrisome claim is that bumpers pose a risk of suffocation.

    Recommendations

    • Today it is recommended that nothing be inside a crib--not pillows, stuffed animals or bumpers. For those who insist on a bumper barrier, mesh crib bumpers are currently on the market that promote more ventilation than traditional pads.

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