Photo Courtesy of breathablebaby.com
Are you considering purchasing a crib bumper for a baby on the way? Fluffy, patterned, and soft to the touch, crib bumpers have been sitting on the shelves of mainstream retailers for years. Seemingly harmless, crib bumpers actually increase the risk of SIDS. (Yikes!) From 1985 to 2012, 48 infant deaths and 146 injuries (related to suffocation, strangulation, and entrapment) were directly connected to crib bumpers. Even scarier? In the more recent years of the study (2008 to 2012), the annual rate of crib bumper-related deaths nearly tripled.
Dr. Edward Kulich, The Baby Sleep Doctor, says crib bumpers should "absolutely not" be available to consumers, and he gave us three reasons why he recommends parents keep crib bumpers far away from, well, the crib:
1. Until about 3 to 4 months old, babies don't roll, and it's unlikely an infant would generate enough force to be injured. HERE