Experts say crib bumpers do more harm than good and should not be used

Sep 20 2007

Researchers in the United States are warning that the soft cushioned bumpers used around cribs and bassinets, do more harm than good.

The bumpers supposedly stop babies from banging or trapping their heads against the hard bars of a crib, but the researchers say they can strangle or suffocate babies.

The pediatric researchers from St. Louis Children's Hospital and the Washington University School of Medicine have found that at least 27 babies and toddlers up to age 2 were accidentally strangled or suffocated by bumper pads and another 25 children were injuried.

The research team examined reviews from the databases of three U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commissions on deaths related to crib bumpers and crib-related injuries from 1985 to 2005.

According to Dr. Bradley Thach the lead author, many small babies lack the motor development needed to free themselves when they become wedged between the bumper pad and another surface.

Dr. Thach says some simply cannot free themselves when they become entangled and if they are too soft, the baby's nose or face can get pressed up against it, and the baby suffocates; if they are too firm, the baby can climb up on the pads and fall out of the crib.

The research team found the reports revealed that 11 infants suffocated when their face rested against the bumper pad, 13 died after being wedged between the bumper pad and another object and three were strangled by a bumper tie.

An examination was conducted of 22 commercially available crib bumpers for potentially dangerous features such as excessive softness, a space between the bottom of the bumper pad and mattress, the width of the pads and the length of the ties that attach the bumpers to the crib slats.

All of the bumper pads were found to be hazardous because they left a space between the bottom of the bumper pad and mattress, an area in which an infant's head could become lodged.

The researchers say the bumper pads are not providing any benefit and do more harm than good and should not be placed in cribs or bassinets.

The study is published in the current issue of the Journal of Pediatrics.