bumpers in cot

Posted by Havefaith (156 days ago)

my daughter is 4.5 months old. she has just started moving around in her cot. she likes to stick her feet thru the gaps in the railing of her cot. should i put up the bumpers? i have not done so before becos i have heard that putting bumpers up too early might cause SID becos of the baby being overheated.

(I am based in Hong Kong)

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Posted by axptguy38 (156 days ago)

Once your baby reaches the moving around stage the risk of SIDS decreases since she can lift her head up and/or turn it if she can't breathe. The risk is still there though.

Just sticking her feet through is not a problem unless she gets stuck all the time.

As for heat, it depends how much the bumpers block ventilation. Does it get much hotter with them on?

(I am based in Hong Kong)

Posted by michelley (156 days ago)

my baby sticks her arms and legs through the gaps all the time. she rarely gets stuck though.

(I am based in Hong Kong)

Posted by Z (156 days ago)

and once they can pull themselves up, you want to remove the bumpers [aka stepladders] before they figure out that bumpers can be used to climb out of the cot.

(I am based in Beijing)

Posted by 0ze_Kid (156 days ago)

Sorry but PP is incorrect.

SIDS is not "reduced" until the age of 12 months+ (obviously as each month passes the chances are better but I believe it is a dramatic drop after 12 months. I have heard of many cases of babies 8-10 months dieing of SIDS yet they can 'lift their heads' etc).

In Australia, provided you have a quality approved cot (ie, the cot rails are a certain width apart) then NO extra items such as toys, cot bumpers, pillows and the like should be used until well after 12 months.

Have you thought of introducing a sleeping bag? This helps stop little feet getting in between the bars.

Visit http://www.sidsandkids.org/ for more information.

(I am based in Hong Kong)

Posted by axptguy38 (156 days ago)

I stand corrected 0ze_Kid.

(I am based in Hong Kong)

Posted by Havefaith (156 days ago)

thanks everyone. i have been putting my daughter in sleeping bags but we dont zip her up at the bottom becos she likes to have her feet out. it looks like i will zip her up around the bottom rather than use the bumpers. it can get hot with the bumpers on.

hf

(I am based in Hong Kong)

Posted by axptguy38 (156 days ago)

Why don't you turn on the A/C. A cool room is very conducive to a good night's sleep. We used to keep the kids' room at around 17C at night in winter when we lived in colder climates.

(I am based in Hong Kong)

Posted by Havefaith (155 days ago)

Axptguy,

We keep the air con on at 24 or 25C - but not 17C. She seems to be quite happy at this temp.

HF

(I am based in Hong Kong)

Posted by axptguy38 (155 days ago)

"We keep the air con on at 24 or 25C - but not 17C. She seems to be quite happy at this temp. "

Certainly 17C in HK would cost a lot of money. We did 17C when the temperature outside was well below that. And of course our girls had pajamas, socks and sleeping bags. Here in HK we keep it at 24-25 like you.

(I am based in Hong Kong)

Posted by linnalin (154 days ago)

The risk is not only SIDS but the bumper pads are entanglement, entrapment, strangulation, and suffocation hazard.

In Canada it is recommended not to use bumper pads.
http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/cps-spc/legislation/pol/bumper-bordure-eng.php

(I am based in Hong Kong)

Posted by kiwimmc (151 days ago)

my babe is same at 5 1/2 months so I got an old full sized sheet, put it under the cot mattress and evenly over both sides of cots then used safety pins below the mattress level to secure it - there is enough over hang to go up the side of the cot and down to below mattress on the outside. this "secures" the longer parts of the cot and she is getting better at extracting her legs and arms now she is getting a bit older so I will probably remove soon. Downside is that it makes changing the sheets on the cot more of a challenge and you cant really lower the side of the cot. But I figured as it is just a double layer of cotton without any batting it would not be an over heating risk.

(I am based in Hong Kong)

Posted by Nula (145 days ago)

My youngest was a nightmare sleeper because she kept getting stuck between the bars and waking up. I bought Airwrap cot bumpers - best thing I ever did!

http://airwrap.com.au/

(I am based in Unspecified)