Doctors Say Don't Put Bumper Pads in Cribs

Pediatricians are warning parents not to put bumper pads inside of cribs because of the risk of infants suffocating. The American Academy of Pediatricians (AAP) set the new guidelines for physicians as part of an effort to provide safe sleep environments for babies and to reduce the risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome.

According to the AAP, there is no evidence to suggest that bumper pads protect babies, but there is substantial evidence to suggest that they can create a suffocation, entanglement, or strangulation risk because infants lack the strength and motor skills to turn their heads if they got caught in something, such as a bumper pad, that would obstruct their breathing.

The last time that the AAP issued a statement on bumper pads was in 2005. At that time, the AAP recommended using bumper pads that were "thin, well secured, firm and not pillow-like". They issued the newest warnings over bumper pads after several new studies were published that provided evidence that bumper pads are more dangerous than they are safe. Parents are urged to remove bumper pads as soon as possible from their baby’s crib.