Used them with both. Liked them, but didn't think they were a MUST have. My first moved around a lot when he slept and constantly banged his head against the slats of the crib.

I think it's a little funny that the safety experts say the safest place for a baby to sleep is in its crib. But how safe is it if the crib might collapse or the bumper ties might cause strangulation?

I guess they made sense back when the slates were too wide. I see no reason for them now. On top of the potential suffocation hazard, they can use them as steps to jump out of the crib when they get bigger.

More Nanny Staters at work.

Leave it to parents to decide how and where to place their children to sleep.

This is none of the states business.

Regular fabric, stuffed crib bumper used in the crib for my first child, changed it out for a breathable bumper for my second. My second child would roll into the crib wall all the time and wake himself up, making sleep-deprived mommy very unhappy. But they both pretty much co-slept with us anyway (which I'm sure someone will try to ban soon), so crib wound up being a decorative item.

I think the key is education, not a ban.

I had them, but didn't use them after reading in all the baby books about how dangerous they are.

Note to Anonymous: by the time the parent finds out that bumpers are a danger the baby is dead already. The recommendations are there to prevent the injury before it happens.

I would love to see the comprehensive stats on deaths attributed to bumpers versus death attributed to other soft items in a crib like blankets and stuffed toys. If there is a statistically significant difference, then this seems like something to think about. But my gut tells me that bumpers are just an easy target. Will the next ban be on baby blankets?

It just seems like there is a risk with everything - taking your child across the street without being hit by a car, for example. But as parents, you take the best precautions you know how and hope that it all turns out OK?

We use the mesh crib bumpers, I think we bought them online. They're breathable so if baby gets their face up to it, they can still breathe, and still cushions the crib walls.

I used the bumper for about a week on my son's crib, because I found it too much of a pain to take on and off when I wanted to change the sheets! He never slept in his crib until he was 11 months old anyway. But for a baby, knowing that they can be dangerous, I probably wouldn't use one.