My six month old son is very close to crawling. He likes being on his hands and knees rocking back and forth. Because he will soon be crawling and pulling himself up to stand we need to remove his crib bumpers. We tried this about a month ago... but the problem is that he is a "wall hugger". He sleeps right up against the crib wall. When we removed the bumpers he kept sticking his arms out of the crib slats and would get "stuck" thus causing frustration and then crying. We have tried it several times without the bumpers in hopes that he would outgrow sticking his arms through the slats... but he automatically gravitates towards this. So here is my question? Do you have any suggestions that might help a "wall hugger" like my son? It makes me nervous the way he gets himself stuck in certain positions. The bumper has kept him from doing this... but it needs to go. Has anyone used a crib shield?(basically a mesh that goes all along the sides of the cribs.) By the way it is a new crib... so the width between the slats are up to code. Any suggestions would be much appreciated. Thank you!
My daughter was also always a crib hugger, and when i took her bumpers off, we had the same problem with getting arms and legs stuck in the slats. My advice - drop his mattress to the lowest it can go, and put the bumpers back on. Even if he stands on them, he will be unable to climb out at 6 months if the mattress is at its lowest to the ground setting.
Along with a crib shield you could use a plexi-glass guard, the kind used on stairs to prevent little ones from getting their heads stuck or worse. Check out The Right Start Store, you can order both items from them and get the plexiglass cut to dimension.
Best wishes
J.
Hi K.,
I have the same issue with my little girl who is also 6 months old. She is a wall hugger and a soon to be crawler. She rocks back and forth, and than launches herself forward, bumping into the side of the crib. I have opted to leave the bumper on and lower the crib matress, so that if she does pull herself up it won't be an issue. She loves snuggling up against the bumper and has since about 9 weeks old. She has been on the move since than.
I am very comfortable with the bumpers and feel there is no danger for her. I did try and remove the bumpers once and all that happend was her arms and legs getting inside the slats, and her getting mad.
Sorry I don't have any suggestions. I thought it was funny that I am dealing with the same issue!
C.
Hi K.,
I have the same problem so about a week ago I took out the crib bumper and replaced it with the cradle bumper that we had. It is much lower, will not assist him in any effort to pull up and still offers enough of a barrier to prevent the arm through the slat problem. These are not long enough to go full length of the crib so I use them where I place his head and secure it in the corner and then at the slat about 2/3rds down the side of the crib. Make sense? Hope that this helps.
L. here. I have a 16 and 9 year old boys. My experience of babies is that they innately need to be next to a warm body for comfort and security when they sleep. Someone like mom or dad. When we put them in cribs they are missing that need for connection so they find the closest thing to connect with which are the sides of the cribs. Trust your instinct of what to do next. You might have to step out of the box of "how" to figure this one out. Remember babies cry because that's the only way they can communicate with us until they can use words. It's how they express their needs. Trust yourself and go with that. Remember what we did before we had cribs/slats/padding/shields...
My daughter is also a "wall hugger" and after taking out her bumpers we had the same problem. She would also bump into the sides of the crib while she slept and wake herself up. I decided to put the bumpers back with the mattress at the lowest. She is now 2 1/2 and I still have the bumpers on. She is one of the few children that LOVES her crib and hasn't tried to climb out. In fact, it takes me some effort to get her out after nap and in the morning! I have a video baby monitor and I watch her snuggle up to her bumper at night. So cute.
L. R
There are mesh/breathable bumpers available that fit snugly to the crib
