Bumpers in a crib for newborns: how to choose and install correctly?

Cots for babies, as is often the case with products from a wide variety of categories, while seemingly useful, still require additional purchase of separate accessories. In particular, absolutely all models are equipped with a fence, but many mothers logically believe that special fabric bumpers will also not be superfluous. However, even the obvious need for such an accessory does not make its choice easier, therefore it is worthwhile to carefully understand what it is and how to choose it correctly.

As we already understood, the bumpers in the crib for newborns are special panels made of fabric or based on it, which are vertically attached to the fence, making it one-piece. As befits a fabric, these sides can be removed from time to time for washing. Such products are made for cribs of different sizes and shapes, so the parents' task is to choose the optimal model.

The first task of such an accessory is to protect the child from drafts. Constant presence in a draft even in an adult can provoke a runny nose, but newborns have never been in good health, therefore such phenomena are extremely undesirable for them. The sides for the cradle almost always have a dense filler inside, which does not allow air to circulate quite freely, therefore there will be no draft in the crib. At the same time, one should not be afraid that ventilation will disappear altogether due to the use of such an accessory - due to the fact that the top still remains open, the child will not lose access to fresh air.

Another function of the bumpers is to protect the baby from the cold. This is especially true if the cradle is next to a cold wall, because parents do not always have the opportunity to arrange furniture differently. You can solve the problem with clothes or warm blankets, but in the case of a small child, both options are fraught - the textiles will constantly get dirty, and too warm clothes will not allow normal air circulation and provoke prickly heat in the baby. That is why removable bumpers will be the best solution - the baby usually does not get enough of them, and they warm him up without creating an unnecessary greenhouse effect.

Of course, a thick side with a significant amount of soft filler will help protect your baby from possible injury. The child does not yet control his actions, being capricious, he can actively swing his arms and legs, and therefore, sooner or later, he will hit the fence. Most likely, the blow will not be too strong, but the child's body is not particularly "strong", just as the baby's nervous system is not ready to endure even the slightest pain. For this reason, it will be much better if the thick and soft side can somewhat soften the collision of the baby's limb with the rigid fence.

The decorative and entertaining function of the boards should also be noted. Manufacturers understand the needs of a potential client, therefore they select a design in such a way that it is pleasant to the baby and attracts his attention, but at the same time does not overload the mind, otherwise the child, constantly seeing something interesting in front of him,overworked and unable to sleep. For this reason, the sides are usually made in soft colors, with a pattern without sharp lines, not too conspicuous. Many manufacturers also provide special attachments for toys in the form of Velcro or strings - this allows the mother to attach entertainment directly to the wall of the crib while the child is awake, and remove them when it is time for him to sleep.

The first thing you should pay attention to when choosing is compatibility with the bed in shape and size. You can find models both for the classic rectangular baby cradle, and for the round or oval, however, they, of course, are not interchangeable. To fully protect the child from any negative external manifestations, it is important that the product completely covers the fence, which means that it must match both the length of the fence and its height.

In some cases, parents choose bumpers with a canopy, which is very beautiful, but already involves a certain risk. The fact is that even a small canopy over the crib, coupled with the sides installed from all sides without exception, significantly reduces the possibilities for normal ventilation of the crib, and this can lead to various skin problems in the baby. Preference should be given to models with a canopy only if the main purpose of the accessory is to protect the baby from the cold wall - then the perimeter of the sides does not have to be solid.

The sides also differ in thickness. Perhaps, it will not be possible to find an exclusively fabric model without any filler, but some models are so thick that they can be called pillows, and when taken off they can even be used as such. There are quite a few options for fillers, but an approximate gradation is clearly visible, in which cheap bumpers are usually relatively thin, do not particularly protect against injury and quickly lose their softness, while expensive ones are very soft, versatile, and have an increased durability.

It should be noted that the approach to the manufacture of sides differs significantly from different manufacturers - some strive to ensure maximum compliance with the main functions of the product, while others try to follow the modern trend of turning any item into the most multifunctional one. Supporters of the second approach release boards that are at least equipped with toys, and in especially thoughtful cases, such toys also turn out to have a pronounced developmental effect. Of course, the baby from such an accessory will not start talking in six months, and in general it is worth objectively assessing the developmental effect of each individual model, but in general, such a solution will be very useful - it is possible that the baby will now develop even when the parents are distracted.

Of course, the classification of children's bumpers also considers the design of the product as one of the criteria. Sometimes you come across pure white models, the task of which is the same - to help protect the child from cold and injury. However, from the first day of their baby's life, many parents are concerned that the child is provided with everything necessary in strict relation to their gender, and although in the first months the difference is not so obvious and not too realized by the baby, manufacturers follow the lead of the parents, releasing separate boards for boys and girls.

It does not seem to be a fundamental difference, but it still allows you to classify the sides for cribs and the way they are attached to the fence. Velcro models are very popular today - this type of fastening allows you to remove and put the product on the frame much faster, but over time the sticky part deteriorates, forcing you to use strings.As for the models originally produced with strings, they are a little cheaper, but when you replace them, you have to tinker with them longer.

Finally, you need to understand that such products are not necessarily serial and released on an industrial scale. Young mothers in the first months of a baby's life (as well as in the last months of pregnancy) are forced to sit at home for a long time, and if needlework is not alien to them, they could independently make bumpers for their child. Handmade models are traditionally praised in specialized forums, because they always meet all the criteria that must be observed when choosing such an accessory. At the same time, the sides for a crib are quite simple to manufacture, and you can find detailed instructions on how to make them in the public domain.

Choosing the perfect option for baby crib bumpers, you will have to take into account a huge number of criteria, because neglecting any one of them can cause disappointment from the purchase. Let's try to consider at least some of the points that make it possible to call the sides good or bad.

Do not be too lazy to measure the bed in advance in all projections in order to know what dimensions the chosen board should be. This is especially true for irregularly shaped cradles - oval or round, since in these cases the manufacturers relied on the originality of the furniture and deliberately refused to follow generally accepted standards.

It should be noted that a somewhat incorrectly widespread opinion, according to which the side must necessarily cover the cradle from all sides and strictly along the height of the fence. Sometimes the latter is quite high, and its complete hanging will lead to the formation of an unnecessary greenhouse effect, therefore the accessory may be lower - in some cases it completely covers only a third of the fence. If the child needs to be protected from only one cold wall, which has a cradle, then the sides around the entire perimeter are not needed - this is also true if the front crib fence can be lowered or completely removed for more convenient access to the baby.

The sideboard should ensure the most comfortable stay of the baby in the cradle, and if the filler is inside the accessory and is not conspicuous, then the fabric of the cover is the moment that must be appreciated by every consumer even before buying.

It is not surprising that it is best to choose fabrics of natural origin as the material for the cover of the rim. - in particular, materials based on cotton like satin, calico or chintz. Such a cover, retaining heat, does not interfere with normal air circulation, and is also able to absorb some of the moisture, normalizing the atmosphere in the cradle.

Purely synthetic materials, as we already understood, are not welcome due to the unpredictable reaction of the child's body to them, but the combination of synthetics with natural raw materials is sometimes appropriate. A striking example of this combination is the crepe satin cover. Such combinations are generally in high demand in the modern market - consumers appreciate them because there are not so many synthetics there, but it provides some useful advantages in the form of increasing the service life or simplifying the care of the product.

The interior of the crib bolster should not be viewed solely in the context of mitigating possible shocks - in fact, the materials used as filler are judged on many different criteria and can be useful (or useless) in the most unexpected ways.

For example, holofiber is considered the best solution in terms of practicality today.because this material holds its shape perfectly and is resistant to wear, which means that the cushion will remain soft even after repeated washing. Being a synthetic material, holofiber almost never becomes the cause of allergies in a child. However, as is often the case, excellent consumer characteristics are canceled out by a purely economic drawback - high cost.

Foam rubber as a filler is much cheaper, therefore it is not surprising that it is used much more often than competing holofiber. This is just the case when consumer goods are synonymous with low quality, because such a filler requires a very careful attitude towards itself, in particular, it must be washed either by hand or in a delicate mode. Most likely, even frank blowing of dust particles from such a purchase will not greatly extend its life - this material is prone to rapid wear and will require replacement after a few washings. An important advantage of such an accessory is that it dries quite quickly, which means that a spare set of bumpers is not needed in the house.

Contrary to the total orientation in recent years towards a 100% natural product, some varieties of such material in the case of children are definitely not worth choosing. For example, bird fluff or animal hair seems to be soft and excellent protection from the cold, but they are not suitable as filler for sides, if only because they are a very common cause of allergies in children. Separately, it should be said that in such material, various small parasites can easily start, which also tend to appreciate the natural, and for a small child such a neighborhood is doubly dangerous.

When choosing bumpers for a crib, keep in mind that your baby will have to see them almost all the time that he is awake. This means that the drawing (if any) should be pleasant and unobtrusive.

The fact is that the baby is very interested in the world around him - without such an innate curiosity, he simply would not have become a full-fledged adult. However, the child does not yet know how to hold attention - you must have noticed that even preschoolers are rarely addicted to something for a long time. A child simply gets tired of a specific concentration of attention - it is enough for him to focus on something for literally a minute to get tired. At the same time, he does not have the opportunity to at least turn away from the brightly painted side that surrounds him on all sides, therefore he gets extremely tired, which is caused by constant crying and unwillingness to fall asleep from overexcitement.

As for the division into products for boys and girls, at this age it is more of a marketing ploy. Children do not yet have gender preferences at this stage, they are not even formed, because a princess for a girl or a car for a boy is just the same drawing with complex detail that you may like for its brightness, but is too tiring. Psychologists and other children's specialists have also proved that the eternal desire to provide boys with blue accessories, and girls with pink ones, is just a stereotype, while there are no prerequisites for mass adoration of the “color of the same gender”.

Many consumers (this applies not only to parents looking for crib bumpers) prefer not to understand all the criteria for choosing the desired product, but simply trust public opinion. Sometimes the logic according to which it is worth taking the same thing that everyone takes, works, but with some caveats.

You don't always have to rely on the brand name as a whole. For example, the famous Swedish Ikea even produces bumpers for cribs, but it became famous not because of them, but due to the furniture produced, which is criticized by many for the primitive design. Consequently, a recognizable name comes from another industry, and it is not at all a fact that you, as a connoisseur of Swedish prefabricated furniture, will be equally happy with the boards.

Another point that must be taken into account when targeting reviews on the Internet is that not all comments are written by real consumers. Some companies, be they manufacturers or sellers, hire special people who literally write positive reviews about products under false names, even if they have never seen it, which helps to increase sales. When evaluating a product using comments on the Internet, try at least not to take them from the official website of the manufacturer or seller, and also pay increased attention not to the positive aspects, but to criticism. If the review does not contain any drawbacks, think once again about how true it is.

Many parents forget about the psychological state of the child and specifically choose too bright sides for him, trying to surround him with beauty. The first example shows that beautiful childhood stories don't have to be pungent in color to stay interesting.

In some cases, the boards are separate cushions that can be used for sitting or sleeping in the future. Designers reserve the right to design each pillow in the form of a cute animal or fairy-tale character, but the general rule that there should not be excessive brightness and abundance of details works here as well.

In fact, for a restless child, it is better to completely abandon the serious size of the drawings, preferring patterns. A good combination of colors looks stylish, but does not deprive the baby of peace and good rest.

For information on how to make bumpers in the crib, see below.