JJ123
I put bumpers on my daughters crib when she was first born for sheer decoration. Once she was able to wiggle around and roll over, i removed them, as it can increase the risk of SIDS.

Tati
i think my son had his bumpers by then, if not soon after. but the Docs say it increases the risk, so you need to weigh the risk, baby may bump his head vs. SIDS danger... of course this young i'm not sure he can move fast enough to seriously bump his head

mommatobe
Yes, bumpers or ANYTHING in the crib increases the risk of SIDS. Unless your son can roll over, which isn't likely at 8 weeks, he will probably not be running into the sides of the crib. Just keep an eye on him and see what happens.

Jacob's<3Mommy
I use breathable bumpers - you can get them at babies r' us. Good luck!!

Old School Mama
I used the bumpers until my daughter could stand up in the crib. It protected her head and always block any distracting views when she was sleeping.

BUTTERFLYKISSES
just get one of those things that go on both sides of the baby to keep him from rolling around. I can't think of what they are called but the like Velcro to like a little cloth mat the baby will sleep on. I used them with my daughter and they worked great!.

Doodlestuff
Not true. Bumpers are not associated with SIDS. Bumpers had been associated with strangulation deaths, so sometime in the late 80s or early 90s, regulations required ties to be 6 inches or less. If the bumpers are regularly tightened and removed once the child is able to pull up, they are perfectly safe. Bumpers are getting a raw deal because SIDS activists want people to have nothing in the crib because it reduces suffocation deaths (has nothing to do with SIDS). This is that 'one message' thing. However, bumpers have never been associated with suffocation death. SIDS is likely multicausal, but mostly associated with children with apnea episodes and those who go into very deep REM sleep.

dsje1507
At eight weeks he you can use Sleep Positioners or the flat panel bumpers that go along side the crib. They are not bulky and are tied along the bars of the crib so they don't come loose but provide a safe environment. That's what I used. Or you can swaddle him so that he can't roll.

Laura B
I never used bumpers. They can increase the risk of entanglement or suffocation.

anni_schmid_2004
The risk of SIDS everyone talks about is assuming that the bumper will come loose, wrap around the baby's head and suffocate him. It's in the same line as "Don't give him a teddy bear!" In the US, there have been TWO children die from a teddy bear, and both were attributed to parental neglect. (i.e. 8 week old fell off it's parent's bed and landed on a bear.) This is another of many SIDS cautions that don't hold much water. If you really think he'll hit his head, put in a bumper. I don't think he's old enough to pull it out and choke himself. And remember, relax!!! You have enough to worry about without thinking the deadly crib decoration will hurt your little one! I'm not saying it never happens, but the chances are around the same that the crib will spontaneously collapse.

Misty Dawn
It is true that they can increase the risk of SIDS, but there are precautions you can take to make them safer for baby. First, always tuck the bottom of the bumper in between the matress and crib railing. Your matress should be so snug that it makes it nearly impossible for baby to move the bumper out himself. (Still make sure you secure them to the crib railing as an extra precaution) Then, make sure you fasten the top of the bumper with velcro, not the strings that come on them. Velcro will stay put better than a string you tied and is easier to make tighter. Just go and buy some velcro and sew it on yourself. What I've been told is to sew velcro to every spot there is a string and halfway inbetween each of those spots so that you have double the security. If you can make it so the bumpers cannot come away from the railing of the crib then they are still fairly safe. It is as if the bumpers are then just a part of the crib. The main concern is that they land on baby's face and suffocate him. They also make breathable bumpers. If you wish you could get those. In reality, although they do increase "risk" of SIDS, the actual cases of it I believe are EXTREMELY rare, and probably more due to neglect. You would probably be just as okay securing them as directed on the package, I just give you the extra safety tips to not only put your mind at ease, but also just in case you want to make sure there is no chance of them causing a problem.

Nicola S
I used bumpers from about 5 months onwards. This was once my son has rolling over and becoming alot more mobile in his bed.

mystic_eye_cda
However, when used correctly, bumper pads should not protect infants from bumping against the sides of a crib or from having limbs become entrapped between the slats of the crib. This is because bumper pads are supposed to be removed from the crib by the time that the infant is able to roll over and sit up unaided (a development milestone normally reached between 4 and 8 months of age), which represents the same time frame in which it is expected that the infant would be able to move over and approach the side of the crib. (It must also be noted that, for the most part, infants do not sustain major injuries from banging their heads against the sides of their cribs because they are incapable of generating enough force to seriously injure themselves through head banging. The frontal bone, which is the part of the head most frequently struck during crib head banging, is the thickest bone in the body and therefore, is capable of absorbing the shock associated with this type of behaviour. It should also be noted that it remains possible for an infant to entrap his or her limbs over or under the bumper pads and that infant limb entrapment [between the slats of a crib], in the vast majority of cases, results in no injury or minor injury, such as bruising.) In summary, aesthetic value, the risk of limb entrapment, and the risk of a child hitting their head against the side of their crib are overshadowed by the hazards of entanglement, entrapment, strangulation, and suffocation (potentially leading to death) that children are exposed to through the use of bumper pads.