'I'm a mortician and I've seen too much - never put a bumper in a baby's crib'
Navigating the world as a new parent can be extremely daunting. All the dos and don’ts, conflicting advice, and sheer scale of opinions about topics can be overwhelming. Luckily, there is lots of information online and via social media from mums and dads who want to share their own experiences.
Over on TikTok, a woman named Lauren who works as a mortician, regularly posts videos about child safety to her 2.5 million followers. In one of her most recent clips, the mum explains why crib guards can be dangerous and urges other parents not to use them.
Expanding her warning to all types of ‘crib bumpers’, which are essentially padded or mesh coverings that go on the side of a cot to stop a baby from hitting their heads or faces on the wooden bars. She explains: “You know, like the mesh kind, the knot mesh kind, the little things, little wedges you put in the crib. These are all a big no, no. I know they look cute, and you want to decorate your crib, but it's just, it's a no, babe.”
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Lauren added that she knows some people might say that their kids have hurt their heads or faces on the bars but that it was a learning process, and they wouldn’t have hurt themselves enough to do any real damage. She went on: “And if they're sleeping, I promise they're just gonna be, like, rolling into them. They learn so fast. Okay, I know. They're like sponges. Trust me, they're gonna be fine.”
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Explaining her reasoning behind the warning of the guards, she went on: “Bumpers, pillows, blankets, anything extra in the crib. If the baby were to roll over and put their face up against that bumper, it would be a suffocation hazard. Along with if they got their face somehow in between the mattress and the bumper or the pillow. Again, a suffocation hazard.”
Showing a photo of a tied bow on the side of a cot, she went on: “[This is] another thing I do not like, all of these strings, and they are super long. If your baby, once they're big enough if they can pull that down, it could get wrapped around this area [pointing to her neck]. When your baby is big enough to stand on their own, they can stand on the bumpers, which gives them just a little bit extra boost. And they could then fall out, and then you're gonna have a serious head injury.”
Lauren cited the AAP, the American Academy of Pediatrics, which recommends having nothing in the crib apart from a fitted sheet. She added: “That's it, and, like, put them in a sleep sack. But no pillows, blankets, no nothing.”
The mum revealed that several baby stores had stopped selling the bumpers and mesh because they were dangerous but it always shocked her that so many leading brands still promote them. She reasoned: “I see the appeal of this, I do. However, the risk is just not worth the reward for me here. They could scrunch those down. They could climb up them. Kids are smart. I mean, it doesn't take much to figure out zippers.”
Lauren finished: “Do I sound like a broken record? Yes, and I love that. Thank you for coming to my death talk.” Many people were in strict agreement with Lauren and rushed to thank her for sharing the advice. One person wrote: “As a newly pregnant first-time mum this is invaluable information! Thank you!” And a second viewer agreed, adding: “As someone who has worked in day cares since I was 18 this has been drilled into my head. nothing extra in the crib unless prescribed by a doctor until one year.”
Another person wrote: “My kid got his leg stuck in the craziest position between the bars of his crib. My husband asked about bumpers and I simply asked broken leg or dead?”
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