However, you can still buy crib bumpers for your baby’s crib. Why are they available if the AAP recommends against using them? The Juvenile Products Manufacturers Association (JPMA) doesn’t agree that crib bumpers are always unsafe. In a 2015 statement, the JPMA said, “At no time has the crib bumper been cited as the sole cause of an infant’s death.”
The statement also expressed concern that “the removal of a bumper from a crib will also remove its benefits,” which includes reducing the risk of bumps and bruises from arms and legs being caught between crib slats. The JPMA concludes that if crib bumpers meet the voluntary standards for infant bedding, then it’s safe to use.
The Consumer Products and Safety Commission(CPSC) has not issued required safety guidelines for crib bumpers, and it has not stated that bumpers are unsafe. However, in its informational pages on safe infant sleep, the CPSC recommends that a bare crib is best, with nothing in it besides a flat crib sheet.