One of the most popular purchases made by parents in recent years is the protective bumper for their baby’s crib. Usually the goal is not only to choose a simple protective bumper to hide the dangerous parts of the cot so that the child does not hit the cot with its little feet, hands or even its head, but also to achieve the best possible result in terms of decoration.
Long before a mommy welcomes her baby, she starts picturing how she would like to organize and decorate the baby’s space. Perhaps the protective bumper may not be on the top must-haves, but it’s typically not missing from the baby shopping list that is set up. But how to choose a satisfying protective bumper and match it with the crib you already have purchased?
First of all, it is worth mentioning that there are all kinds of different protective bumpers and they are not exclusively designed for baby cots. So what does this mean? It means that, no matter the type of crib you choose, even if you are sleeping in the same bed with the baby, there are various solutions and options to protect your child as much as possible. Before we go ahead and detail the options in protective bumpers, it is worth mentioning some important points that we often neglect.
Before you choose a protective cot bumper, it would be ideal if the crib had already been picked out. It is one of the most important first steps because by buying the cot, we know the exact dimensions and needs for coverage.
An important point is the type of bed, whether it has bars to tie the strings of a bumper, because if it does not have, automatically some cot bumpers are excluded. For example, the cradles or some types of swings usually do not have bars on top of the headboard.
It would also help you a lot if you had decided with the decoration or the theme of the nursery so that the choice of the protective cot bumper would complete it perfectly. Lastly, it is better to do market research and determine a possible budget for the purchase.
Very often, stressed new mums end up with a total bed cover, forgetting and not taking into account two important points;
The first is washing and drying. In the case of a very large and bulky product you will struggle a lot in handling it. It may not fit in your washing machine which automatically means hand washing, but how to wash and stretch such a large bumper? And also how to dry it, too? After all, using a dryer is not usually recommended for such items.
Moreover, we must not forget that the child grows, if at first it is a tiny little human being and takes up so little space, this will not be the case forever. They grow at a rapid pace and soon a large protective bumper may be annoying them because it too takes up too much of their space. Automatically your purchase will very quickly go to waste and you will be forced to get something equally protective but with a smaller size. However, of course you can also cover your baby’s crib completely by dividing the bumper into two or three pieces. This also helps with washing because the pieces are smaller but also when the child grows up instead of removing the whole bumper you can gradually remove it piece by piece.
The main options in protective cot bumpers
We might say that protective cot bumpers are divided into five main categories. Of course it is not absolute because the market is crowded with so many products of different kinds, but they all more or less fall into one of the following options.
Protective Braided cot bumper
The protective braid despite being a relatively new product on the market, it can easily join the most requested by everyone.
Imagine the classic braid that we used to do in our hair when we were little as protection on your child’s bed. As the braid no longer remains not only the classic, i.e. the triple braid, but it can be made into a quadruple to cover more of the height of the baby’s bed.
Buying a triple braid is definitely considered a good investment because it can be used in many ways. In case you have acquired a classic baby crib it will definitely be a stylish and good choice for protection; it can also have some strings to make it fit perfectly into the crib. If you are planning to use a cradle or you’re planning to sleep in the same bed, the purchase of this bumper will definitely not go to waste. Either on the cradle or even on the parents’ bed this protective bumper can be comfortably placed and function effectively. It will certainly serve you in the future, when the child has a single bed, where you can place the braid, now mainly for decorative purposes.
Thin protective cot bumper
A common choice is the classic always double-sided cot bumper, consisting of rectangular joined cushions.
It is not quite as thick, so it does not take up much of the bed space, but at the same time means that it might not 100% protect a baby from being hit.
Of course, it depends a bit on the child, because some are more active, other babies have a more restless sleep and other children hardly move at all. Bearing in mind that this particular bumper can only be used in a crib with bars because otherwise it will not fit properly and will lose its shape. And since its use is only limited to beds with bars, once the child is transferred to a single bed this bumper can no longer be used. But you will have acquired a beautiful double-sided protective bumper, which you will enjoy very much by placing it on both sides.
Puffy protective cot bumper
Another similar option in double-sided bumpers is the puffy one.
Same as the thin bumper, in this case the bed for the baby must definitely have bars, even on the headboard.
Otherwise this bumper will stretch and not fit properly. By choosing such a bumper you are definitely choosing a fully protective option. It is more bulky, takes up more space, but protects the infant from possible hits on the crib. This is also a case where a bumper can be made out of some pieces so that it can, in case of necessity, be gradually removed.
Protective cylinder pillow
It has been noted that this type of protective bumper is chosen by parents for older children. It fits perfectly on a single bed of various kinds, because it comes and attaches securely to the wall, where one side of the single bed usually rests. It is made with a pattern or monochrome. It’s not very fluffy but we wouldn’t call it totally fluffy. Of course, it could also go in a crib or cradle. It could also have some strings to make it more stable and tie it to the rail. So here again, purchasing such a cushion becomes a future investment because it can fit both in the crib and in a single bed.
Decorative pillows
A more playful way to make the protective bumper is to choose some decorative pillows such as: animals, crowns, clouds, stars, unicorns etc. Certainly, some of them could also have strings to tie to the baby crib. Again you have an option that in the future they won’t go to waste either and besides that these pillows can easily become a discovery toy for the baby. You can also make a combination by choosing a braid to cover half of the bed or the side rail and for the headboard you can have two beautiful decorative pillows.
All of the above suggestions and options are available on the market. You can easily be assisted and consulted appropriately so that you can come up with a purchase that suits you. Apart from the basic points mentioned, it is purely a personal matter and has to do with both your own taste and your resources as you finalize the choice of baby items. Create a custom made protective bumper to suit your needs with Handmade Baby Collection. A Greek company with handmade baby products, countless quality options at very affordable prices.
