Things were a lot different when I gave birth to my first daughter nearly 11 years ago. I knew nothing of message boards, I’d never heard of a blog, and nobody yelled at me IN CAPS LOCK. I also wasn’t aware that crib bumper pads had such a bad reputation.

My baby girl had bumper pads on her crib and didn’t have a problem with them. They kept her from getting her little legs and arms stuck in the crib rails. They did not, however, protect her from launching herself out of her crib at 18 months old.

The more time I spend in this online world, the more potential dangers I learn about. I have to admit that I don’t take them all seriously, as many warnings come from (devastating) freak accidents, and my kid is at more of a risk driving in our van every day. (Not because I’m a bad driver—I’m not! Really!—but because, well, accidents happen.) I’ll admit that I still used bumper pads for my second daughter, and that bumper pads line the crib my son sleeps in.

I understand the warnings, but my son likes to sleep with his head touching the top of his crib and I imagine that sleeping with your head jammed into wood bars just isn’t comfortable. He was swaddled until he was just over a year, so he was never near the side of the crib, where the apparent dangers are, until he was old enough to move by himself.

One couple, though, took this warning to heart and created a company that sells breathable bumper pads. BreathableBaby has a line of adorable mesh crib liners in printed designer themes as well as solid colours. Also, in September, they plan to bring out a full-coverage mesh liner that is taller than the regular bumper pad, and reaches nearly to the top of the crib rail. The company also carries sleep sacks and mesh blankets.

The BreathableBaby Mesh Crib Bumper, $40, is available from amazon.ca and from the retailers listed under “Where To Buy” on the company’s website.

Do you use crib bumpers? Have you ever had a problem arising from a crib bumper?

Jen Wilson is a married mother of three super-awesome children—two girls and a boy—who range in age from 1-11. She enjoys photography, organizing, reading, TV, and sarcasm. She drinks her coffee black and dreams of one day owning a dishwasher. You can also find her on her blog, Hey Mrs. Wilson, where she has been writing about life in Saskatchewan since 2004.