We all buy bumpers for cribs. It is supposed to protect our bambinos from cracking their heads on the bars. Here’s the thing I don’t understand: why are they so darn short?! We have to pull them out as soon as the baby is able to pull up, which pretty much means the minute they are mobile. Doesn’t that negate the “awesome safety feature” of bumpers? Recently, I had to pull ours out of Boy’s crib because he was pulling up. It was sad, but it was time. Well. It took one day, and he pulled up, let go, and slammed his head into the bars. Wouldn’t it be great if we had a safety feature that we could put in there to pad the bars so that they wouldn’t get hurt? Oh wait. That’s supposed to be the bumpers. ::FAIL:: I was on a mission to reduce the evidence of my son’s head-cracking lifestyle.

I headed to JoAnn’s fabric and purchased enough adorable fabric and fusible batting to make replacement bumpers that would resolve the issue and improve upon the original design flaws. I made them tall enough to go over the top of the crib and fasten to the front of the bars, while still being tucked underneath the mattress. I did not fasten the bottoms of these because if Boy pulls them out, I do not want him getting his arm/leg/head stuck. When Boy is in the crib, it holds them down pretty securely anyway. I also did not want ribbons on the bottom that could cause a choking hazard. I love the new pattern so much that I actually took down all of my other nursery garb! I’m so proud of the way that they came out. I don’t know why bumpers aren’t always made this way. Hello! Now I can use them until he is much older, I can protect him from bashing his head, and I can have some peace. I did leave one side “un bumped” because I wanted to hang his mirror and entertainment toys there. He also can see up the hall from there, and can stand to see better. I don’t want to prevent him from standing or cruising around the crib. He can still do those things because he can pull up on the side without bumpers and cruise away. I just don’t want him to crack his head or lick/chew on the crib anymore. This solved that problem… In a cute way, I think! I did use a sewing machine to bind the edges of the bumper, and to create the drawstring slots for the ribbons to hold it in place. I can make a pattern/instruction sheet if anyone is interested.

Now That’s Thinkin’!