I just discovered your site….and I really enjoyed what I’ve read so far. We chose not to do a bumper even though I really wanted to do the whole matching ensemble thing. We decided even if the risk was low using a bumper (the same risks noted in other comments), why take any risk if we can avoid it. It reminds me of your discussion about insurance…..imagine what the worst case scenario is and plan for it. However..that being said, we also did worry about feet/legs getting caught in the crib bars, so what we found was something that is a mesh net that attaches inside the crib. It ties onto the sides….so no feet can fit through, but it has holes, so it does not significantly interfere with air flow. I found it online…maybe look up “mesh bumpers” perhaps. In the end, having a pretty crib just didn’t make sense to us. The baby can’t appreciate it and usually friends didn’t spend a lot of time in our daughter’s room, so no one really saw it. And I told myself that although the mesh bumper was not pretty, it was a happy addition to the crib b/c it kept our daughter safe. Just a thought. My best to you!

Just my two cents.

Actually, with Boo, we almost didn’t even use the crib at all – only for a few months between basinette and bed with rail.

Hope you’re feeling well!

The way I figure it is this: damned if you do and damned if you don’t. It isn’t necessary, but some people prefer them. It isn’t recommended, but thousands of parents use them without incident. So just go with what your gut tells you – if you’re going to be worried the whole time, don’t do it.

As for a bedding set, well, we’re boring. We ordered some sheets, a crib comforter, and about ten billion blankets, and we figure that’s about all we need. I’d love to say that we just have a simple style, but really, I’m boring. And a bit lazy – I didn’t want to drive myself batty because the sheets that matched were dirty and I’d not done the laundry, you know?