In the US, 665 babies died from accidental suffocation or strangulation while asleep in 2009. The American Association of Pediatrics now recommends that parents do not use bumpers, a ban in already in place in the city of Chicago and a proposed ban in the state of Maryland will see anyone selling a non-mesh bumper face a $500 fine. In the UK, unfortunately not enough studies have been carried out on the safety of cot bumpers, and as a result, our authorities have been slow to advise parents not to use them. However, as a parent who has first hand experience of the potential dangers of bumpers, I feel strongly that parents should be made aware of the dangers that they pose. Many believe that because shops are allowed to sell bumpers, they must be safe. However, evidence from the US shows that this is not the case.