Bumpers.....what's the deal?

Okay, who wrote all the baby books that say to take down the crib bumpers at 5 months? Because I really want to talk to them. Yesterday I decided that I was overdue for removing the bumper since Danner and Sawyer are well past the 5 month marker. So I thought I would go without the bumper. I thought it was a bad idea just for the sole fact that I have 15-20 pacifers in each crib in case theirs falls out in the middle of the night (I want them to be able to find one quickly before starting the bloody-murder scream. And it has worked well!) but without the bumper there would be nothing to keep the pacis from falling out. That is a problem. What I didn't realize was there would be another problem. Babies fall through the cracks. Well not completely falling to the floor or anything, but close. When I walked into the nursery this morning to get the little munchkins out of bed I was surprised at what I saw. Danner was lying on her belly with both legs hanging of the crib because they had fallen between the cracks. Now how is that safe? And how long had she been like that? Poor sweet Danner could have been in such an uncomfortable position all night for all I know. So the moral of the story is..........Don't believe everything you read in the baby books!!! Bumpers are more than just decoration. They hold pacis in the cribs and they keep baby legs and arms in too.