baby hits face on crib

So I make sure the room is sleep friendly, I make sure he is drowsy or asleep then I put him in crib. I've never let him play in crib so I don't know why he thinks crib = play time. The second I put him down he goes to the bars and grabs them, hits his head on them repeatedly and kicks them. Everyone recommends bumpers but they aren't like foam, he's still hitting his face on a hard surface, bumper or no bumper. He also hits his head pretty high