Recall: Bumbo Baby Sitter Seat
From the US Consumer Product Safety Commission: Serious Head Injuries Prompt Recall Of Bumbo Baby Sitter Seats. This is a voluntary recall and the company is distributing new instructions and warnings.
Hazard: If the seat is placed on a table, countertop, chair, or other elevated surface, young children can arch their backs, flip out of the Bumbo seat, and fall onto the floor, posing a risk of serious head injuries.
Incidents/Injuries: CPSC has received 28 reports of young children falling out of the Bumbo Baby Sitter seat, including three skull fractures, which occurred when children fell out of chairs that had been placed on tables.
Consumer Contact: Contact Bumbo International at (877) 932-8626 between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. ET Monday through Friday or visit the firm’s Web site at www.bumbosafety.com
** thank you, Jennifer, for forwarding this info! **
Bleh. I was so upset to hear of this recall. I have a bumbo. My baby loved it when she wasn't strong enough to sit on her own. I was told that it was a good device to help her develop the muscles in her buttocks and legs, rather than the exersaucers and walkers (which have been banned in Canada because they are unsafe). The recall is about parents being stupid and sitting their infants on objects way above the floor, not about the Bumbo, per se.
Posted by: kirsten | October 29, 2007 at 08:04 PM
Surely these need to be used with supervision and with care. I loved my Bumbo, but would have never dreamt to leave my baby in it whilst on the table! Come on!
Posted by: Kate | October 29, 2007 at 08:27 PM
Last week I would have written the exact same thing, that they are great. I used mine all the time, and always with my baby being supervised. Last week however, I turned only for a second to lay something on the table while my little one was in the Bumbo on the counter. In just that same second she managed to get out and fall to the floor, fracturing her skull! It was the scariest moment ever...I will never ever forget!!! Thankfully she is ok. I am always near her, always watching her, but I simply turned my head for one second and she got out of it for the first time. She has been content, not squirming or anything. I just wanted everyone to know how this has happened to us just so it does not happen to anyone else. I am so lucky it was not worse. SO yes, if you have a Bumbo, please never use it on anything but the floor.
Posted by: Allison | May 10, 2009 at 05:26 PM
Actually I've read that seats like this are harmful for physical development. That forcing a position a baby cannot naturally get into or maintain weakens muscle development and delays them gaining the strength and proper posture on their own. Babies need to be swaying and correcting themselves to get the proper muscle development. Wish I could remember where I read that precisely so I could refer people there because these things creep me out, sorry!
Posted by: Colleen | July 13, 2010 at 11:27 AM