Many parents use the popular Bumbo seat to help their babies sit up by themselves. The single piece of molded foam wraps around the baby’s back, and the seat includes leg holes. While babies can sit in the seats without support, they are able to move. If the seats are placed on raised surfaces such as a tables or countertops, infants placed in the seats could fall out, posing a risk of injuries.
In 2007, the seats underwent a recall after babies fell out of the seats and sustained injuries. The Bumbo seat manufacturers added a warning label after the first recall, but they did not redesign the product. The warning label on the back of the seat instructs parents to only use the seats on flat surfaces.
Since that recall, over 50 babies have fallen from Bumbo seats placed on raised surfaces. Thirty-four infants fell from the seat while it sat on the floor or at unknown elevations. Two of these babies suffered skull fractures.
Because the seats have been recalled a second time, the manufacturers now offer a safety harness. Parents can push the harness through the seat’s soft foam. When babies sit in the seat with the harness attached, they cannot fall out.
The Consumer Product Safety Commission recommends that parents who already own a Bumbo seat should discontinue using it. A free repair kit includes the safety harness and safety instructions. After the harness is attached, babies who sit in the seat still must be supervised at all times.
Source: CPSC, ” Baby Seats Recalled for Repair by Bumbo International Due to Fall Hazard,” August 15, 2012.
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