Bumbo recalled by CPSC
The fairly popular Bumbo, a premature sitting device for babies, was recalled bythe U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission several years ago. The reason? Like most recall: safety issues.
Products That Promote Premature Development For Babies
There is just a sea of baby products out there, and I know it is hard to find the time to investigate each of them to see how they may affect your child. However, there is a group of products that encourages getting your baby to walk, sit or play in ways that are premature for their development. They are designed to help your child–and they are even fun for babies–but they can actually be detrimental to their physical development. Some of these products are baby activity centers, baby seats, Jumperoos and walkers. Using some of these things to early–which is exactly how the companies that make them intended for them to be used–will actually hold them back.
What is a Bumbo And What Are The Problems?
The Bumbo Baby Sitter is one of these products. Made By Wartburg Enterprises, the Bumbo is a single-piece seat made of a low-density foam, and raised leg holes. It is designed so that a baby as young as 8 weeks can “sit upright” in it. However, the Bumbo basically puts the baby in a position in which they have no choice but to sit. It looks uncomfortable to me, and apparently it is not a good sitting position. It is also likely to delay a baby’s ability to sit up on his/her own.
Furthermore, it creates a detachment for baby and parent alike. In such situations where a parent is hands free with their baby “safely” sitting in the Bumbo baby seat, they are likely to be lax or even negligent. They may leave the baby unattended, or worse yet, put this thing on a table or chair. This, is in fact what was happening earlier this decade. From 2003 to 2007, as a result of negligent use of the Bumbo, Wartburg Enterprises decided to recall the product from stores, and issued precautionary warnings for current users.
Bumbo Recalled
During late 2007, The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), along with Bumbo International, South Africa, announced that consumers must immediately stop using the recalled products. People were still using it after the recall! The agency says it’s had 28 reports of young children falling out of the seats, and sustaining injuries that included three skull fractures suffered when kids fell out of Bumbo seats that had been placed on tables. Doh! Come on people! Now, I feel that this product is problematic. Others feel that the product is problematic. But worse, I think many parents are problematic for thinking a seat (or a stroller, or a Jumperoo, or a walker, etc.) is going to substitute for good judgement.
Does this look comfy to you?
Yep, people continue to use the Bumbo. I see pictures online of infants sitting in it, and it just looks weird to me. You?
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