Bumbo recall
I have a soap box to climb for just a second, so please indulge me. I have to say that there are justified recalls for things like lead and choking and then there is the bumbo recall. The recall states that there have been 28 reports of babies falling out of the seat from high places. Some due to the children being left unattended. Am I missing something dangerous here?
Come on folks! Why would you leave your child unattended in a seat anywhere but on the floor? And that should only be if the child is the only one there with no pets. I am a mom of 2 and I will only leave my baby, who is not mobile yet, alone if he is attached to a bouncy or swing and only if it is for a minute (sometimes you just want to go to the bathroom in peace.) The idea of leaving a baby alone in a seat that is not attached to either the child OR the surface to which it sits is something I can’t wrap my brain around. That’s like leaving a baby alone in a bouncy on the bar no matter how secure the baby is. Bouncy’s vibrate off counters and readjust. Then where is your baby? On the floor with a skull fracture. Oh wait, that is what they are saying about the bumbo! So why don’t you just use good common sense and leave the bumbo on the floor where you are told to put it by the directions anyway!
The directions state to “Never use on a raised surface”. I admit I have used it on the counter but I would have never dreamed of walking away. I just wanted you to know that the recall is not a real recall. The product is not defective and you do not have to send it back. They just want you to contact them for a sticker that tells you to be safe with the product by not leaving yoru child alone or putting it on high surfaces. This, to me, is just common sense.
I am off to buy a tray for my bumbo. HAHA
Tags: bumbo, recallRelated Stories
POSTED IN: baby products, recalls
14 opinions for Bumbo recall
Leslie
Oct 29, 2007 at 10:45 am
Thank you. My thoughts exactly! My sisters and I just discussed this yesterday.
Heather
Oct 29, 2007 at 10:53 am
I agree–in general. However, there are some children–like my husband and baby brother once were, as well as like my middle child who are FAST. My husband at age 6 months–only just sitting up, pulled himself up and over his crib bars numerous times and fell out of his full size crib. his mom was a single mom and that certainly should have been a safe place to keep a baby–she said that for the longest time she couldn’t figure out how he kept ending up on the floor until one night she stayed in the room with him and caught him in the act.
My baby brother was the same way–my mom took him to the doctor for his 1 month well baby check up saying that he had been rolling over for a week. The doctor didn’t believe her until he turned his back, taking his hand off him for a second (she was watching him as was I–I was college freshman at the time) and turned back to see him roll towards the edge. He caught him and said, “This one is QUICK.” A few months later they were at the emergency room because my mom had begun to buckle him in his car seat, turned to catch the buggy which had started to roll away, and in that second he had pulled out of the safety belt and lunged out of the car to the pavement. Again the doctor wasn’t so sure about it until he tried to lunge off the hospital bed. My middle child was the same way–turn your back for a second and she was on her way, as fast as she could, to someplace other than where you had her. She dove off a changing table once while I reached for a diaper–1 second of having my hand off her was all it took 9it didn’t have a belt but the way she moved even the belts made no difference–she was a little Houdini, and that runs in the family.
My real issue is that these people put something that doesn’t have a safety belt on a counter or table–even a close eye won’t keep some kids in place. We gave up on the standard belt strap ages ago, sticking instead with one of those full upper body leashes strapped to the chair. It was the only way my Essie couldn’t escape. And really, are these people honestly SUING a company because they did something foolish and their kid is FAST?
kellys
Oct 29, 2007 at 11:22 am
Heather, I agree that common sense is what these parents seem to be lacking. I am not trying to be confrontational or acusatory. I am sure these parents love their kids and never meant to put them in harm’s way but Even my airheaded brain tells me that leaving a child up on a table or countertop is not the smartest thing to do.
Kristen
Oct 29, 2007 at 1:44 pm
Here! Here! My thought exactly when I read this. If your child is mobile, they should not be in this either. I still think the bumbo is the greatest invention EVER!
Maria
Oct 29, 2007 at 6:54 pm
I said just about the same things to a friend who asked me about the recall when he remembered that we had a Bumbo. I stopped using mine because my son figured out how to get out of it and started sitting on his own.
Stina
Oct 29, 2007 at 7:02 pm
COMMON SENSE
Did I miss the recall for that?
kellys
Oct 29, 2007 at 7:45 pm
No, Stina, you didn’t miss the recall. The people who leave their kids alone in a bumbo on the kitchen counter missed the line to get it.
I am not trying to be mean. I would never want to belittle someone who has an injured child. I just don’t understand certain decisions.
Jennifer
Oct 29, 2007 at 8:38 pm
I am SO glad to NOT be alone in this line of thought. I LOVE my Bumbo, and yes, I admit to using it on raised surfaces, but with CLOSE supervision. Common sense is just NOT a readily available commodity, obviously- it’s in short supply, but I’m thankful to join all of you who share that personality trait with me!
Even the fast babies, or maybe I should say ESPECIALLY the fast babies, should be watched and held. My 5 month old arches his back when he wants up, and I can see how he could push himself out of the seat. THAT is reason enough for me to be right with him while he’s in the seat. We take it to restaurants instead of the stinking carseat/carrier, where he’s stuck. He feels like part of the action in the Bumbo, and we watch him and don’t walk away.
I feel for the children, who really do have serious injuries, but mostly I wonder what ELSE will happen to them, and how they will be raised when Mom and Dad can’t accept their own fault in the deal, and try to pin it on the manufacturer. Do new product makers REALLY have to consider EVERY stupid possibility and not make items that can’t be fool proof? The fools just get dumber! And these kids are highly likely to grow up feeling much more entitled than responsible!
Jana
Oct 30, 2007 at 7:00 pm
Wait! Don’t buy the tray. I had a Bumbo, bought the tray, it didn’t really fit well, plus my baby didn’t like the Bumbo. And, I agree. Common sense people.
kellys
Oct 30, 2007 at 7:14 pm
Jennifer, I agree. I am still fuming about he lady that won that lawsuit from McDonalds on the hot coffee. HELLO! Coffee is supposed to be hot. Anybody here like lukewarm coffee?
Dan Keeney
Oct 31, 2007 at 5:13 pm
Thanks for the kind words, everybody. We just want to quickly get a plug in for http://www.bumbosafety.com for anyone who hasn’t already visited. There are some eye opening things there, such as a survey of Bumbo owners that is ongoing. It has found that 14 percent of moms and dads never noticed the warning stamp that’s on every Bumbo and 12 percent didn’t know their baby could get out of it with vigorous movement (no doubt because they hadn’t seen the warning or read the instructions). So we’re making more explicit warning stickers and instructions available and we’re going to add a permanent warning stamp visible from the front of the Bumbo on future production runs. Just want everyone to know that we’re concerned about the babies and are working on a solution. It’s really all about education. Thanks so much!
kellys
Nov 2, 2007 at 7:18 pm
Thanks, Dan. I just get so peeved when people don’t use common sense and then think they have the right to sue!
Liz
Nov 19, 2007 at 12:35 am
OMG! I agree… I was looking for a bumbo for weeks, I did not know about the recall, but was bumbed when I heard about it. It’s common sense, and now because of the ignorance of some people I can”t get one!!!!!
Dan Keeney
Nov 19, 2007 at 10:04 am
Liz: Just an fyi that Bumbos are back and can be ordered at http://www.bumboseat.com with the new updated warning and instructions.
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