October 28, 2007
Last week's "recall" of about 1 million South African-made Bumbo "baby sitter" seats has parents fuming.
The recall was announced following 28 reports of children falling out of the seats that had been placed on tabletops. At least three skull fractures were reported.
But like many recall campaigns officially sanctioned by the U. S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, the Bumbo effort is little more than a lukewarm publicity campaign, critics say.
That's because, like many recalls, it isn't what most people think of when they hear the word "recall." The seats are not being called back for retrofitting or disposal. Instead, parents are being asked to contact Bumbo to get a new safety sticker.
The sticker cautions parents not to leave their child unattended and to use the seat only at ground level. But some parents say the seats are not safe even when used on the floor.
"I feel that this item should be taken off the market, as a new warning label is not going to reduce the hazard this product poses," said Wendy of Hawthorne Fla., in a complaint to ConsumerAffairs.com.
Wendy said her child was injured while her Bumbo was on the floor.
"I have a Bumbo Baby Seat and have always used it as suggested. I keep it on the floor and keep a close eye on my daughter," Wendy said. "She weighs way less than the 22 lbs suggested maximum weight. She still managed to come out of the seat landing on her head resulting in a large bruise."
Kevin of Santa Rosa, Calif., had an even more harrowing experience.
"My 4-month-old son arched his back and the product tipped over," he said, resulting in skull fractures and a ruptured artery. "I had him on the table right next to me. There was no safety label on the product itself."
Kevin said his son's skull cracked and began filling with blood. He was rushed to the hospital and airlifted to another hospital where emergency surgery saved his life.
Besides there being no safety warning on his seat, Kevin noted that the seat's packaging showed children sitting in Bumbo seats that had been placed on tables.
Still being sold
Despite the safety recall, the seats are still being prominently advertised on major Web sites, with no mention of the recall or the hazards surrounding the seat.
As usual, eBay is at the top of the list. The popular auction site has no known system for weeding out recalled products and has never bothered to respond to inquiries from ConsumerAffairs.com asking if it plans to develop new safety measures.
"The Bumbo infant seat is manufactured to the highest safety standards from low-density foam material ... [It] can be used safely and conveniently anywhere on any level surface," gushes BabyAge.com
"Babies can sit comfortably on any flat surface ... Baby can sit happily while you make dinner!" said the PassportBaby Yahoo! store.
Some large retailers have, at least for now, withdrawn the product from their Web sites. It no longer appears at Amazon.com, Toysrus.com, Target.com and Kohls.com.
Bumbo's explanation
Bumbo says it has temporarily stopped selling the seat while it affixes new labels and covers up a photo on the packaging that, as a statement on Bumbo's Web site puts it, "could be confusing." This, presumably, is the photo Kevin cited, showing a Bumbo seat on a table.
"We expect to have the seats back on store shelves in the next week or so. Our entire focus is on ensuring there is no confusion about the safe, proper use of the Bumbo Baby Seat," the company's statement continued.
"Please understand that an independent analysis has determined that the Bumbo Baby Seat is not defective and therefore does not need to be returned and no refunds are being offered," the company said, without providing any information about the "independent analysis."
"[T]he Bumbo Baby Seat is fine but the warnings, instructions and packaging need to be updated," said Bumbo spokesman Mark Buchanan.
