Bumbo Baby Sitters a Continuing Danger to Infants

The Bumbo Baby Sitter is not, as its name implies, something that "baby sits" infants.  It is instead a plastic seat that helps infants sit upright before they are able to do so on their own.

The problem with this is that babies can arch their backs and hurl themselves out of the Bumbo.  That's bad if the Bumbo is on the floor but it's really bad if a parent or caregiver has placed the Bumbo on a table or counter.

There have been at least 45 known incidents in which infants fell from Bumbos.  In 17 of those cases, the infants suffered skull fractures, which are always serious and can be life-threatening. In at least 50 other reported cases, babies managed to wriggle out of Bumbos that had been placed on the floor, resulting in two skull fractures and a concussion.

The seats, made by Bumbo International Trust of South Africa, were recalled on October 25, 2007 but, like many recalls, the action did not require that the seats be collected and destroyed -- or even that that they no longer be sold.  Instead, Bumbo International agreed to put safety-warning stickers on the seats, warning parents and caregivers to keep an eye on their children.

The company dutifully supplied the stickers to parents who bothered to ask for them and now slaps the stickers on new seats, which continue to line the shelves of Toys R Us and other mass merchandisers.

Parents protest

Parents were quick to complain that the recall was too little, too late -- and that was back in 2007.

"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 2007 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."

Not much has happened since then.  The seats are still being sold, some 3.85 million of them since 2003 and, from what we hear, babies are still falling out of them.

"My 8 month old daughter fell out of the chair while she was on the floor in our living room!" said Scarlett of Oil City, Pa. in a July 2011 complaint. "She was reaching over the side for a toy and she went face first into the carpet! The idea is good but NOT SAFE for your child!"

What's being done?

So what is being done about this clear and present danger to infants? Well, the supposedly rejuvenated and re-energized U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) has issued a press release reminding parents and caregivers not to let their infants fall off of tables.

More aggressive action is coming from the much-maligned trial bar. In Austin, Texas, Ross Cunningham of the Rose Walker law firm old Reuters he has settled a dozen lawsuits over Bumbo's safety.

Of course, while a settlement presumably provides compensation to the injured parties it does nothing to get dangerous products off the market. Also, in nearly every case, companies routinely require that the court proceedings be sealed as a condition of the settlement, thus preventing the public from learning of the case.

In one lawsuit that's still pending, Cunningham alleges that Bumbo "has taken no effort" to reconfigure the product to prevent children from getting out of it, "despite having actual knowledge of the dangers associated with the Bumbo Baby Sitter...and the potential of the Bumbo Baby Sitter to cause serious injury to children."

Bumbo says the seat is safe when used as directed.  In merchandising directories, the company boasts that "Innovation, Safety and Comfort are the two [sic] most important starting points for developing any of our products here at Bumbo."

Brain development

"No parent can afford to be without a Bumbo," according to the company's listing in GVPedia.com, an international business directory. The company goes on to promote the Bumbo as stimulating infants' brain development:

"[I]t enables and encourages babies' interest in their environment, which, until now, has been problematic for moms (who, contrary to popular belief, only have one pair of hands). And this interest, a crucial element for stimulating brain development, profoundly affects Baby’s intelligence over the long term." 

In fairness, it should be noted that on the home page of its corporate site, Bumbo posts this warning:

WARNING! Prevent falls
Never use the Bumbo baby seat on any elevated surface.
The seat is not designed to be totally restrictive.
Use of the seat on any elevated surface may result in serious injury.
Never leave your child unattended.

No doubt that's good advice but whether it's adequate, given the clear danger of the product, is a question perhaps not yet fully addressed.