Bumbo warning

Just watching a segment on GMA about the Bumbo. I agree with the warning that you shouldn't put the Bumbo on a raised surface, because as the baby gets older & stronger they can arch their back and get out. But I also think parents need to take some responsibility. You can't put your baby in the bumbo on a counter and walk away! The baby isn't strapped it. They recommend using the bumbo on the ground, and staying within an arms reach.

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Re: Bumbo warning

I didn't register for one for this reason. My cousin said his daughter was able to arch her back and get herself out of it at only a few months old. They never really used it because of this. I figure if I need it after the baby is born I'll go out and get one.

Re: Bumbo warning

If it wasn't for my DD's chunka chunka thighs she would have already gotten herself out of it. I love my peapod chair and to me it was the only thing she really used. I do have to agree that you MUST be present at all times and can't just leave them unattended to. It's a great little chair but it has the potential to be very dangerous.

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I think the instructions say NOT to put on a raised surface. Used correctly......it's an awesome chair.

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Safety Commission Investigates Bumbo SeatAfter 7 On Your Side Reports
7 ON YOUR SIDE
Oct. 17, 2007 (KGO) - It appears the federal government is about to make a major announcement about the bumbo baby seat. A 7 On Your side investigation has raised serious questions about the potential dangers of the Bumbo.

The Bumbo baby seat is hugely popular but there have been some scary accidents that caused serious injuries to babies. After our reports, the Consumer Product Safety Commission put its own investigation into high gear.

The spotlight on Bumbo has intensified since our last reports. The Consumer Product Safety Commission has been interviewing not only parents whose babies fell, but doctors who treated the injuries, and Bumbo chairs are becoming a bigger part of family life.

What's most glaring? Parents are using it in the most dangerous place -- up high.

A video posted on YouTube shows a baby named parker wriggling in a Bumbo on a tabletop and she almost topples over.

This is exactly the kind of scenario that has caused horrible injuries to other babies using the Bumbo chair.

"By the time we got there, there was no pulse three more minutes and he'd be dead," said Kevin Lamm from Santa Rosa.

"I just turned around for a split second and I heard a thump and she was on the floor," said Marshall Gill from Carnation, Washington.

"She was going in and out of consciousness, she was going down and coming back up and we just freaked and called 911," said Amber Black from Discovery Bay.

7 On Your Side has received more than a dozen reports from all over the country of children falling from Bumbo chairs; most of them from high surfaces. The maker of the Bumbo chair is Bumbo International of South Africa.

It says the seat is safe with proper supervision and it points to a warning label saying: Never use on a raised surface."

But its own marketing materials also say Bumbo is safe on any level surface and some pictures show babies up high.

An online search found parents rave about the chair and many of them ignore the warning not to put it up high.

"She likes it obviously we put it up on chairs and she's fine with that it has a really big base so there's no big worries there,'' said one parent

"You can put it on any hard surface. it's great because all babies for some reason need a lot of attention while you are eating dinner so you can put him in the middle of the table while you eat," said another parent.

And here's a scary scene: little Zach right at the edge of a countertop.

A home movie even features Bumbo on many high surfaces and a humorous movie posted on Yahoo -- starring the Bumbo chair.

But it wasn't so humorous for Analyn Stewart of Napa. She placed her baby Heidi up on a picnic table and was right there feeding her when it happened.

"I went to scoop another spoonful out of the bowl and she arched backward and at that point one of her legs came out and she tumbled over," said Analyn Stewart of NAPA.

Federal investigators spoke with some of those we interviewed including the Lamm family of Santa Rosa whose son nearly died after a fall.

"There'll be a tendency to become lax with it because it seems so good. You turn your head and the baby's out or the baby flips the seat, and there's damage done," said Kevin Lamm.

The government has not taken any official action yet, but a spokesperson from Consumer Product Safety Commission says our reports had such disturbing information they want to act soon.

To read other 7 On Your Side investigations,

Re: Bumbo warning

Any time you use a product against the advice of the manufacturer, you're opening yourself or the baby up to the risk of getting hurt. Truthfully, anyone who puts a baby in one of these seats on a high surface and leaves the baby alone is an idiot. The box says NUMEROUS times "Do not leave baby unattended; Do not place on high surface".

It's a shame because as Cakes said, when used properly it's a fantastic product. Now there's going to be a big controversy about whether or not it's safe

Message edited 10/25/2007 11:49:06 AM.

Re: Bumbo warning

sorry for the stupid question, but what's a Bumbo?

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Re: Bumbo warning

Re: Bumbo warning

Just wondering if the people who leave their babies unattended in a Bumbo seat on a table also leave them alone on the changing table or in the tub. People can be such boneheads. Its a baby seat not a babysitter!

Re: Bumbo warning

Posted by Leeners

Any time you use a product against the advice of the manufacturer, you're opening yourself or the baby up to the risk of getting hurt. Truthfully, anyone who puts a baby in one of these seats on a high surface and leaves the baby alone is an idiot. The box says NUMEROUS times "Do not leave baby unattended; Do not place on high surface".

It's a shame because as Cakes said, when used properly it's a fantastic product. Now there's going to be a big controversy about whether or not it's safe

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I'll admit I have used the chair to put on tables. Ex: In the summer when DD was younger (3 months) and we went to BBQ's, we put the chair on our picnic table. It was awesome and convenient. We even put it on our kitchen table to let her hang out with us and we ate dinner. If "you" are going to put it on a raised surface, 'you" have to stay there with the baby. If you plan on doing things around the house then the peapod/bumbo MUST be on the floor. They may or may not tip over. But why take the chance? This is an awesome awesome chair. They didn't make this 7 years ago with DD # 1 and I wish they did. I really hope they don't stop selling them.

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So much for using them...they've just been recalled.

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I'm keeping my bumbo. IMO it's common sense never to leave a baby of ANY age unattended especially something thats up high. I think it's just common sense.

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I just got one at my shower and plan on keeping it. The link I read on another thread from the Consumer Products safety commission says there are 1 million seats out there. They have had 28 complaints with only 3 really serious injuries. I don't think this screams "unsafe product" to me. Like everything else, you have to use good judgement.