Do you use a bumbo seat?

'Grave concerns' about popular Bumbo baby seat
Experts say infants can fall out of the Bumbo chair and be hurt, but its maker says the product is safe when used properly.
By Julie Deardorff, Chicago Tribune reporter
March 15, 2012

Needing a moment to prepare a snack, nanny Teri Deel set her 3-month-old charge in a Bumbo Baby Seat on the kitchen floor nearby.

Suddenly the 20-pound boy arched his back, lurched out of the round plastic seat and struck his head on a rattle. The fall fractured his skull and led to bleeding around the brain, according to a lawsuit filed against Bumbo in 2010 by the boy's parents, Julie and Judd Peak of Tennessee.

New parents and caregivers often swear by the colorful and quirky Bumbo, a popular baby shower gift that allows babies as young as 3 months to sit up before they are able to do so on their own. But even when the handy chair is used as recommended — on the floor and with adult supervision — infants are tumbling out and suffering cracked skulls, broken legs and other serious injuries, according to data from the Consumer Product Safety Commission.

In October of 2007, the Bumbo was voluntarily recalled in the U.S. after a wave of reported skull fractures in babies between 3 months and 10 months old. While many companies change the design of a recalled product or send consumers a kit to fix it, Bumbo made no alterations beyond a new label on the front that reads "Prevent falls! Never use on any elevated surface." The warning was also added to packaging and instruction manuals.

Since the recall, at least 33 infant skull fractures linked to the Bumbo have been reported, according to the CPSC, which issued a warning to parents in November. Citing "grave concerns," a coalition of children's health and advocacy groups last month urged the agency to remove the popular seats from the market until the safety issues are resolved.