Bumbo Seats Recalled Due to Idiot Error
Some parents are absolute idiots. Naturally we all make mistakes, and sleep deprivation and inexperience can help us make some pretty big mistakes, but doing something as stupid as leaving your baby alone in any kind of seat on a counter or table is just, well, stupid.
Bumbo seats are wonderful creations. I didn’t have one for Jake, but I got one for Brian – and he loves it.
If you don’t already know, a Bumbo seat is a foam chair that is specially molded to a baby’s body so that a baby can sit up before they are able to do so on their own. There are no latches or straps, and there is a label on the back reminding parents to be responsible and supervise their baby while he is sitting in the chair. It also reminds parents not to do something as idiotic as putting the seat on an elevated surface.
Now, I’ll admit putting the seat on a table directly in front of you while you have one hand on your baby at all times and both eyes watching him constantly in a perpetual state of readiness without a single other distraction should he flail himself out of the seat might not be so terrible. But apparently parents, even those with the intention of maintaining eagle eyes and catcher ready hands, have succumbed to foolishness.
Bumbo seats have been voluntarily recalled.
Before you rush out to send your toxically dangerous item back, understand the reason why they are being recalled. Bumbo seats are being recalled because parents have left their children on elevated surfaces in the seat, the children have fallen and been seriously injured, and according to someone with an iota of power, this is the fault of the company – not the parents.
Apparently, parents are placing a simple seat on the counter, then turning their backs to make dinner or leaving the room for some reason. The child wiggles around (as babies will do) and works himself loose. He then promptly falls off the counter onto the floor and some very serious injuries have occurred. This is exactly the same sort of thing as parents who put bouncer seats on the counter or let their child use a walker near stairs.
The company that makes the Bumbo seat has taken this recall on the chin, and has a nice section on their website offering information to concerned parents. It seems if you can’t already read and understand the warning label on the chair, you can send off to Bumbo to get a brand new label telling you how to parent your child correctly. It’s just a shame they can’t send these parents a healthy dose of common sense.
As far as I’m concerned, the Bumbo seats are terrific baby items, but must come with a set of parents who can think clearly. Apparently these can be hard to come by…
