When the Bumbo International child seat came on the U.S. market in 2003, many parents were excited: here was a seat designed to hold a baby upright, a baby who until then was able to hold only his or her head up. The manufacturer — Bumbo International Trust of South Africa — has sold about 3.85 million Bumbo Baby Sitter seats in the U.S.
The seats are made from molded foam, soft enough for a baby but firm enough to keep the child upright — until the unexpected happens. An infant can lean, lurch or tumble while in the chair and cause it to tip over, sometimes with enough force to cause serious injury. By 2007, Bumbo International and the U.S.
Consumer Product Safety Commission, or CPSC, were aware of 28 injuries to young children aged three months to ten months. Three of those injuries were skull fractures, and they happened after the seat had been placed on an elevated surface, such as a table.
- Bumbo International worked with the CPSC in 2007 on a voluntary recall.
- The company agreed to print the following warning on each chair: “WARNING — Never use on a raised surface.
- Never use as a car seat or bath seat.
- Designed for floor level use only.
- Never leave your baby unattended as the seat is not designed to be totally restrictive and may not prevent release of your baby in the event of vigorous movement.” On the chair we inspected, the print was tiny and some of it had rubbed off.
In a perfect world, the warning might have solved the tipping problem. Since ours is a less-than-perfect world, the tipping continued — 95 more injuries the CPSC is aware of since the 2007 recall. And 50 of those happened while the seat was being used on the floor or when it was not clear from reports where the seat was being used.
The CPSC and Bumbo International made a joint announcement last November strongly urging consumers never to put the seats on any raised surface. They also urged that a child never be left unattended. While some find fault with caregivers for failing to heed the printed warnings, five consumer and safety organizations say the manufacturer and CPSC are not blameless.
The Consumer Federation of America, Consumers Union, U.S. Public Interest Research Group, Kids In Danger and Public Citizen last week wrote to the CPSC. They said they have “grave concerns” about the safety of Bumbo seats, adding that “manufacturers of similar products have made design changes to address the safety concerns associated with these types of products — a step Bumbo International has refused to take to date.” In their letter the groups are calling for a total recall of Bumbo seats.
Are Bumbo seats safe 2019?
– As a Pediatric Physical Therapist, I am often asked to weigh in about different pieces of equipment. What is best for children? What will help them develop, achieve gross motor milestones, interact with peers, and so on. We therapists try to keep up with new products on the market, reading up on the literature, and trying out the equipment on our own before making recommendations and suggestions. 
Infants too young to sit up on their own are often propped up in the Bumbo seat The Bumbo Seat is marketed to help babies sit upright. The Bumbo website states the following: “The Bumbo Floor Seat was designed to seat young babies who can’t sit up by themselves yet.
Between 6-9 months we expect children to begin to sit upright on the floor for short periods of time, first using support from hands and later independently. Between 9-12 months, we expect children will begin to gain more control in seated position. When seated on the floor, they will begin to turn their trunk to reach and manipulate toys placed around them.
Natural progression of motor skills can be inhibited when babies are placed in Bumbo before they are developmentally ready. When children are placed in the Bumbo before they are developmentally ready for sitting it can interfere with the natural progression of skills.
What age is safe for Bumbo?
Is your baby ready to sit? It’s said that a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. True as this may be, before getting to their first step, sitting is one of the biggest milestones in your baby’s first year. This is an exciting milestone for your baby as it allows them to explore their world in a new way and gives them their first taste of mobility. As a parent, the question is, how do you know when your baby is ready to sit? What signs should you look out for and what can you do to help your baby achieve this milestone? What role can a baby chair play in assisting with this milestone? In order to sit your baby needs to have good control of their head by around four months old.
At this point, you can assist your baby by pulling at their hands gently to get them into the sitting position. You can also prop your baby up in a seated position by using pillows as support. You will have to keep an eye on your baby as they are prone to toppling over at this point. Also, keep an eye out for when your baby gets exhausted, as they are still learning to sit.
By six months old your baby will likely have developed their neck, trunk and back muscles, which allows them to sit up straight comfortably. At this age, your baby’s balance also improves drastically, which will assist them to move into the next milestone of crawling.
At this stage of learning how to sit, practice makes perfect. You can help your baby get the practice they need with playtime. Have your baby in the sitting position and roll a ball towards them, balance them by holding and playing with their hands. Place a toy in front of your baby, slowly lifting it to their eye level.
Your baby will reach for the toy to take it and play with it and naturally start getting into the seating position by themselves. Once your baby is sitting by themselves baby chairs can help keep them stable. Sitting requires a lot of strength from your baby and most baby chairs provide extra support from straps and safety belts.
- The Bumbo® floor seat, for example, is perfect for infant seating support.
- It’s made from a moulded material that hugs around your baby’s body and offers a very comfortable seating position.
- The Bumbo® floor seat is a popular choice among parents and is appropriate for babies ages 3 to 12 months, or as soon as the baby can hold up their head.
It’s also important that your baby isn’t entirely restricted in their baby chair. The Bumbo® floor seat is designed not to be totally restrictive. It comes with a durable 3-point safety harness to prevent wriggly babies from falling out.
Can Bumbo be used as high chair?
Product Description – Designed for babies and toddlers who can already sit up unaided, the Bumbo 3-in-1 Multi Seat can easily transform to accommodate the different stages of your child’s development. This adjustable multi-seat can be used as a floor seat or strapped to an adult chair for a convenient, portable high chair option.
- You can even use the multi-seat as a booster seat for your toddler by removing the soft foam pad of the seat.
- A removable tray is also included, giving your baby or toddler a space to eat or play.
- The removable tray, base, and attachment straps each have their own slot for storage, allowing you to keep all of the accessories in 1 spot with the multi-seat.
The Bumbo Baby/Toddler Multi Seat is easy to clean and carry on the go, giving your child a fun, supportive spot to sit and play.
What age for sit me up?
Age of child purchased for: 6 – 12 mos.
Are baby floor seats necessary?
Are Baby floor seats necessary? – Now that we know that Baby Floor Seats don’t actually help to speed up the process of learning how to sit, you can ask yourself whether it is necessary to have one in the first place. In short, the answer is: No, it is not necessary to have a Baby Floor Seat.
Which baby swings are being recalled?
The recall affects about 2 million MamaRoo swings and 220,000 RockaRoo rockers in the U.S., as well as 60,000 MamaRoo swings and 10,000 RockaRoo rockers in Canada. When the swing or rocker aren’t being used, restraint straps can hang below the seat, and crawling infants can become tangled in them, the recall said.
What Fisher-Price items are recalled?
The Fisher-Price 4-in-1 Rock ‘n Glide Soother which has been recalled after four infant deaths. Consumer Product Safety Commission hide caption toggle caption Consumer Product Safety Commission 
The Fisher-Price 4-in-1 Rock ‘n Glide Soother which has been recalled after four infant deaths. Consumer Product Safety Commission The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission and Fisher-Price announced Friday that they were recalling two products for children after reports of at least four infant deaths.
- In a press release, officials said they were recalling the Fisher-Price 4-in-1 Rock ‘n Glide Soother and the 2-in-1 Soothe ‘n Play Glider, and urged consumers to stop using them immediately.
- Four infants — ranging from 11 weeks to four months old — died between April 2019 and February 2020 while using the soother.
According to the CPSC, there have been no deaths in the 2-in-1 Soothe ‘n Play Glider. The children were placed on their backs unrestrained in the soother and later found on their stomachs, the commission said. “These types of incidents are heart-breaking,” said acting CPSC chairman Robert Adler. The recall affects about 145,000 soothers and 82,000 gliders sold in the U.S. and Canada as well as online. Fisher-Price stopped selling the soother in December and halted sales of the glider in May. In 2019, the New York-based producer of toys and products for children recalled about 4.7 million of its Rock ‘n Play baby sleepers after reports of more than 30 infant deaths tied to the product over the previous decade.
How do you deep clean a Bumbo seat?
The leather-like outer foam skin is super easy to clean. All you need to do is simply wipe your Bumbo® floor seat with a damp cloth and mild detergent to remove any dirt. The Bumbo® floor seat is designed not to restrict your baby entirely.
