As a nanny I used the Bumbo seat and I always thought that it was great. So of course I wanted one for my baby.
They are so expensive here in Canada but luckily my girlfriend who lives in the states got me one for a baby gift.
I have been so excited to try it out. I've just been waiting for Babe's neck and back to get a little stronger. The product recommends waiting until three months and now that Babe is three and a bit months I've been sitting her in it for a few minutes each day. I keep my hand near her head for support because I think three months is a bit liberal and parents should probably wait a little longer. My baby still isn't strong enough in the neck and back to sit in it alone or for longer than a couple minutes. But in my opinion it's great for older babies.
However the other night I was searching online to read what other people said about starting to use their Bumbos and I found out that they had been recalled in 2007. Here is a link to Health Canada's recall info (2008).
They were recalled after babies were injured from falling out of the Bumbos and off of high surfaces. Parents were placing their babies in the Bumbos on counters and tables. I've been in restaurants where I have seen this occurring (the Bumbos on tables, not babies actually falling out - they aren't dropping like flies at restaurants across the country).
So should I panic and try to unload this thing on an unsuspecting parent via Craigslist? No. I'm happy with mine and I'm looking forward to using it more.
I think it is important to be aware of any risks associated with a product but it is also equally important to realize that many of the injuries associated with this product are the result of improper use and inadequate supervision. As with anything we purchase for our children it is our responsibility to be informed on its proper use, its ingredients, its restrictions etc...
It is important to know that babies can wiggle out of the Bumbos and fall. Because of this risk Bumbo states that the seat be used only on the ground. The company chose not to install seat belts or other restraints on the product and merely recalled the seats in order to place a warning sticker on the chairs.
Maybe I'm being too judgemental but it never occurred to me that the chairs would restrain a baby. All you have to do is look at the thing to know it isn't restrictive. It has no bloody straps or ties people! I certainly wouldn't have placed a baby I was babysitting on a counter while I made dinner and I didn't need a warning label to tell me that.
I think recalls need to be taken with a grain of salt. Baby products and practices change so quickly almost everything that was once made for babies has been recalled or changed. RIP walkers and drop-side cribs.
It's not just products. Up until last year swaddling was highly recommended. Books like The Happiest Baby On The Block touted swaddling as a saving grace for cranky babies and exhausted parents. But when I delivered Babe three months ago the hospital had signs everywhere warning against swaddling and our health nurses are now saying it increases the risk of SIDS. I still swaddle Babe at our doctor's recommendation (she didn't even know about the new swaddling rules).
And vaccinations - what gets combined and what gets given when, is constantly changing.
Recalls are a good thing. Certainly products that pose a significant risk even when the directions are properly followed should be taken off the market. Remember the poisoned baby formula? Or all the toys that have been painted with lead?
But recalling every item that ever caused an injury is over the top. There are children all over the world playing with all sorts of "dangerous" things. I bet there are thousands of kids that at this very moment have rocks in their mouths.
I'd wager a bet that waaaay more children crack their skulls by falling off playgrounds than out of Bumbos. Does this mean we should tear down all the playgrounds. Maybe our kids should just sit in the middle (because the middle of anything is the safest) of the school yard playing with foam pool noodles. But I bet somewhere a kid strangled himself with one of those. And they certainly can't play with balls. Those things are deadly! Recently a Toronto school banned them.
What is this world coming to?
We've become a society of overly indulgent, overly paranoid parents. And we've been so inundated with warning signs that we almost don't think for ourselves anymore. Using the Bumbo, just like any other product, requires a little common sense.
In the past I used it to allow a baby to sit comfortably and engage easily while we played with older siblings on the floor, not as a device for strengthening weak muscles or as a high chair.
Although the Bumbo is no longer under recall and still available there is information that indicates that babies have been injured recently and while using the seat on the floor - again because they can wriggle out and fall over. So maybe don't sit it on a hard floor either? Or just make sure to have an ice pack in the freezer.
If it turns out that the seat is dangerous even when used properly then I guess it'll go the way of the walker - but it would be a shame. All of the proceeds generated from the South African product go to the care and support of under-privileged children.
If you are still worried about the Bumbo's track record the nearly identical bebePod seat has safety straps.
PS: On a side note, doesn't it look like they took the hair off a guy in a shaving cream commercial and glued in on a baby in that photo? That baby has a lot of hair.
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