A coalition of consumer groups this week called on the Consumer Product Safety Commission to again recall a hugely popular baby seat and to have the manufacturer redesign it to make it safer.
The Bumbo Baby Seat is linked to 33 skull fractures, including two while used on the floor, as recommended. Four million of the seats have been sold in the U.S.
Asked why it doesn’t redesign the seat with a strap to keep kids from falling out, Bumbo International said Thursday that a safety strap would give parents a “false sense of security.”
The seat was recalled in 2007 to add a label warning that it should never be used on a raised surface; versions made since then include the warning label. In November, CPSC said it knew of at least 45 incidents since the recall involving babies who fell out of the seat while it was on a raised surface. Seventeen of those involved infants, ages 3 months to 10 months, who suffered skull fractures.
The seat “is a safe product for infants when it is used as intended,” the South Africa-based Bumbo said in a statement.
When deaths or injuries occur, manufacturers often say consumers aren’t using the products correctly. But federal safety law requires them to design products with both “foreseeable use” and misuse in mind.
“The majority of CPSC’s recalls involve no incidents or injuries,” says CPSC spokesman Scott Wolfson. “In most cases, companies follow their federal reporting obligation at the soonest possible point whether there is a potential or identified safety hazard.”
Bumbo’s seat defies conventional description. It’s not a car seat, infant carrier or baby bath seat and isn’t covered by federal or industry standards.
In a complaint on CPSC’s SaferProducts.gov database, the mother of a baby who fell out of his seat when used on the floor said she was right next to him at the time. She wanted parents who leave children alone in the seats to “be aware of the dangers.” Bumbo says it knows of nine children who have needed medical treatment for injuries while the seat was used on the floor. When used properly, the risk of falls from the seat “is no greater than the risk of falls when a child is crawling, sitting, or learning to walk,” Bumbo said in the statement.
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