Bumbo seats safe: retailer Labelling-related recall
Three children who suffered skull fractures after falling out of a foam infant baby seat have prompted a labelling-related recall in Canada and the United States.
The Bumbo Seat, a supportive chair designed for infants unable to sit up on their own, is sold by Bumbo International of South Africa. It has been voluntarily recalled after the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission received reports of 28 young children falling out of the seat.
Patty Davis, spokesperson for the commission, told The Richmond Review that the recall doesn’t mean that American consumers will receive a refund or an exchange.
She said the recall will simply see an additional warning sticker placed on the product, which further emphasizes warnings already on the product that seats should never be placed on elevated surfaces, such as tables, countertops or chairs.
The action to update the instructions and packaging are taken in cooperation with Health Canada.
“The Baby Bumbo Seat can be used safely on the floor, but since a baby can get out of the seat, never leave a child unattended,” said Narda Simpson, a representative of Bumbo International in Canada.
Frank Yu, manager of Baby on Board at Richmond Centre, has sold the Bumbo Seats at his store and has received five calls thus far from concerned customers.
He said part of the problem in the U.S. is that individual customers are not being given warnings at the point of purchasing the seats when they buy it at giant retailers.
“U.S. consumers are not reading their information packets,” Yu said, noting that the instructions that come with the seats clearly indicate that the Bumbo Seats shouldn’t be used on elevated surfaces.
At his store, procedures call for an employee informing each customer about the product, and that it isn’t meant to be used in bathtubs, on a table or in a car.
New instructions can also be obtained from www.bumbosafety.com or call toll free 1-877-932-8626.
More than two million Bumbo seats have been sold worldwide since it was introduced in 2003.
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