Another Absurd Product Recall

I just received a notification that:

This morning, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) and Bumbo International Trust voluntarily recalled 4 million of its Bumbo Baby Seats. The recall comes after a series of reports of babies falling from the seat when placed on an elevated surface.

I know that the instructions that came with our Bumbo seat 3 years ago specifically advised against placing the seat with baby on an elevated surface. So, now, presumably due to fear of litigation, the company is adding seat belts to the chair. I won’t be sending away for the new seat belt kit, and I also won’t blame Bumbo if my baby falls out as a result.

These chairs are inexpensive and a huge help to parents of young babies — they allow the baby to “sit” long before their muscles are developed enough for sitting. They are made possible due to the molding technology found in Crocs, as well as the ingenuity and the entrepreneurial risk of one or more individuals. The chair made our life with our baby daughter immeasurably better.

I read the warning about not putting the baby in the chair on a table-top or counter, and then proceeded to use the chair from time to time on a table-top or counter. I considered myself warned and probably used it with a bit more caution than if the warning had not been given. I think it’s a sad statement on our present culture that a product such as this is being recalled so that a seat belt can be added. American children will be so accustomed to being strapped in at all times, I won’t be surprised if I see adults in 10 years who buckle themselves in to eat, sleep, and watch a movie.

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1:47 pm on August 15, 2012