bumbo seatIf you're like any other mom in America, then sitting somewhere in your living room among your ridiculous amount of baby gear is a Bumbo seat. (Am I right?) That thing is awesome for helping babies sit up, and it's so convenient for feeding, etc. But if you do have one, then you'd better read on, because 4 million Bumbo baby seats have been recalled due to major safety hazards.

The seats present a falling risk to infants when they are placed on raised surfaces, which can result in injuries as severe as skull fractures. And as much as I'd like to say I only put my son in his Bumbo seat when it was on the floor, I can recall setting him on the kitchen counter in it a time or two. Because that thing fits so snugly around a baby's body, you'd never dream they'd fall out of it. Luckily, I never had any safety issues with my Bumbo seat -- but other parents haven't been so fortunate.

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The seats were originally recalled in 2007 after babies fell out of them, and as a result, a warning was issued to parents stating that the seats should never be used on elevated surfaces. But not everyone got the message, and since then, at least 50 babies have gotten hurt. Want to know the scariest part? Get this one -- some of the infants who suffered injuries fell out of their Bumbo seats while they were placed on the ground.

But before you panic and immediately take your Bumbo seat to the nearest dumpster, the CPSC has a solution to make your seat safe. All you need to do is contact Bumbo to be given a free kit that includes a safety belt for the seat and new instructions on how to use it properly. You can check out Bumbo's recall site for more information on the kit, or call (866) 898-4999.

Do you use a Bumbo seat, and have you ever worried about it not being safe?

 

Image via USCPSC/Flickr