At first glance, the Bumbo Baby Seat seems ideal for securely propping up an infant in a sitting position. The molded foam device is brightly colored and compact, with rounded corners and a pleasing design. Plus, babies like them. The South African company, Bumbo International, has sold four million in the United States.

All of these seats are being 21 reports of skull fractures in infants who fell out of the seat. Nineteen of these fractures occurred when babies fell from Bumbo Seats that had been placed on an elevated surface, such as a table. This happened even though the company recalled 1 million seats in 2007 and issued a warning against using them on a raised surface. The other two cases, however, occurred while the Bumbo Seat was on the floor.

Bumbo International is now offering parents a free restraint belt, with clearer instructions about only using the baby seat on the floor, with adult supervision. Will this be enough to safeguard infants from dangerous falls? Only time will tell.

Even the most vigilant parents cannot guard their children against every possible danger, but when they buy furniture, seats or toys, they rightfully expect that these products have been tested and are safe to use. When a defective baby product does cause harm, you need the help of an experienced product liability law firm to make sure the responsible party – whether it is the manufacturer, retailer or distributor – is held accountable.