At first, the videos are cute, even tame, by YouTube standards: Babies in Bumbo chairs are put atop Roombas, the robotic vacuum cleaners that spin around and clean up so you don't have to. And over the years, there have been many Roomba-related videos showing the robot freaking out dogs, cats, bunnies and babies. But the bumper-car baby thing takes it in a whole 'nother direction.
In "Our little girl and her trusty steed, Irene the Roomba," for example, Irene spins the baby around, and as a parent lifts the baby girl in her chair off the robot, Irene moves away quickly, perhaps happy to be freed of the job she was not meant to do: Cart around little ones.
"We got a baby chair from friends today and immediately used it to mistreat our child!" notes one of the parents in a caption below the video, posted recently.
Nor is it this the first such Bumbo/Roomba filming. A check of YouTube videos shows similar escapades ("Cameron on bumbo on roomba," "Baby T's Roomba Rodeo, " "Bumbo+roomba=boomba") and some that go back a few years ("Roomba Ridin Baby").
Some comments are favorable. "i absolutely love how unfazed the baby is," is one comment about Irene the Roomba and her miniature rider. "We need an adult size version of this" is another.
"While I was a bit worried about the baby falling off, she didn't seem to give a damn about what was going on and her parents were right there so it seems fine," says one seemingly rational observer. "That is one COOL baby though, she puts up with it and makes her parents look silly. 'THIS is what you do with your spare time? good job mom and dad, I'm just gonna sit here and not care.' "
At least two baby Bumbo/Roomba videos were just posted today, "Baby Riding roomba + bumbo" and "Cameron on bumbo on roomba." The caption on the latter says: "Caroline had a fabulous idea to put the baby on a bumbo on the roomba! It was awesome like the teacup ride at Disneyland!"
But, hey folks: It's not a teacup ride. It's not Disneyland. And a robotic vacuum cleaner is a piece of machinery that is not meant for babies, pets or any living creature you give a whit about — DURRRR.
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