Thoughts on bumbos

[mommy2two babes]

Everyone I know IRL raves about them.
Just looking for some other opinions.

[mama2myangels07]

i bought one for my 6 month old dd, because she desperately wants to sit up, but doesn't have the balance yet and sometimes I can't hold her ALL the time! She sits in it for 5-10 mins at a time.

[alegna]

eh... I'm not a fan. They have their place, but it's not a natural position that baby is held in and they can ONLY be used on the floor. Add to that that they are only useful for a couple of months and I don't think they're worth the price.

-Angela

[Drummer's Wife]

I got by fine with four babies and no Bumbo - so I really doubt I'd get one for a future kiddo. I know people seem to love them, though.

[Nillarilla]

I bought one for my 1st and used it a lot. My cousin's boy used it. Then my dd used it and now my bf's babe will be using it in a couple months. So we've gotten our money's worth out of it. Works great in restaurant booths.

[lifeguard]

WAAAAY overpriced imo but we borrowed one for free for about a month when ds wanted to sit but could only do so for a minute or so at a time. We used it for that period of time & it was nice but not nice enough to justify the cost.

[kkd]

I bought mine second-hand, so it wasn't as expensive as new, but we haven't used it much. It did come in handy for when I went to the chiropractor, because I could set DD in it and it kept her from rolling away during my appt. Could also be nice if you were feeding a baby solids on the go - it's easy to take along (if you don't carry a baby in a car seat, which we didn't) My DD didn't like the feeling of being confined, so she didn't tolerate being in it for long.

[candelaria80]

We like the Bumbo over here. DD is almost 9 months and still fits in it nicely, however she can now get out of it! I know they get a bad wrap, but I think in moderation they can be very helpful. I keep mine in the kitchen on the floor, when I have to chop or pull something out of the oven I can set her in it and do what I need to do quickly.

[mamadebug]

I did some reading about this that resonated with me (I think the article was form a chiropractor) - it basically said that if children (babies) can't hold themselves in a certain position naturally (sitting in this case), then it means they don't have the balance, muscle strength, coordination, etc and they shouldn't be artificially placed in that position. Their little bodies just aren't ready to do it yet. Part of the learning process for babies is that they have the motivation to keep trying to sit up (or roll over or stand up or whatever....) and that they need to practice these skills as an important part of their physical development. If someone always sits them up in a Bumbo seat, then it's all kind of done for them, possibly at too early an age than their body is ready for. When explained that way, it really made sense to me.

[alegna]

Originally Posted by Nillarilla

Works great in restaurant booths.

Babies have been injured that way. There was a recall a couple of years back to re-emphasize that they are ONLY to be used on the floor, never on any raised surface.

-Angela

[ElliesMomma]

enables me to take a shower. he's 7 months, been sitting up for 2 months already, and now starting to crawl. he can't get himself out of it yet, so this gives me the chance to shower... which is pretty useful to me! that's the only time i use it... once a day for about 10 minutes at a time. not sure what i would do without it (or what i'll do once he can get out of it). we shall see.

[kcstar]

Ours was a gift that we passed along. I like the concept as an occasional thing, but DS pretty much hated it. We used it about 3 times, one of them for a posed picture, and that was about it.

[candelaria80]

Originally Posted by mamadebug

I did some reading about this that resonated with me (I think the article was form a chiropractor) - it basically said that if children (babies) can't hold themselves in a certain position naturally (sitting in this case), then it means they don't have the balance, muscle strength, coordination, etc and they shouldn't be artificially placed in that position. Their little bodies just aren't ready to do it yet. Part of the learning process for babies is that they have the motivation to keep trying to sit up (or roll over or stand up or whatever....) and that they need to practice these skills as an important part of their physical development. If someone always sits them up in a Bumbo seat, then it's all kind of done for them, possibly at too early an age than their body is ready for. When explained that way, it really made sense to me.

I agree, and read a similar article while pregnant and decided not to put DD in the seat until she was very close to sitting up un-supported (about 4months); however, there are many things we put babies in that are un-natural, carseats being one. DD has been in a carseat many times more than the Bumbo. Maybe that is slightly different because of positioning, but I don't see a huge difference? Anyway, DD was sitting up completly un-supported by 5 months, we never saw any kind of adverse reaction, but again we used it sparingly.

[treegardner]

We didn't have one for DS, but my cousin had one for her DS. I much preferred to put DS in a bouncer if I needed to keep him in a safe place while I showered/made lunch/went to the bathroom/etc.

[akind1]

We have a similiar seat - the bebe pod - I like the plastic it is made of better, to me, the bumbo always looks dirty. We originally purchased it as an alternative to a high chair. we don't have a dining table at home so that seemed silly. At 5 months, DS can tri-pod sit on his own, and can sit unassisted for short bursts of time. I use it mostly when he wants a change of scene - he's tired of rolling around on the floor, and doesn't want the excersaucer (I WAH, so I really cannot hold him all the time, and he doesn't seem to want that either).

I don't see anything wrong with using them sparingly, but it is one of those things that I wouldn't miss if I didn't have it.

[alegna]

Originally Posted by candelaria80

however, there are many things we put babies in that are un-natural, carseats being one.

The bumbo positioning is much different. They are actually locked in position- an odd position. While carseats aren't great (and should only be used in the car...) it is more like a cradling position.

-Angela

[blessedwithboys]

the bumbo came out after my last baby could already sit up, but man, i wish i had had one for both of my kids! they were very strong right from birth, held their heads up, and could bear weight on their feet. both my kids were major proprioception seekers from the get-go, but they also needed the vestibular stim of being in the sling quite a bit. they had to be upright. both my kids started being able to sit up around 4.5 mos, but they werent reliably steady until about 6mos. when i had to shower, i had to lay them flat or put them in a bouncer seat, both of which made them scream bloody murder. a bumbo would have given me 30 mins each day to shower and get dressed. so while i never used one, i wish i had!

[Jayray]

My DS liked his okay, but honestly I rarely thought to put him in it. I did use it sometimes in the kitchen. He also has really chunky legs and it didn't take long for me to feel like I had to squeeze his poor little legs into it. So then I stopped using it. My ped warned me that it had a short lifespan. I found this to be true and probably wouldn't buy it again. However, I never thought to use it while in the shower! This seems like a really good idea!

[lotus.blossom]

I picked one up at a yard sale and used it for only a few weeks. My son was an early sitter (5 months) He would propel himself out of the bouncer and almost flip it over on him, so THAT was unsafe, as was putting him on the floor on a blanket for certain things. He loved the bumbo because he could sit up supported and see what his brother was doing, and play with his toys in an upright position.

I agree that it can be misused and harmful but just about any baby device can be. Its kind of a case by case for each child. I don't think its a great investment new since it really should only be used for a small window of time since its not the greatest for a non-sitting baby AND it can be pretty dangerous for one that sits well. My son learned to flip it over pretty quick.

Oh, and I forgot. My older son thought it was a potty chair and peed in it on a couple occasions! (I would let my little one sit in it naked since it was easily wiped out.)

[ShwarmaQueen]

I haven't had one with either baby, but I know ppl who love theirs. Really though, both my babes have learned to sit in just a couple months- seems like a lot of money to pay for something that's not going to be used for very long.

We use our boppy pillow with a few pillows surrounding it.