The Bumbo Baby Sitter (baby chair) - Page 3

[Awaken]

Oh, no. Here we go again! Bumbo seats, almost as evil as ear piercing and strollers.

FTR, I would have loved to have tried the bumbo seat when ds was younger. Both of mine were late sitters and it would have been fun to try it but it wasn't worth the $ to me.

[alegna]

Originally Posted by DandeCobb

I also do not beleive it is developmentally inappropriate, it IS used by Physical therapists and before it became 'mainstream' i.e., sold in target, it was exclusivly used by PT and sold or given to families whose children needed help with physical dev. my son loves it, we also use it in restaurants, he is waay to small for highchairs. i think its like any other 'baby holder' <swing, bouncy seat, playpen, high chair, exersaucer, ect> and should not be baby's home!

It was used by PTs for children that SHOULD be able to sit.

The op simply asked, I simply answered. No reason for people to get in a huff.

For those who asked- I think it puts infants in an unnatural position before they're ready to support themselves in that position. In a developmentally normal infant, when they are developmentally ready to sit, they will sit

Do I think they're evil? No. Do I think they can be overused or misused? Sure.

-Angela

[usolyfan]

We have one and we use it a lot. We have a highchair but sometimes I alternate and use the Bumbo. Dd is almost nine months old and isn't sitting yet, and probably won't be for a while. It gives dd a chance to be upright and her PT likes it because it strengthens her trunk muscles. She loves it!

[lovemysunshine]

Originally Posted by alegna

For those who asked- I think it puts infants in an unnatural position before they're ready to support themselves in that position.

I have to agree with this statement. It's never looked right to me, but if it works for your DC, I'm not going to judge you. I just don't care for them myself.

My sister was working at a store that sold them this summer and she kept bugging me to try one for DS. So we went to the store and I put him in it. It just seemed really uncomfortable for him (he was about 4 months old) and he HATED it! Needless to say, we didn't try that again!

[rebelbets]

Originally Posted by nonconformnmom

I think they are one of the most ridiculous baby products I've ever seen. I call it a "Dumbo seat".

Huh. What a bizarre thing to say. What's so ridiculous about it?

Originally Posted by alegna

It was used by PTs for children that SHOULD be able to sit.

For those who asked- I think it puts infants in an unnatural position before they're ready to support themselves in that position. In a developmentally normal infant, when they are developmentally ready to sit, they will sit

But what's the difference, really? My son is 9 months old and is not sitting up yet - he has some gross motor delays. His PT recommended a Bumbo for us, but his fat breastfed legs won't fit in the thing. Anyway, I don't see the difference between my 9-month-old son sitting in a Bumbo seat and a 5-month-old baby sitting in a Bumbo. If both are on the same page, developmentally speaking - not sitting unassisted, but with good head and trunk control - what makes the seat more appropriate for my child than for the younger child? So my child SHOULD be able to sit - so what? The point is that he can't, yet the Bumbo is still recommended for him. I mean, the Bumbo would put him into a position in which he is not yet ready to support himself, so would it be "developmentally inappropriate" for my kid? Nope.

My only complaint about the Bumbo is that it doesn't come in a larger size.

[alegna]

A younger child is not developmentally ready in any way. At 9 months a baby is "wired" if you will, to be interacting with the world in an upright manner.

-Angela

[shiningpearl]

Originally Posted by rebelbets

My only complaint about the Bumbo is that it doesn't come in a larger size.

I had the same problem w/ mine @ 4 months, I was able to get her in, but it was hard to get her out. She just looked like a big ball of pudge sitting in it, but she liked it for the total of an hour that we used it. Glad we borrowed on and didn't buy one.

[runes]

i am a pediatric physical therapist.

i am quite frankly appalled that fellow therapists are using the bumbo. i see no therapeutic value in it whatsoever. we are supposed to help the child with their trunk and neck control and placing them into a passive seating device does neither.

a therapist worth their salt wouldn't be caught dead using one. that's what our years of schooling and taking continuing education count for...learning therapeutic handling techniques to facilitate trunk control and function.

for children without special needs, it's yet another useless piece of molded plastic. it is developmentally inappropriate to let a child sit in a passive positioning device of this nature. i can get into the biological basis of my statements if you like.

bring on the tomatoes.

[AugustineM]

kidspiration -- are bouncy seats, swings & carseats the same? (I mean, developmentally inappropriate?) I'm figuring they probably are, since they put infants in an upright, more sitting position. Is propping them up on the couch, so they're sitting, the same? Or holding them in a sitting position on my lap? I'm honestly curious, because I've been thinking of getting a bumbo. I have a 2yo and a 3mo. old and I am not able to hold my 3mo old as much as I would like (dealing with the 2yo), so I have to figure out what to do with her when I'm not slinging her or holding her (which is most of the time), and she only likes lying flat on the floor for so long, she much prefers reclining or sitting. What would you suggest?

[sandals]

Not going to throw any tomatoes...just wanted to say that our doctor said the same thing as kidspiration about these seats (and went on to further speak about they are another sign of the changing PPT field in the USA- for the worse).

Just what he said.

[Ruthe]

I absolutely agree.

[lovingmommyhood]

Originally Posted by alegna

For those who asked- I think it puts infants in an unnatural position before they're ready to support themselves in that position. In a developmentally normal infant, when they are developmentally ready to sit, they will sit

My son sits on my lap all the time, he's three months old, how is that any different?? I just hold onto his sides with all of the other "supporting" being done by his body and my lap.

I think some people may have been reacting to the condescending tone of your post, not that you said they were "evil" perse.

[Daisie125]

We got one when DS was about 4 months old.. I put him in it once for photos so great grandma & grandpa could see him in it since they bought it.

I got it back out last week... DS can sit up on his own, and LOVES to do so, however he is still a little wobbly, so if I have to get up, I'll put him in it while I pee or cook or whatever, that way I don't have to be rightthere incase he falls backwords. I'm sure I'll stop using it once I don't have to worry about him slamming his head on the floor.

It's great for us, for what we use it for... however I HATE seeing little babies all slumped over in it.

(And I second the PP who wished it was bigger... DS's chubby little thighs barely fit!)

[North_Of_60]

I agree with all the sentiments about it being "developmentally inappropriate". I mean, if they're ready to sit up, they'll sit up! I've never really had a good feeling about propping her into positions that she was unable to stay in, so the bumbo falls under that category.

HOWEVER, we own one, and have used it. In fact, I got roasted for saying this last time - my husband travels for business, and my friends and family live 2000 miles away. I don't have a huge (or any support network), so being self sufficient was a huge goal for me. I simply cannot wear my daughter for everything.. as much as I'd like, and the bumbo bought me a few moments to make myself some dinner or pee when hubby was not around to help.

I think its life span around here was a matter of weeks - she didn't want to lay flat and couldn't sit up. Perhaps not "developmentally appropriate", but still useful none the less. I have every confidence that women have been propping babies into "unnatural positions" since the dawn of man if it meant they could pee without Baby screaming and scaring off a herd of woolly mammoths or buffalo.

So far, for the few hours, cumulatively, that she has spent in it, we have seen no detrimental adverse effects.

Weigh the risks and benefits. If using it has more benefits then not using it (such as being able to feed yourself or not mess in you pants, as was the case with me) then it might be a useful tool.

FWIW, we now use a high chair or play mat, which is much more "developmentally appropriate" as she is in a natural sitting position.

[basmom]

Originally Posted by lovingmommyhood

My son sits on my lap all the time, he's three months old, how is that any different?? I just hold onto his sides with all of the other "supporting" being done by his body and my lap.

I think some people may have been reacting to the condescending tone of your post, not that you said they were "evil" perse.

Yes.

[NinaBruja]

my mom got one at her house so liesl could sit next to her while my mom is going about her business and its okay when shes up high but when shes on the floor she throws herself somehow and flies out sideways and lands on her tummy.

then again she *is* the original stunt baby...

i wouldnt have allowed it before she was working towards sitting up though... i dont think thats developmentally appropriate....
-to the insecure mamas, saying that is not a slight- its sad that even needs to be said...

[clane]

I do not love or hate the Bumbo. We borrowed one from a friend and used it half a dozen times across a few months. I would have felt really dumb if I had shelled out $40 for something we used so little. Abigail was happy the first few times, but then discovered the arching back trick to pop her legs out. Well, she never got all the way out, but at that point I was going to risk putting her in it again.

[nonconformnmom]

When you hold your baby in your lap, you subtly (and probably even subconsciously/ instinctively) adjust your hold on the baby and the baby's position to ensure that baby remains adequately supported no matter how she twists or turns or adjusts her balance. A Dumbo seat cannot do that.

When your baby is in a carseat, she is supported from behind the neck all the way along her spine and under her thighs. A Dumbo seat does not do that either.

Why do I think it is a ridiculous product? What's the hurry to get babies sitting up independently before they are ready? As others have said, when baby is ready to sit up, she will. Before then, she's not ready, no matter how much "head control" a parent might think she has.

[MsGrizzle]

For those who asked- I think it puts infants in an unnatural position before they're ready to support themselves in that position. In a developmentally normal infant, when they are developmentally ready to sit, they will sit

Thanks for the tip. I'm heading out now to throw out my mdc-approved Hotsling and Moby Wrap because ds will only use them in the sitting forward position and since he can't sit that way unsupported, I am letting him do something developmentally inappropriate.

[Joannarachel]

The person who consistently refers to it as a "dumbo" seat. Please stop. Your tone is unnecessarily rude, and condescending, considering a number of people here have found use for them.

Precisely who is 'dumb'...the babies, or the parents? :

Please stop. It's offensive. You can express your opinion without being unkind...can't you?