The Bumbo Baby Seat has Logged Many, Many Hours of Sitting Time!

After my baby was born, I looked at Bumbo baby seats, but figured I would never buy one. They seemed expensive and looked like something that was more gimmicky than something that would get a lot of use. However, as a new mom, I learned that out of desperation and necessity, I would purchase almost anything to make my life easier!


The Bumbo Seat

I purchased my Bumbo at a local baby store for $40, but have seen it in several stores (generally always $40). The Bumbo is simply a soft, molded, rubbery seat for your infant to sit in.

There are several colors to choose from. I chose the aqua color since I try to pick baby products that can be used with a boy or girl (since I intend on having more kids). There is also lilac, lime, yellow, and pink.

In addition, you can purchase a tray for the Bumbo, which snaps on to the front of the seat (I believe the tray is about $10).

The Bumbo is recommended for babies that can "hold his or her head up without assistance. For some babies, this can be as young as 8 weeks, but it varies depending on the development of each individual baby... recommended for children up to 22 pounds."


My Thoughts

I started using the Bumbo between 2-3 months. My daughter has always been very determined to do things, and she really enjoyed sitting as soon as she was able. As a new mom and very overwhelmed, I bought the Bumbo seat out of what I would say is necessity! I was able to put my daughter in this seat and allow her to sit on her own for extended periods of time, without having to personally hold her and support her on my own.

The seat is nice and I imagine very comfortable. It is soft, puffy foam, but at the same time is nice and firm. The surface is smooth and non-porous. It has endured everything from lots and lots of spitup to blowouts to food getting on it. Everything has wiped off the surface very easily, without a problem. I have heard people complain that the surface stained, but our Bumbo does not have any stains on it.

The base of the Bumbo is wider than the rest of the chair, and the rubbery material sort of "clings" to surfaces in a non-skid kind of way. In fact it is difficult to slide the chair, even if you try.

The leg holes help keep baby in just the right position. In fact, my daughters legs are so chubby that it is a tight fit for us. At 25 lbs, my daughter is pretty much too big for the Bumbo, and can definitely get out of it on her own. However, I do use it for some feedings - I sit my baby in the Bumbo facing me while I sit cross-legged on the floor. If she twists and pushes to get out, I'm there as she pops herself out. When she was younger, we could just put her in the Bumbo and she would sit there for a long time, just playing with a toy or two. I do think that it would be a stretch the be using the Bumbo after a year old, but I do know there are a lot of smaller babies out there that would fit in it just fine, although their newfound agility is something else to contend with!


The RECALL

I learned about the "recall" (which is not a true recall) of this product as soon as the media frenzy occurred, which was in October 2007. Basically, the US Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) brought up concerns about injuries as a result of the Bumbo.

Personally - I find the recall ridiculous. You should always, always, always supervise your child. And this is whether or not a product has a big sticker on it warning you to do so! The Bumbo DOES warn you about it's use. I would NEVER put this on a kitchen counter or a hard tile surface, or anything that could even begin to be dangerous! And I always watch my child and am within reach of her.

Now that my daughter is older - almost 10 months - and 25 lbs, which is about the highest percentile for her age - I watch her extremely closely. I sit her in the Bumbo while I face her cross-legged on the floor, to feed her. She will writhe and get out of the Bumbo, but I am right there. She grabs on my arms or puts her hands on the floor and she is out. Even before she could get out on her own, I would never leave her unattended!

I was very disappointed to hear that the Bumbo got negative press, and because of negligence or simply because people did not have common sense. I personally am not concerned about the safety of this product.


Overall

The Bumbo seat has saved me a lot of time and effort! It really helped my daughter when she was learning to sit, and also helped me out to not have to hold my baby all the time and to assist her in sitting without actually supporting her by myself. I never thought I would purchase this, but I did, and I am very happy I did!