Customer Reviews

5 star:		(274)
4 star:		(75)
3 star:		(60)
2 star:		(25)
1 star:		(29)

 

 

Length:: 2:25 Mins

I previously gave the Bumbo four stars, now its five.

Ive been using the Bumbo for almost 6 months now, and it has helped tremendously if I tally all the work Im using it for.

Like most new mothers, I received and bought hundreds ( it feels like thousands)of new things for my baby. Like I have 3 gym or playmats, 4 carriers, clothing, toys and more toys stacked up in the attic, etc.

BUT only 1 or 2 will stand out in each category.

BUMBO falls under the sitting-infant category. Its numero 1--No.1 in my list. When my baby's neck became strong, I started her on a Bumbo. It has a concave seat design, thus contouring around the baby's pudgy bottom. Its rubbery cushy so Im sure she's comfortable.

My baby also likes to see things from an upright position, and Im more than willing to oblige if that's her innate nature of inquisitiveness.

So far, We have used the Bumbo on the following activities:

1. Watch her Praise Baby DVDs
2. Watch me cook from the floor on her Bumbo
3. Play on her Bumbo with crunchy things
4. Recently, FEED her on her Bumbo ( cant use the high chair bec. she cant control her back yet)
5. Enjoy a date with my husband and her on a Bumbo inside the restaurant.
6. Play in the snow in her Bumbo. (Maybe she's wondering why everything around her was so white)
7.BATHE her quickly.

Yes, I'm bathing the baby using the Bumbo. Its hilariously fantastic! When she was 1-3months , of course we use the small tub. Then Ive been using the Summer Infant Bath Support wherein she's laid out like sunbathing. It didnt work so much because she wants to see everything within her eye-level. The squirming didnt help.

I thought, why not use the Bumbo? It worked. As you can see from the video, she is in place and curious about the water.

Im careful not to move away from her so her bath lasts for less than 5 minutes. Bumbo does the job well. The water gushes out from the seat so Im sure she's squeaky clean. After turning the water off, I use the hooded towel from behind her. Place the hood on her head and scoop her up.

Moreover, Bumbo works during dinner time. We bring it with us when we head out to eat in restaurants or family gatherings. People cant help but smile at babies on a Bumbo. As I mentioned, they cant be on a high chair yet. I have a choice --- carry or bumbo her. Bumbo, it is.

Peeves :

1. Your baby may outgrow it too soon.
Some babies just grow too fast. While some babies outgrow their clothes, mine is on track. This may determine how one can outlast the bumbo. my baby's on track and so far she still fits the Bumbo. i could even see there's more room for her to grow into it.

2. Cost?
A rubber seat may cost too much, but I got a Nursing Baby Bond for $35 or a Boppy for same price. I suppose its uses outweighed cost disadvantage.
I got mine second hand during a street fair, back when I was clueless about baby products and very pregnant. It was literally handed to me. All I could do was nod ok.

3. Alert when baby wants out.
Never ever leave the baby on an elevated area on her Bumbo. Gravity+height+ squirming baby equates to disaster--awful disaster. By the time your babe reaches 5 months, her limbs will be noticeably strong. Hence, you must take precaution. She'll try to push her body out--yes, she'll try and she wont be successful but it'll sure budge the Bumbo.

I keep her on the floor--- at least, when she can whoop out of the chair, she'll land on the floor. Her developed skull can take that just as more falls to come from sitting up or walking.

UPDATE (January 17, 2012)

My daughter is now two years and 3 months, she still fits her bumbo because she's a skinny long toddler. BUT she's extremely active so she wouldn't sit still while bathing. She has graduated and now I'm waiting for my 2-week-old to use his Bumbo on the 3rd month.

I love the concept of the bumbo however it never really worked for my daughter. She would always end up flopping over to one side in search of a toy that she dropped so I could never get her to stay in it for more than a few minutes at a time. I tried to add the tray (which is not easy to get on)thinking that would help with the problem but it didn't.

I know friends whose kids loved the bumbo so my advice would be to borrow one from a friend first to see if it is worth buying your own. Every baby is different and this is definitely one baby product that can be really useful or just another colorful thing to collect dust and take up closet space.

I really like the idea of the Bumbo baby sitter. I really, really do... but the short story is... my baby never did.

I bought it for him around 4 months because he was displaying such interest (really from about 3 months) of wanting to sit up on his own. Like another reviewer's baby, he is a bit on the short and chubby side and consequently found the leg holes of the Bumbo a bit too tight and, thus, uncomfortable. As soon as I put him in it, he would arch his back trying to get out. (To the Bumbo's credit, he never could and the Bumbo never tipped... but I did put some pillows behind him just in case he managed to get out or topple the whole thing over one day!) We tried him in it several times for a few minutes at a time over the course of a 4-5 weeks -- waiting to see if he'd get used to it -- but, alas, he never did. (What ended up working best was what I initially started with... the *infamous* Boppy pillow. And now at 6.5 months, he can sit on his own... sooooo the Bumbo has been packed away for (perhaps) our future children to use (... and, um, *maybe* love?).

Shrug. So, the bottom line is... some kids like it... others don't... really don't! If you can, try your baby out in it IN A STORE before you buy. :)

Additional note added:
I wanted to come back an add a couple things to this review. I see a lot of people use the Bumbo for feeding, which is a great use of this seat! Using the seat so your baby can practice sitting up to play with toys, however, is not as ideal. As the seat is designed, your baby sits up a couple inches off the floor. My son would get frustrated in the Bumbo also because he couldn't reach easily for toys in front of him (I had to keep handing him things... when what he wanted was to try grabbing them himself). I really think this is why he prefered the Boppy pillow -- he could play (kind of [wink]) on his own. So, depending on what you want to use the Bumbo for... mainly a tool for eating or playing... please keep our experience with it in mind. :)

I got this chair for my 4 month old son. He has been actively trying to sit up on his own since he was only 2 months old, and I had been window shopping a decent and safe way to nurture his need to sit. I saw this chair and I have to admit that I thought it was a little pricey, but after seeing it at the local day care I realized that this chair will outlast an entire family of kids becuase it is so durable. I got one and I take it everywhere! The material is easy to clean, super comfortable for him and he just loves to relax in it. He enjoys being able to sit in different locations of the house and just observe what's going on. Before his was pretty restricted to the play mat, crib, or swing and he was getting bored. now I put him in it wherever I go. I can do laundry, cook, or excersise and he gets to soak up all the action. He loves it!!
UPDATE:
I have used this product for about two weeks since I initiated the review and over that time I have observed a noticeable increase in strength and his ability to sit on his own has drastically improved. I honestly didn't expect the chair would actually improve his strength and skills, but its because of what he does in it all the time. Once he is placed in the chair, he begins to wiggly around, trying to find a way to grab toys at his side or simply get out of the chair. Because of this he is increasing his core strength and there is noticeable improvement for independent sitting.

I usually do not write reviews on items I have purchased or used, but felt I needed regarding Bumbo. I have a 5 month old daughter and she has been using the Bumbo for the last 2.5 months. This is a GREAT product! It offers supports and free yours hands when things need to be done around the home. I have a bouncer, a carrier, swing, play mat, and a pack-n-play. Besides her crib and changing table, this is the other product I use numerous times a day. This is worth the buy!

In addition, my best friend also purchased Bumbo for her Special Needs daughter who is 3. She is unable to walk or support herself upright. While visiting our home, we placed her child in the Bumbo and were suprised at how it formed to her body and weight as well. My dear friend immediatly purchased her own Bumbo for herself and one to keep at her parent's home.

You won't regret buying this product.

I got the Bumbo w/tray for two purposes: to use for feeding (portable high chair), and for him to sit and play with toys.
It works well for feeding. The warning instruction say not to place on a table for fear of baby tipping and falling off. But I place it on the table while I'm there and he's in reach.
It keeps him entertained for up to 30 min at a time. I highly recommend suction toys otherwise you'll have to bend over and pick up toys all the time.
I wasn't sure about getting one at all because of the negative internet articles I read, but I okayed it with his Dr. She told me that it does help strengthen core muscles (to aide in sitting up alone). My son didn't sit up soon for his age (5m). He still doesn't sit up well for long periods (6 1/2m).
My son is 18lbs, 28in and he barely fits in the Bumbo now. To get him out I have to remove tray (seat has to be lifted in order to take tray off), I have to dislodge legs, and then lift him up. He just recently started getting his body twisted (while reaching for things) and it is not safe for him to be in it except with close supervision. Was happy it does not tip over when he leans over in it.

In conclusion: I find the Bumbo useless without the tray. I think it is overpriced for the use we get out of it. It does entertain well for a duration up to three months (from stage of being able to support head to being able to sit up without support).

Pros
1. Works well for feeding
2. Safe for supervised play
3. Baby enjoys it and seems comfortable
4. Helps baby strengthen core
5. Portable
6. Tray good for suction toys
7. Does not tip over easily
8. Easy to clean
Cons
1. Overpriced
2. Need suction toys (as it is too high for baby to reach dropped toys)
3. Need to purchase tray seperately
4. Have to lift seat to remove tray (have to remove tray to remove baby)
5. Chunky legs get stuck
6. Close supervision needed
7. Can't use as for as long as other equipment (swing, highchair, jumperoo, etc.)

Bumbo Baby Seat Blues

I am the mother of a cutting-edge, tech-savvv, learn-all-about-it, mid-wifing, home-birthing, mid-twenties pregnant woman. Consequently I'm making a serious effort to be open to progressive ideas on child-making/baby-raising. I admit sometimes I have to stretch. I shelled out thirty dollars for a throw pillow with the middle cut out as if it caused me no pain at all; I did not visibly wince at the additional twenty for it's "C" shaped pillow case. I accept as possibility, if not fact, that the "Boppy" pillow may be essential to good parenting.

The Bumbo Baby Seat is not. I could not hide a strong, instinctive dislike of this baby seat even if I could not immediately articulate why. I sounded resentful of progress, old and jealous. "A foam chair replacing the mother-fluffed blanket and pillow nest ? Harumph!" , I might as well have croaked . " Back in my day babies sat up when they learned to sit up because they didn't like slumping to their bellies sideways every time the fold in a rolled blanket caved in from their incessant squirming!"

Clearly I needed to make a better case .

Is it even okay to put a 12-week-old in a molded, pre-defined "correct" sitting position? I went looking for support of my suspicion that this seat was not developmentally appropriate. What I found was a massive recall in 2007 in response to the fact that most babies, sooner or later will try their hardest to get out of this seat, many succeed, and some of those who do are seriously injured. But all they changed was the box.

CON:
The Bumbo Baby Seat promises it is sturdy enough to hold a twenty-two pound child. However, any twenty-pound baby who will still sit in one is an exceptionally passive baby. Nearly all the rest devote themselves to trying to escape the ergonomically-dubious clutches of this tiny Lazy-Boyish hell as soon as they can arch their backs vigorously enough to tip out of it.

This tipping problem became a marketing challenge a few years back as some of the original packaging featured pictures of babies in Bumbo Baby Sitters perched on tables and counter tops. Some parents took this to mean they could use the Bumbo seat as it was used in these photos. Babies lurched , lunged and toppled to the floor by the dozens. Serious injuries resulted, including multiple skull fractures.

In response, the product was recalled in 2007. A risk/benefit analysis resulted not in any change in the design or manufacture , rather simply the addition of several prominent stickers on the the boxes advising against placing the seat *above ground level* as doing so would place the child at risk of escape-driven injuries. Today the *only* location the manufacturer, Bumbo International, South Africa , recommends for a baby-filled Bumbo is on the floor.

PRO:
After a few lonely weeks at the cat's eye-level your baby may show a precocious ability to identify family members by their feet.

[...]

The Bumbo seat does not help a child learn to sit on his/her own. This is a false and misleading statement made by the company. Yes, the chair allows the child to sit up before they've developed the muscles to do so one his own. It may help facilitate some interaction with others (although that is up to the individual). What is very important to realize is that the seat is designed to do the work of a child's un-developed core muscles FOR him which actually prevents the strengthening of those muscles. When your baby struggles to sit on his own, he is not only developing those important core muscles but is also learning balance as well. If you do use a Bumbo, make sure you are giving your child plenty of opportunities to develop and strengthen those muscles outside of the bumbo chair!

Boy, I wanted 2 of these BAD. I have twins and wanted them to be able to enjoy sitting up and being a part of the scene.

The big problem is that my babies were instantly BORED to TEARS in these things. Literally. They were willing to sit in them about long enough for a photo op, but not much longer than that. They wanted OUT. Struggle, struggle, struggle.

As for putting the tray on? Forget it. They weren't having any of that tray and it didn't REALLY fit anyway, without lots of fussing.

Pros:
Babies look cute as a button in these chairs!
Helps babies "sit up" before they can REALLY sit up.
Um... helps your baby watch tv like a bachelor in his apartment.

Cons:
Baby is basically stranded and made to just sit and observe.

Final verdict:
If your baby is passive and willing to just be put somewhere, then Bumbo might be good for him.

I bought the Bumbo chair when my baby was two months old to help him keep his neck straight and to gain strength. It really helped him. At the beginning, he seemed to get quiet when seated in it but as he got older he got more comfortable. Now he is 6 mo old and he still likes to seat in it. I think it is an excellent buy. The chair seems to be very comfortable, as well. The material is very soft. I can take this chair everywhere!