The Case Against the Bumbo
You’d be hard pressed to find a baby who doesn’t have one. It’s sold in most specialty baby stores. It’s so well marketed, you’d think it was a ‘necessity’ item like a crib or a stroller. It’s a Bumbo. And you probably don’t need it.
The Bumbo is a moulded seat that helps your baby sit upright without the need for straps. The product is marketed for babies aged 3 months to 14 months. The website touts the product as being for “hands free baby care”… seriously, can I sign up for that? Cause I’ve never had that, Bumbo or no Bumbo.
We didn’t think we’d get the Bumbo, even though everyone had one. We held off. But then our doctor suggested it would help Aiden learn to sit. So we almost felt like bad parents for not getting a Bumbo. We caved. He HATED it. Max use was about 5 minutes, and at no time could I just let him sit there without giving him toys. He hated being confined and it wasn’t long before he learned to push his bum up to get out.
Then there’s the size – being made of moulded foam, it really does have a max baby size. I think the 14 months refers to a pretty small baby. Aiden can still fit in his Bumbo, but most of the time it sits collecting dust in our livingroom. Sometimes we pull it out as a way to feed him if we have guests over, but he hates it. We have the play tray too, but that thing is impossible to get on.
I think there’s the case to be made for the Bumbo. If you have twins, for example. Or if you have a really chill and mellow baby. If your baby doesn’t mind sitting in one spot for a long time, maybe he’d like a Bumbo. Does he like the bouncy chair or swing? If so, chances are better he’d like the Bumbo. But if your baby, like mine, is a mover and needs to be doing different things all the time (even when he can’t), then don’t think he’s going to enjoy being in a rigid chair like the Bumbo.
So, hold off on this ‘necessity’ or borrow it from a friend. Get to know your baby – I’m pretty sure you’ll know if the Bumbo is his kind of thing or not. And trust me, he’ll learn to sit just fine without it.
We didn’t use one. We tried it at a friend’s and he hated it. Plus the window of usefulness is so short, we just toughed it out. We didn’t even get an exersaucer or a jolly jumper – poor Theo. That may be why he started crawling at 5 and a half months. He needed a little excitiment.
BTW- all babies learn to sit!
I know. I think our doctor sees a lot of babies with flat heads from being on their backs to play, but we never really did much of that. Aiden was SO fussy as a baby that he spent most of his awake time sitting in my lap. We did eventually get an exersaucer, again to pacify the fussy times. I think it all depends on your baby’s personality.
I dislike the Bumbo. It was already almost too small for Zayden’s legs when he was 3 months old (he was a chubby baby, to be fair) and he always tries to get out of it. Also, the bottom edge is sharp and has cut our playmat more than once.
I had the bumbo for Melanie, who I think has been somewhat of a chill baby. She only liked it when she was being entertained or fed by me. It had only provided ‘hands free’ feeding at playdates. I’ve heard people refer to the exersaucer as a ‘ring of neglect’. Although this is a great description, I think the neglect notion suits the bumbo more. Was the suggestion supposed to be that moms could put their babies in it for a while to get things done? I think not!
One other note…although my chunk monkey needs a shoe horn to be removed from the seat, my 3 year old niece, who no longer wears diapers, fits it no problem!
I think the Bumbo is good for babies who are having developmental delays, and need the support/strengthening to help them learn to sit. One of my daughters didn’t mind sitting in it at all; the other is too “wiggly” for it. They both absolutely love the exersaucer though.
My main issue with the Bumbo is how expensive it is relative to its usefulness. Most people I know rarely use it even if their baby likes sitting in it. And quite a few babies I know outgrew it rather quickly. If you have a big baby the window of time for use could be only a few months. It’s definitely something to look for secondhand rather than paying full price. A hand-me-down (like ours) would be ideal.