What is the Bumbo?
The Bumbo seat is a little chair designed to help your baby sit up and is made out of a durable foam material.
The Good?
+We started using the Bumbo seat when Gracie was around 3 months old. We put her in it to play for a couple of minutes. It was mainly used just to change up her position if she got tired on her tummy. We also wanted to get her used to sitting up, so she could learn to do it unassisted. However, we didn’t really start using it until she was 5-6 months old.
+We also used to use it while we took photos of Gracie. We would cover the Bumbo with a blanket and it allowed us to get different photos of her. That worked perfect!
+Gracie is 6 months old and I use the Bumbo seat now to feed her solids. We do not currently have our high chair set up, so I use the Bumbo to feed Gracie on the floor. It’s perfect for meal times!
+I like using the Bumbo while I feed Gracie because it is super easy to clean up. The foam material makes it easy to just wipe up any spills Gracie makes.
+The Bumbo also comes with a safety strap now (honestly, I don’t use them much because I am ALWAYS right by Gracie when she is in this)
The Bad?
+There is a lot of controversy around the Bumbo. They have been recalled A LOT due to babies falling out of them. That’s why they added the safety strap. Yikes. That’s really scary. While the Bumbo seems like it can be a great place to put baby while you do dishes or go to the bathroom, this is not the place to do it. I never leave Gracie alone in the Bumbo because of this. I have seen her arch her back to try to get out. Also, these are meant for the floor only. I’ve put Gracie on the counter or table in her Bumbo before while I fed her, but the Bumbo is made for the floor.
+Also, Gracie doesn’t really love to play in this. While she loves eating her solids in the Bumbo, she doesn’t really love to play. She would much rather be on her tummy playing or sitting on mommy’s lap.
+Gracie’s legs get stuck in the seat. When you go to take her out, the whole Bumbo seat comes with her. I have learned to first lift her legs out of the leg holes, and then lift her out. This can not be comfortable for her though.
Best for?
According to their website, the Bumbo is best for babies 3-9 months. Once babies can sit up on their own, I’m not too sure that they would like sitting in the Bumbo. Gracie is at that stage where she can sit by herself, but topples over- so the Bumbo is perfect right now!
Where?
We got the Bumbo from Buy Buy Baby!
Overall?
This chair works great for babies unable to sit by themselves. I love using the Bumbo for feeding Gracie solids. It’s super easy to clean and I can put it away when I’m done using it. The Bumbo is only safe to use if you watch your baby while they are in it (like all baby contraptions!).
My vote?
I wouldn’t necessarily say this is a MUST HAVE, but I love having ours. It has come in handy several times. My vote: NICE TO HAVE 🙂
Read my review of the Solly Baby Wrap next.