Question About BUMBOS

I bought a bumbo second hand for $15. It came with a tray and I used it when my son was 4-5 months old. I sat him in it to feed him rice cereal when we first started trying solids. My son was big for his age (90th percentile for weight and height until he was 18 months) so he quickly got too chunky for the Bumbo. I would not buy one new, but if you can get one used, it was handy to have. I sold mine to another new mom for $15 and got my money back.

My daughter LOVED her bumbo. She had no problems with it and it gave her enough support to help her sit up on her own. She hated other seats that leaned her back she wanted to sit straight up. She liked it so much she ate in it instead of her high chair. I have read some negative things about them but I think the babies were not strong enough to be in them or too strong and would themselves flip out. My daughter had no trouble and loved it.

I don't care for them and therefore do not think they are worth the price. My daughter briefly used one at the sitters but that ended before it started as my little angel was able to come out of hers by arching back and up (did I mention she is part mountain climber?).

My sister and BIL LOVED theirs. My nephew is just one month younger than my daughter but he seemed to enjoy his....didn't even try to come out. They swore by it and since he was smaller than my girl, he was able to get a lot of use out of it so for them it was worth it.

I know...not a clear cut answer for you but honest none the less.

My son HATED his! The position it put him in must have been uncomfortable because he would scream in it!

If you do decide to get one, check out craigslist. I bought mine on there for $15 and put it into the tub, sprayed in with cleaner, rinsed it and it was like brand new!

I say it depends on the kid.

My son would just try like everything to get out once I put him in there. He was tiny for his age and had skinny legs so once he figured it out, he'd just worm right out of it.

My daughter too, did not want to be "contained" in such a way.

I was given mine by my SIL so it was fine to try, but I much preferred to practice sitting with my kids just putting them on the floor with the boppy behind them.

Jessica

I had one for my youngest (before they came out with the tray) & we both loved it! When your little on can hold his/her head up well (without wobbling) you can start using it. Obviously baby still needs lots of floor time, but the BUMBO is awesome for feeding, sitting & playing (with or without the tray). In the BUMBO you don't have to worry (as much) about baby falling over. Baby will still need to supervised at all times & not left alone in the BUMBO & don't set it on things (tables, ect.). You could set it on the table to feed, but don't leave baby even for a split second & babies can shift their weight & knock the BUMBO off of a tall surface.

God bless!

We bough one when our son was about 4 months old and did not get much use out of it due to his size. His fatty (but oh so cute) legs were too big for it. We continued proping him up w/ pillows which worked just fine. As the earlier note yyou might find them second hand much cheaper.

My daughter loved hers! She started sitting in it at about 5-6 months. They also sell trays that attach to them so you can use them as more of a high chair/booster seat (doesn't attach to chair though!). My daughter loved it. I recommend it!

We still use ours for our son at age 27 mos as a booster chair at my mom's house. Most kids probably won't get that kind of use out of it, but if your little one has skinny thighs, it works for a long time. If they have chunky thighs, you might not get your money's worth out of it. At first I thought I had wasted my money on it, because my son didn't like to be in it for very long, But he would stay in it for a while. Which was nice because he pretty much fussed if I wasn't holding him constantly. I have the tray also. It is kind of awkward to put it on because you have to lift the bumbo with baby in it. I wouldn't leave my son in it for too long to be on the safe side with their developing spines, but my son didn't seem to have any problems learning to sit on his own, he has always been a little early to those kind of milestones.

Please DO NOT put baby in the bumbo up on a surface like counter or a toilet like another poster mentioned! They are not that stable. My son would lean over and tip his over on purpose. It isn't hard to do. I can't imagine how dangerous it would be to set it on a toilet and have them tip off the toilet onto a tile floor. I could easily see it snapping their necks or cracking their head open. It would be much worse than a regular fall off a high surface, because their body is immobile in this thing that gives extra weight on the fall.

Both of my kids loved the Bumbo. We started at 4-5 months, and it was one of the best $30 we spent. I wish we'd had the one with the tray to prop on the table to feed them, but we've thought it was worth every penny.

We even loaned it out to friends and gotten it back in perfect shape.

The Bumbo won't affect their ability to learn to sit on their own. It simply prohibits them from falling over before they have the abdominal muscles to be able to do it unassisted. And, for older babies, it keeps them contained when you need a few minutes without worrying about them escaping.

I had them for my twins I LOVED THEM!!! I used them for a long time, when they first started eating real food. Also I would put one of those bed trays with legs in front of them in the bumbos and put toys on it. I really liked them.

I would put them on the kitchen table and they could sit with us at dinner. Yes, it will say don't put on the table, but if you're not an idiot and actually watch your child, they will not die becuase of this.

You could try and get them 2nd hand or try freecycle.org before you buy it. I bought mine new and don't regret it at all.

I just started using my Bumbo with my 4 month old. So far I like it! It gives her an opportunity to sit by herself (as opposed to her swing, the floor, or someone's arms), and I think it helps her to learn to keep her head up. I think that you can only start using it once your child has good neck control, otherwise they just flop forward uncomfortably.
Another use that I thought of for the bumbo - an impromptu high chair. They sell a tray that attaches to the bumbo, and in a pinch if you are traveling, you could bring it with you and use it instead of lugging a big high chair around.

they are fun but expensive, see if you can get one from consignment. we started using ours as soon as she has head control and because we have older kids it was nice that she was able to sit up and not be laying on the floor.

Got mine used on craigslist with the tray (that does attach to the bumbo) for about $20. I started my son in it around 4 months but he had very good head control (IMO). I would put him in it for a few minutes just so he'd get another view of the world. He's now almost 7 months old and I don't really use it anymore....he still sits in the one at daycare (just like his swing) but doesn't really like it for very long at home. He'd rather be on the ground!

What I did like about it was that you can put baby on the kitchen table/island (although I'm sure they don't recommend this) but it was smaller than a bouncy chair and he was too small for our high chair. Also, last week while getting ready for work, I put him in it on the toliet and he played contently for about 15 minutes. It's nice because I took it to my best friend's house yesterday when she watched the kids so she had somewhere to put him to feed him instead of his pumpkin seat.

My 2.5 year old (30 lb) daughter still likes to sit in it from time to time!!!

I recommend getting one over a bouncy seat for sure!

I got one as a gift and it has proven indispensible. It is so nice to have a place to sit your little one down without having to worry about him while you go and do something (within eyesight of the baby of course). There are plenty of opportuntiies for your baby to practice sitting as well when you're within arm's reach but sometimes you just want the baby to sit without toppling over while you eat dinner, grab the phone, etc. Plus, my baby loved it. He liked being able to "sit" without anyone holding him while he played with his toys, etc. And he's sitting all by himself fine now so it didn't impeded his sitting skills :)

It really depends on the kiddo....some love it, some dislike it. We started using ours when our son was 4 months old and he was able to use it for a few months (as other have mentioned though, depends on the size of your child's legs.). He was able to sit upright (on a flat surface only, as others have stated.) But he never loved it, and because we didn't purcahse the tray, if toys fell even a few inches away from the seat, he couldn't fetch them. I didn't find it worth the money and would not suggest it. Other items we found much more key, such as the baby swing, the exersaucer, a bouncy seat, etc. Save your money.

LOVE IT!!! Had it with my last son and I could just plop him in it and get done what I needed to get done. I dont think he started using it until he was at least 6 months maybe later.... but it kept him from falling or moving around when I wanted to get something done.

My kids are old so I didn't have them for them but I have with my grandkids and I loved them!! I had my granddaughter in one and felt safe when she was on the island for my kitchen - it supported her and she loved being able to see everything. I don't think that they would be good for long, long periods of time as the little person does need to move about and strengthen their muscles but it is really handy to feed the kids. I borrowed one and then bought a used one on Craig's List. You might try Freecycle.com also. The seats are expensive but are easily reused! Good luck! I'll be eager to hear if anyone has had bad experiences or points of view about the Bumbo. Great question!

I had a bumbo for my two little ones. My son loved it and I used it often for him. I would sit him in it and put his toys around him to play or I would put it on the kitchen table and feed him his lunch or dinner. He loved it and it was a godsend for me. My daughter on the other hand didn't like it and barely used it. For him it was worth the cost and for her it would have been the biggest waste of money had I bought it just for one kid. Both of my kids sat up on their own at five months so clearly the bumbo had nothing to do with it since only one of them used it.

See if you can get a used one at a resale shop or on craigslist. Good luck!

I love mine. I started my daughter in it around 4 months, but probably would of started her sooner, if I had one earlier. My next child I will probably start when they develop good head control. I got mine at a consignment shop near my house for $22 as opposed to the $40 at the store. I would of paid the $40 though. I would check to see if you have a consignment shop near you. They are so easy to clean and sterilize that buying it used isn't a problem.

I had a bebepod for my son. They are pretty much the same thing as the bumbo, but slightly more expensive. I personally LOVED it! My son would sit in it all the time, the one I had came with a tray and a toy that attached to the tray and he would sit and play with that for a while. Once he started eating solids I would feed him in it sometimes. I got mine from babies r us if you wanted to look it up, but like I said I'm sure it's the same thing as the bumbo so I would definitely recommend it!!

We had one, but my son was a bit chubby so his legs always got stuck and I didn't like that too much.
Another issue I had was that I read if the baby isn't sitting up on their own then putting them in the bumbo actually puts stress on their spine which isn't good at all.
We ended up chucking ours into storage and didn't use it after that. Not worth it just in case it was hurting him in the long run.

Hello. We bought my daughter her BUMBO at 3 months of age & she is now almost 8 Months old. We have used it continuously and still have lots of use left! She can now sit up on her own... But if is sitting on our tile floor where I'm afraid she might lose her balance, just to be safe, I will place her in her BUMBO along with her toys so mommy can accomplish tasks.

Loved my BUMBO. I would definitely recommend it and plan to use it for my next child.

Both of my boys very much enjoyed the bumbo seat. They started using it at about 4 months, and my toddler still likes to sit in it to "steal" it away from his younger brother :)
I don't think anything that contains the baby will hinder their development (ie jumper, walker, bumbo, etc) AS LONG as they are used appropriately and for smaller amounts of time.
The bumbo seat is very portable and GREAT for traveling. It's not convenient to take high chairs with you when you travel.
Neither of my boys tried very hard to get out of the seat, so we did set it on the counter and/or dining room table so they could be with me when I prepared dinner. They both also very much enjoyed the toy that comes with the tray.
I thought it was a great purchase! True, they're a little expensive. But I've had mine for 3 years through 2 children. I have a friend who watches Craigslist and the Goodwill for stuff, and she said they are not available on the second hand market that often because parents just hate getting rid of them!