Bumbo Seat Review

The Bumbo Seat allows baby to sit up and see the world around them. The soft foam seat is easy to clean and easy to carry around for use away from home. Babies can use the Bumbo Seat as soon as they have enough control to hold their head up and can continue to use it through their crawling and walking phase, as long as they will happily sit in it. However, several babies have been injured when they fell out of their Bumbo Seat. Please note: The Bumbo Seat is not to be used on high surfaces such as tables or countertops!

Many parents rave about the Bumbo Seat, saying that their babies really enjoy being able to sit up and look around from a fairly young age. This seat looks funny, but the soft, molded foam chair provides a simple way for baby to interact with their surroundings.

Even with the Bumbo love from parents, though, there's a significant down-side to this baby seat. A recall of Bumbo Seats was initiated in 2007 because some parents used the seats on high surfaces and their babies were injured by falling from a counter or table. The recall involved adding more warning labels about using the seat on high surfaces or leaving baby unattended. Do not use Bumbo Seats on high surfaces or leave your baby unattended.The Bumbo Seat is for use on the floor only.

In 2011, CPSC issued another warning about the Bumbo Seat. Despite the earlier recall and the new warning labels, parents are still using the Bumbo seat on high surfaces, so more babies have been injured since the recall. Even more troubling to me is that CPSC reports a few babies ended up with skull fractures after falling from a Bumbo seat on the floor. These incidents involved falling on a hard floor or onto a toy. If you're using a Bumbo Seat for your baby, you should be aware of this potential for injury.

The Bumbo Seat is made of low-density foam with a smooth plastic-type covering, so it's soft and is easy to wipe clean after feedings or general baby messes. The foam is lightweight so the Bumbo Seat is easy to carry with you outside the house.

As soon as baby can hold up his or her head, the Bumbo Seat can be used. The seat is designed to help baby have good sitting posture right from the start. The seat is made so that baby's bottom is lower than his or her legs, so baby's weight is centered in the bottom of the seat. A front post keeps baby from sliding forward. Once baby is able to arch his or her back a lot, it's possible to tip out of the seat. The Bumbo Seat itself is not tipsy, whether baby is in the seat or not, thanks to a wide, flat base. You may not get a lot of use out of the Bumbo Seat if your baby learns to escape it early on.

This seat also offers another alternative to tummy time for younger babies. If baby doesn't like tummy time, the Bumbo seat may be a more pleasant way to keep baby from laying on his or her back too much.