Bumbo Baby Sitter

'''What on earth is a bumbo?'''

Well, firstly I want to mention that this product has actually won an award - Most Innovative Product from the British Association of Nursery and Pram retailers. A bumbo is a baby support seat which enables the child to sit upright while supporting their back. Because of the upright position that the baby is sat in while in the Bumbo, the seat actually encourages the babies back and neck muscles to strengthen. The Gro Company are the inventors and manufacturers of this product and although they're not really a company that I have heard much about I think they're brilliant for inventing the bumbo! They say that this product is comfortable for babies and that it's designed to support the baby in an upright positon which of course is much more exciting for a baby as they are able to see more of their surroundings.

The sitting position also gives the baby a sense of independance and they are able to watch things going on around them much easier, so a bumbo is fab for a nosy baby like my daughter! A sentence that I found quite bizzare in the product description (yet very appealing to me, as a mum of a very wiggly baby!) was that the seat 'gently moulds around the baby's body which prevents them from climbing out.' Some other words used when describing the product on the product description are 'uniquely designed', 'lightweight and portable', 'safe, hygienic and non-toxic' - the list goes on! Gro certianly aren't shy about how great the Bumbo is and from looking at it and then reading about it, it is a little hard to believe at first as the design is so incredibly basic, however I think it's brilliant and Gro haven't overrated it at all.

'''Price, Availability & Value for Money'''

This product is very easy to get a hold of as it's so widely available. It can be purchased from places such as Argos, supermarkets (pretty much all of them - i've seen the bumbo in Asda and Tesco), the internet (for example eBay and Amazon) and of course baby/children retailers such as Samuel Johnston, Toys R Us and Mothercare. The price of this product varies a lot depending on where you buy it from. The most expensive i've seen it selling for is £40 and the cheapest £29.50 (on offer). Me and my boyfriend bought ours from Asda and paid £36. I was very, very reluctant in forking out almost fourty quid for essentially what is a lump of plastic as it didn't look like much, and I was unsure whether my daughter would take to it. Despite my hesistation, we ended up buying it and I am really glad we did - it's so handy and it's very good quality, so I do think it's good value for money - we have had more than our money's worth since purchase and I think we will have much more use out of it to come!

'''What does a bumbo look like?'''

Well, to be blunt it looks a little like a potty at first glance! It's not the most exciting thing to look at, as you can see from the picture. There are no sharp edges and it feels very sturdy. It comes in one piece and does not need putting together which is handy - it can be used as soon as you buy it with no hassle at all! The design is simple - a round seat with a raised back. It has a kind of ridge down the middle if that makes sense which the babies legs go either side of, these are a decent size and a chunky or older baby wouldn't struggle to fit their legs through. The bumbo baby sitter is available in three different shades, which I like as I was able to choose a shade that would fit in that bit better with my house decor and my little girls bedroom (yes, I know I'm vain!) and I definitely didn't want the aqua green shade as in my opinion it is just hideous and would stand out a mile!! The other colours available include the 'original' baby colours - blue and pink. Both shades are pastel colours and a nice light shade rather than vibrant. I chose pink, although the blue one is just as nice.

'''Which age group is the bumbo aimed at?'''

The bumbo baby seat is reccomended for babies aged from 4 months, upto around approximately 14 months although this obviously depends on the childs developement. My little girl is 5 months and loves her Bumbo. We introduced it to her at three and a half months which is a little earlier than reccomended, however as she was able to hold her head by herself at this age I didn't see a problem. She wasn't so keen at first, but she's grown to love it and we've had no issues with it been too small/big, not sturdy enough to hold her weight etc. The maximum weight that the bumbo can hold is 15 kilograms and you should only place your baby in the bumbo when he/she is able to support their own head which I think will be obvious to a majority of parents although it's worth mentioning!

My daughter is no where near the crawling stage yet and has limited mobililty (she can roll though!) and as a result, she isn't able to physically get in or out of the bumbo by herself - if you have an older, larger baby able to crawl or stand, I'd personally be a little worried about the seat tipping over when the child leans forward to crawl out. I was actually discussing the bumbo with one of my friends not long ago who has a nine month old and her little boy has completely outgrown the bumbo already, so it will depend on your child's developement how much use you'll get out of it. Erin currently weighs in at almost 15 pounds (way below the bumbo maximum weight) and she has never managed to tip the bumbo backwards or forwards, which is a minor miracle seeing as her favorite thing to do at the moment is fling her arms and legs around like a crazy child!!

''' How big is the bumbo?'''

Depth: 43cm

Height: 24.5cm

Width: 43cm

Weight of Product: 1.7kg

'''Health & Safety'''

- Supervise your child while she/he is in the seat

- Only use the bumbo on a flat surface

- Take your baby out of the seat as soon as baby starts arching their back, leaning, or rocking in it

''' Are there any accessories available for the bumbo?'''

There is one additional accessory that is compatible with the bumbo; the bumbo play tray, which I also own. This is priced at £8-£10 (we got ours for £8.50) and it's well worth buying. It fits onto the bumbo easily and it can be taken off just as easily and quickly too. It weighs 2kg and the purpose of it is to keep toys and food in easy reach of the baby. I've found the play tray to be a God send! It is so handy as well as very durable. This is ideal for introducing new toys to my daughter as she can see them at a better level than she would on her belly or back and they're at a good level for her to reach and play with - and she has both hands free. The even surface makes it good for playing with toys with wheels, too and messy play, eg painting isn't an issue as the tray is so easy to clean.

As the bumbo keeps my baby reasonably still and in one place, it's easier for me to interact with her and show her things in detail such as picture books and I have both hands free too which is a lot easier than having my baby in one arm and a book in my hand. I am able to interact with her that bit better as I don't have to lay or sit on the floor as I normally would - I can sit on the sofa with her opposite me, which is much comfier meaning I can enjoy play time that little bit more! I started weaning my daughter recently and find the play tray ideal for feeding her - it's just like a mini high chair! We do have a high chair, however this takes less time to set up (I made the mistake of buying the bulkiest high chair ever!) and it's so mess free - it's made of a soft plastic like material, so it's easy to clean with a wet wipe or damp sponge.

''' My Opinion'''

When me and my boyfriend bought this, my daughter was two weeks younger than the reccomended age guidelines. Despite this, she had well and truly mastered being able to hold her head up with ease and was showing a huge interest in things going on around her, however she wasn't able to sit up without support. This is why we introduced Erin to the bumbo as soon as we got it. The first time we put her in it I was a little nervous as to how she would react. Sure enough, she initially hated it! She wasn't distressed, nor did she cry, however she arched her back and tried to get out. I also noticed for the first couple of goes in her bumbo that she curled her toes, however she soon began to realise that sitting in her bumbo was much funner than laying on her playmat and it was a nice change from being in her bouncer. After a few days of putting her in it for around five minutes at a time, I felt comfortable leaving her in it for a little longer and now she spends 20 minutes or so a day (obviously supervised) in her bumbo. At first, my baby did slump a little and looked quite odd sat there as she looked tiny! She lolled to one side at first, however soon after introducing her to the bumbo she sat upright and appeared comfortable and confident - and she loved her new found independance!

I was a little worried the first couple of times that Erin tried the bumbo out as I was nervous that she may fall out or 'escape'(!), even though she was (and still is) unable to crawl, but it holds her securely and it doesn't slip around on my wooden floor despite how wriggly my daughter is - it's really sturdy. It's also fine on my ex boyfriends (Erin's dad's) carpet and doesn't mark the carpet like some baby accessories can do. The leg gaps are much too big for my daughter as she's a reasonably small baby, however they're not so big that she is able to slip or wiggle out and there's plenty of growing room, meaning that even once she's a year or so old the leg 'slots' shouldn't be too small/restrictive. I like how versatile the bumbo is and it is lightweight enough to move from room to room. Although we mainly have it in the living room, there has been occasions where i've placed outside the shower when I'm showering so that I can keep an eye on my daughter, and I've also placed it on the table a number of times (with supervision obviously!) to feed her as it takes up less room and is quicker and less effort than getting the high chair out and I also think that she's more secure in her bumbo as she sits in it snuggly and it's sturdy. It's also handy to put her in when i'm in a rush to cook lunch or whatever as she can sit and watch. Although I've been tempted to put this on the sofa or bed so that she's higher than ground level, I have stuck to the rules of it only being stood on a flat, hard surface - it is better to be safe than sorry.

The bumbo is funner and more stimulating for her to sit in than lie on a play mat as she is upright and able to see things around her at a better angle. Because the bumbo is quite lightweight it's ideal to put in the car and take to the beach or park although we haven't tried this yet. It's quite bulky though so might be a bit awkward to carry unless obviously someone else pushes the pram etc while you carry the bumbo. Obviously the bumbo is not an alternative to a car seat (worth noting!) Another advantage to being able to take the bumbo out and about is that you could take it to a restraunt with you to avoid fighting over limited high chairs although i'm not sure the restraunt would appreciate a baby in what looks like a potty balancing on one of their chairs or tables, haha! I've taken this bumbo out to numerous family member's houses, and it doesn't take up much room at all so it's not a nuicense and no one minds. The bumbo supports my babies back as the back rest is pretty tall, and it doesn't dig into her skin, she doesn't show any discomfort when in her bumbo and she defintely likes it as she gets excited when I get it out. The bumbo is very solid and it doesn't tip over, although when she's older, heavier and more active/mobile I think it might! I sometimes worry when she's flat on her back or laid on her front that she'll hurt her neck as she's always looking around and wanting attention, where as in the bumbo she's less restricted.

Obviously you need to keep an eye on your baby when he/she is in the bumbo and as soon as my daughter starts showing signs of wanting to get out, eg fidgetting I take her out of it straight away. I also find that she often tilts her head right back to look up at the lights and as there's nothing there to support her neck, it does make me feel a little uneasy! I normally put her in her bumbo in the mornings when I get ready, at dinnertime/tea time when i'm cooking and in the afternoon when we're playing or when i'm reading to her, so we are definitely getting lots of use out of it! Of course though, there's nothing better than holding her in my arms and letting her know how loved she is, so the bumbo is only there for when i'm busy doing bits and bobs around the house and when I want her to have a little independance. It is worth briefly mentioning that it's advised not to use the bumbo in water (eg the bath). My daughter rarely falls asleep in her bumbo because she's so busy observing everything going on, however when she does I take her out of it and put her in her cot, as I don't see any point in her been in it if she's not awake! The bumbo is really handy and so versatile. It's durable & as I mentioned above it is even easier with the bumbo tray attatched as it minimalises mess. It's not as practical when bottle feeding and I don't see the point in giving a baby a bottle when in the bumbo unless you're incredibly busy.

'''Advantages..'''

- Erin seems to love it

- Variety of colours

- Good quality

- Easy to clean

- Versatile

- Soft and comfortable material

- Sturdy

'''Disadvantages..'''

- Erin didn't particullary like it the first time we introduced her to it but soon adapted

- Quite expensive so it's a bit of a risk buying it if you're unaware if your baby would like it or not

- Bulky so will be difficult to store if you don't have much storage space

'''Overall Opinion'''

This is an absolute God send. I would reccomend it to literally anyone who has a baby! This is great as it allows my daughter to sit upright and observe everything going on, for example watching me prepare food, watching the dogs and so on, while the play tray comes in handy for weaning and playing with toys. Worth every penny!

Absolutely excellent, best thing we bought for our baby. Our baby uses this to eat in, play in and we've even put it in the bath and used it as a seat there too. It's small enough to throw in the back of the car when we pop to see friends or family so we can feed her over there too. There's no way I'm putting a highchair in the car to take it anywhere, not even on holiday, we just use this. I've never experienced her coming out of it, nor heard of this happening to anyone else either. My child was sitting up unaided just before 5 months old and I'm sure this was down to the practice she got in the Bumbo. Even after she learnt to sit up by herself, I found it useful to stick her in the Bumbo while I do household chores so I can leave the room for a minute and know she's safe and isn't going to bang her head or suck the carpet or any of the things she does normally!! Well worth the money too as this is the second child we've used it for and it's still in perfect condition.

The Bumbo is a fun idea, but doesn't work for all children. My 4 month old is happy in it at times, but if he wants out, he just has to arch his back and he pops right out. Because of this, I have to be sitting will him at all times in it. I was with a friend one time when this happened and she said her son loves his Bumbo and never does this, so I think it may just be my kid.

One thing I love is the Bumbo is super easy to clean. It is made out of a foam material that wipes clean instantly.

Bumbo seats are great. My daughter loved it from day 1 and always wanted to sit in it - and it gave just enough support even when she was really little.

Now shes a bit big for it, but still loves to go over to it and try and sit in it. She now gets stuck in it as she is too big, but she sees it more as a toy now - which is great.

Overall - definitely get one - they're really handy and good for getting your little ones really confident with sitting up

Fantastic little seat. Easy to transport, I take my Bumbo Baby Sitter when visiting friends or taking my eldest swimming! My 4 month old little girl can sit comfortably upright and watch what is happening!

I purchased a Bumbo Baby Sitter seat when my son was about 4 months old before he could sit up unaided, and found it pretty useful until he could sit up by himself at around six months. Basically it's a foam seat that you plonk your baby into and they are sat up straight, which makes a nice change from being strapped into a bouncy chair. It's also quite light and portable which means it's handy for taking it out with you, and can be used as a feeding chair - I found it particularly useful in the early days of weaning if I was going out somewhere, also good for the pre weaning/highchair stage for when you are sat at the table and want baby to join you at mealtime. The only negative thing about the product is perhaps the price - we purchased one new from a major retailer and it cost us around £30, which I didn't mind paying however the seat soon became obsolete when my son developed an interest in escaping: therefore it's quite a big spend for a couple of moths use, however you can use the bumbo seat from earlier than we did and therefore get much more use out of it. They are also widely available second hand for those who do find the price a bit steep.Overall a great product for letting baby see the world from a different persective and has a number of uses.