opinion please - bumbo or summer infant positioner?

[lmh2402]

plan to get one of these - which would you recommend and why? the summer infant seems like it would have more longevity...but it would not work as well for a younger baby?

thanks!

[Melaine]

I never saw the Summer one until I just googled it. It looks really cool!
We loved our Bumbo chairs for the girls, although you will probably get mixed reviews here. I liked that they were light and small and easy to carry around. And it was the best way to get good pictures of them when they were young! We fed them that way a lot too....mine were preemies so the bumbos had some longeveity for us, but I know a lot of kiddos outgrow them quickly.

[SnuggleBuggles]

Neither. I think that if babies were meant to be sitting up then they would be sitting up. I worry that their little trunk isn't strong enough to support that position. That said, I would hold a baby on my lap in the sitting position but he would probably spend less time in that position than if I had the ease of being able to plop in the seat and just watch him.

I have heard enough stories of babies falling out of the Bumbo that if you really want to buy one of these I would get the Summer one because it has that structure around it (of course you then have to worry about baby flopping forward and whacking their head on it?? I don't know if that is a design concern or not).

Sorry to be so negative. I just think that the best thing for babies is to keep them in positions they could get into because that is probably healthier for their development.

Beth

[lmh2402]

Neither. I think that if babies were meant to be sitting up then they would be sitting up. I worry that their little trunk isn't strong enough to support that position.

i agree with this - my goal isn't to put or plop baby in there for extended periods of time... or even to do so "too early"

but i have many friends who have said they used the bumbo (like melanie) as way to start feeding baby when they were beginning to eat. and also, have been told that it is a way to help them be supported in a sitting position once they are ready to start trying that out

but then again...this is my first kid and i have absolutely no idea

the summer infant one has a safety strap, but i guess they could fall forward and whack their head

i really don't know...

that's why i'm looking for the feedback

thanks for the input, ladies! ;)

[sarahsthreads]

We just picked up a used Bumbo for 7 month old DD2 - basically for DD1's dance class, so I have a clean, safe place to set DD2 down while I get DD1 into her shoes, etc. I don't really see it lasting us for very long at this point, as DD2 leans and wriggles and will likely be able to get herself out of it in short order! Luckily it was used and cheap.

The Summer one looks like it might last longer, but for my purpose (carrying it down to a basement studio with a diaper bag, a dance bag, and an infant, while herding a preschooler) I need small and very light.

FWIW I never used anything like this for DD1. For early feeding we just used her high chair, and we had/have the Fisher Price infant-to-toddler rocker as a safe place to strap her in to "sit" and hang out.

Sarah :)

[lmh2402]

we had/have the Fisher Price infant-to-toddler rocker as a safe place to strap her in to "sit" and hang out.

thanks, sarah!

actually, to switch gears for a moment - this is another question i was going to post today

we got the infant-to-toddler rocker too...and i want to wash the seat before first use

but there appears to be a piece of cardboard-like stuff in part of it...without any seam or anything where i could slide it out. the directions say the seat is washable...but i just want to make sure others washed it with this cardboard-feeling piece still in there?

thanks!

[new_mommy25]

We had a Bumbo with my DD and loved it. We used it every night at dinner for a couple of months. She was our centerpiece and it gave me a few minutes to shovel food. She loved being the center of attention. I know they say not to put it on elevated surfaces and that they can fall out but she was never left unattended and there were always at least two adults within an arms reach. I got ours from a friend so I didn't pay full price and for us it was worth it. They didn't have the infant tray when my DD was younger so by the time she was about 6 months we started putting her in the high chair. If we had the tray we probably would have used it a little longer.

eta: When my DD was a baby I went to a boutique to buy a nursing shirt for a wedding. The shop owner gave me a Bumbo to take into the dressing room with me so DD had a place to sit while I tried on clothes. I thought she was genius! It made it so much easier to shop.

[mom2224]

We loved our Bumbo. DS used it a lot and it has been pasted around to many friends. It came in really handy at restaurants- there was a period of time DS outgrew his infant seat but wasn't big enough for a highchair. So, we'd use the bumbo in a booth. And, I used it a lot for haircuts and nail trims.

[hillview]

I would skip the bumbo -- had it with both boys and neither spent more than a month in it. Liked the infant to toddler rocker!
/hillary

[Ceepa]

I really liked our Bumbo. Use it safely and expect that it won't have a very long useful life and you should bbe fine. DC liked it, too.

As far as the rocker. Once you undo all the buckles you'll see the hard part inside is attached to the frame itself so you can remove just the cover and throw it in the washer on delicate cold. Hang to dry.

[misshollygolightly]

What Ceepa said--the seat is washable...just start taking it off the chair and you'll see! Also, FWIW, we're another family that loves the FP infant-to-toddler rocker and thought bumbo & co were pretty much a waste of $. Maybe if you can get one used, borrow one, or if you plan on having several kids back to back...but otherwise it's only useful for a*very* short time and not all kids like it.

[egoldber]

I returned the Bumpo after one day. I put Amy in it and she squirmed, arched her back and nearly fell backwards. So if you have a squirmy, wiggly kid, I think the Bumpo is VERY unsafe.

[lmh2402]

thanks for the feedback, all

re: the rocker - i know that 'wooden' piece slides out of the bottom of the seat

but there is a weird, cardboard-feeling piece in the top part of the seat pad...

which seems strange to wash...

[HIU8]

I only used the bumbo to sit DD down when I need to use the bathroom and didn't want her on the hardwood floors. I couldn't and wouldn't leave her in there for any extended time. She would launch herself right out if it.

[ahrimie]

I had a bumbo and only used it for a few minutes a day in the beginning before DD could really sit up unassisted. But since I barely used it because I knew she couldn't sit well, it was more a waste of money than worth it. By the time they can sit up, their legs are usually too chunky to sit in it comfortably and a highchair would be more suitable for their feeding times anyway.

The only people I've seen that get a lot of use out of their Bumbos are babies that are much thinner and longer (older) than shorter and chubbier. If they're old enough to sit unassisted but FIT in the bumbo, that'd be fine but then you could just use a regular high chair too.

I'd skip it honestly..

[AnnieW625]

We loved the Bumbo we borrowed for a friend that I actually bought one from a friend before I found out I was pregnant with #2. I like that it has a cover. We used our for the first stages of feeding and thought it was great for that. DD also will sometimes still sit in one now even though she knows it's way to big for her.

[srhs]

IMO, the Bumbo is a love it or hate it item for baby. I know babies who absolutely loved sitting in them. Mine never got the appeal and threw himself out forward around 5 or 6 mos. We never used it again, but in hindsight, I wouldn't use it without the play tray which would prevent my DS' lunge. And, of course, never on a raised surface. I heard an experienced mom say recently, "Well, where else would you use it? That's the point!" eek :eek:

The cardboard in your rocker is odd. No cardboard in mine. This is when you have the cover completely off of the chair?

[lmh2402]

The cardboard in your rocker is odd. No cardboard in mine. This is when you have the cover completely off of the chair?

yes!! it is so odd...
:confused:

not sure what to do about it... it's in the upper part of the seat cover. when your cover is off, is it totally floppy - like nothing but fabric? that's what i would think it should be...but it's not...

anyway, thanks for all the opinions re: bumbo...i think for now...we'll just wait since we actually don't even have baby yet - due in a month... i was just trying to prepare in advance, but it seems like this decision would be better made later on in "real time"

[srhs]

when your cover is off, is it totally floppy - like nothing but fabric? that's what i would think it should be...but it's not...

Yes, it's slightly padded, but floppy. I'd suggest FP customer service; I've had great luck with them. They could even tell us exactly where DH went wrong when assembling our high chair. I have the # in my phone; it's 800-432-5437.

[MacMacMoo]

Well my little dude was a tricky little one. He liked his wing for a moment, but he got to heavy to get a swing. He hated his vibrating bouncy chair because it was at an incline. I borrowed the bumbo form my SIL and it was nice, but i wasn't fond of it. he wasn't either. We really liked the summer one the little three in one thingy. (positiner, entertainer, booster)