Some of you are probably thinking, "What in the world is that?". Well, to any new parent, it is one of the latest "every cool parent has one of these" items. Here is a picture of Kara in hers. This picture has the optional tray on it, but if you want to see a picture without it, you can look at this post.The reason I bring this up is because a friend at church, Rita, asked me the other day what I thought about mine and if she should get one for her grandson. I have mixed emotions on this, so I'm curious as to what some of you blog readers have to say as well.
First, this Bumbo seat was not available when Levi was this age, so Kara is my first experience with it. I first tried to put Kara in it when she was about 2 months because I thought she would enjoy sitting up. It never occured to me that the reason that they don't sit up yet is because their bodies can only hold their heads up for so long. I started using it again at about 4 months when her head got stronger, although, again, she could only support her head for so long.
Now at 6 months (and on the brink of sitting unassisted), it finally seems to be doing "it's job". She can sit in it for 15 - 30 minutes while Levi and I play. So, I was happy we had gotten it until she almost flipped out of it yesterday trying to reach a toy. Oh well. I've had friends use it with their older children as an alternative to a booster seat with the attached tray. We aren't there yet, so I can't comment. In reality, as soon as the girl is on the move, there is no way she will sit in a seat (at least from my experience with Levi).
Here is what I decided: I paid $10 for mine at a yard sale (then I received the $10 tray as a gift). For $20, I feel that we have gotten our money's worth. However, they retail for $40(!) and with the tray, that is a $50 investment. Definitely not worth it in my book, but maybe someone else has had better luck. Please comment!
As a side note, we probably would have spent $500 on Kara's swing - we couldn't live without it!!!
9 comments:
I don't have children, so I can't offer an opinion as to how well these seats work. However, they really look comfortable, and I would not be opposed to having a man-sized one to try out. Especially if it had a tray where I could put my stuff. Bumbo Jumbo, they could call it. I've been known to hold my head up in excess of 2-3 hours, so I think I wouldn't have the problems your daughter has.
I agree with bull... I think that there is a market for a man sized one! I would get a Jumbo Bumbo!
Bull - let me know if you decide to develop it.
Jude loves sitting in his pod. He's been in it since 2 months - (small head, strong neck :P). I feed him in it - no tray. But I do not think its worth the cash. I was given one from a friend who said it was useless with her kid. Jude likes to beat at the center and reach for toys. But his thighs are about to get too chunky for a comfy seat. So my opinion - its a 50/50 chance you kid will like it or use it more than 30 days.
We got the other brand, bebepod, when Lakyn was about 4 months. It had the tray and a toy that fit on it. The grandparents bought ours. Lakyn only could fit in it for a month because like Jude, her thighs got too big. Definately worth it if you can find it inexpensively but not worth it new.
we were given one by a friend, without a tray. Charlie could almost tip it over because he was more interested in touching the carpet than sitting still in the seat -- definitely not worth the money for us.
I forgot to mention that several people I know had the "stuck thigh" problem with their kids. Looks like a pretty good consensis on skipping the full price!
Hallie's was a gift, too. I loved ours. We started using it when Hallie was about 4 months old...and I used it when we started her on solids at 6 months--we also had the tray. We didn't have the chunky thigh problem. With that said, we only used it for a few months b/c she would get frustrated trying to reach for things while sitting in it. In theory, it's a pretty good idea--and great to use when starting solids...but not worth the initial money when you just don't use it for very long.
I'm with you, Allison, on Hallie's swing--I think we would've paid $500 for ours, too! We couldn't have lived without it!!
This is good info for any future kids we might have - thanks! I had been wondering about them when the boys were that age, but I was never able to talk myself into paying the full price.
Brock got one for a gift also but we really liked it. We took it to the beach and he was able to sit in it on the sand and then we could just rinse it off when we were done. They are pretty pricey but I think they are a good thing when you can pass them around to friends and family.
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