Parents today are faced with a dizzying array of baby products available to make their lives easier and their babies more comfortable. One of the newest products on the market is the Bumbo™ baby seat, which is unlike any other baby seat. Although Bumbo™ holds the patent to the seat, many other manufacturers are now producing similar designs. What makes the Bumbo™ unique is its ergonomic design that keeps the baby securely in the seat without the use of a strap.
The Bumbo™ is a single-piece seat made with latex free, non-toxic, low-density foam. The seat is deep, with a high back and sides. Leg holes form to fit the baby’s legs, and a front support ensures that the baby cannot lean forward and fall out. The base of the Bumbo™ is round, and wider than the top, making it nearly impossible to topple over when placed on a flat surface. The baby’s weight also keeps him securely in the Bumbo™.
The Bumbo™ was designed with a baby’s posture in mind. Designers claim that the lumbar region of the spine gets proper support because the seat is lower than the leg openings. Another claim is that the Bumbo™ helps in proper development of the spine, takes pressure off the hip and knee joints and puts less stress on the spine. It has been recommended and approved by several doctors and specialists, though it is new on the market and long term testing has not yet proved these claims. The Bumbo™ has however, won several awards for safety, design and quality, among them, the Industrial Design Award and Engineering Award from the Design Institute.
The seat can be used by infants as young as six to eight weeks old, although they must be able to hold their head up independently. Children as old as 14 months or 22 pounds (6.35 kg) can use the Bumbo™, as long as they can still fit in it and cannot get out of it on their own. It is perfect for keeping the baby safely corralled just about anywhere, and is very lightweight and portable. Some models come with an optional eating tray, making it an alternative to a highchair. Bumbos™ are available in an array of colors including yellow, turquoise, purple, pink, blue and lime, and average about $40 US Dollars (USD).
Bumbos™ are perfect for babies who prefer sitting upright to reclining in a bouncy chair or laying in a pack and play. For babies with Gastro Esophageal Reflux, torticollis (poor muscle tone in the neck) and plagiocephaly (flattened head), the Bumbo™ positions them in a way that helps with these conditions. Wartburg Industries, the company that manufactures the Bumbo™, has been involved in supplying schools and hospitals that care for special needs children. The Bumbo™ has proved to be very useful and affordable for seating babies with special needs, and the company is currently developing a larger Bumbo™ for these children.
