(Welcome to Kris, one of the finalists vying for a blogging position at the upcoming AT:The Nursery. Comment away.)
Bumbo Baby Seats are an innovative way to let your baby sit up and interact with you. Appropriate for babies aged 3-14 months, Bumbo Baby Seats can be used as soon as a child’s neck can support holding her head up unaided, and provide excellent lumbar support.
Baby chairs and bouncers typically seat babies in a reclining position, leaving them to stare passively up at the ceiling, waiting for someone to lean over their bouncer and entertain them. What makes Bumbos so revolutionary is that they let babies sit upright and engage more readily with the world around them.
Bumbos are latex free, and made of soft, low density foam and non-toxic, environmentally-friendly polyurethane. Because Bumbos are molded in one piece, there are no straps or external fasteners to fuss with – the baby’s own body weight allows the Bumbo to gently mold itself around her and hold her in place - and at a weight of 3 pounds Bumbos are very portable, making them a great way to feed your baby while dining out. 
As the mother of a newborn, I can't wait for the Nursery blog to begin!
Oops. Janel,you might want to delete the duplicate sentence in the 4th paragraph for Kris. Otherwise, good post Kris!
i work at a restaurant, and a couple recently sat their baby on the table in one of these seats. i don't know if this was the most plesant child in the world, or if the seat is just that comfy, but she barely fussed at all through their long lunch, and she was very alert the whole time. adorable!
I loved our Bumbo and so did my son! Living in a small space, we didn't want a highchair. When we first started feeding our guy solid foods we would put him in the Bumbo for feedings. By the time he outgrew the Bumbo he was ready for a booster seat that strapped to a chair, so we were able to avoid getting a highchair altogether!
We have one of these for our 5 month old baby boy and he loves it. It doesn't tip, and he can sit straight up. He loves to bend forward and suck on his toes. It's a great product.
Yup, I agree with all of the above. My sister had one of these for her little one and she LOVED it.
Is it just me, or do these look a LOT like the baby version of Patricia Urquiola's Bloomy chairs from the Slinks section today? Very sculptural!
Oh, but if the infant is so comfortable sitting, how is it ever supposed to motivated to stand up?
Nuni,
You can't get what you want by sitting in one place. As soon as that baby wants to pull off the books off the shelves, they'll give up the Bumbo.
I love my Bumbo. I just thought it was just another one of the crazes when my son was a baby but I decided to get one for my daughter and am glad I did. I find it the most useful when we go out to eat. She sits in it next to me or on top of the table and she is perfectly content. :)
This seat is also great for therapy for plagiocephaly (head flattening). Helps the little noggin stay round.
I am eyeing one of these for my almost-5 month old. The idea of him as the centerpiece for Christmas dinner is just about too much to handle :)
oh YAY something from my home country
All SA mommies own one of these
They are very very handy and popular
The Bumbo is my all-time fave baby item. It wasn't around for my first child, but my son has had his for over a year and it's been the greatest! It's best for going to restaurants that don't have highchairs, for friends' homes, and especially for outdoors-very easy to clean! Now 20 months old, my son pulls his around and hangs out in it nonchalantly eating crackers. I just wish they made them in adult size.
this is perfect. my boss is having a baby shower in about a month or so, so this would be the perfect gift!
very interesting this is so popular.
i've seen them online for a long time + thought they looked rigid, uncomfortable, restrictive + not supportive enough for the upper body, so i never tried it with my daughter or posted it on my blog (same with the bilibo), so i'm very surprised to hear they're so great.
thanks for the tip!
sorry to be a downer, but bumbo seats are not a good idea for babies. babies at this age are not supposed to be able to sit on their own. the bumbo seat encourages BAD sitting posture and engages their little muscles in the wrong position.
so, until they're strong enough/old enough to sit independently, put 'em on their tummies--that's how they develop all the muscle strength they'll need to sit up in a few more months!
Lynn
pediatric occupational therapist
Kiddo is 14 months old and we never got one, but just about everyone we know did and they loved them. I doubt it did any of the kids any lasting damage. Kiddo took forever to sit up independently and isn't yet walking, whereas all the other "Bumbo" kids are happily toddling about, not that I'm suggesting it is a developmental help, I just don't think it'll be a hindrance, unless of course the baby is left in it for hours at a time.
Despite the cool look of the bumbo, I have to agree with Lynn the OT. Something about this seems not good for kids' muscle development. You can prop a baby up against some pillows or in a boppy if you are anxious to have him "situp." Or put him in a bouncy seat which is actually tilted back a bit, as is an infant car seat. There must be some reason for that. Using it at a restaurant is fine until the kid really gets some motion and then he can easily tip right out of it since it doesn't connect to the seat or table. I didn't get one for my first and will pass on it for me second.
Why doesn't the Bumbo need straps or fasteners?
Due to the ergonomic design the babies own body weight helps keeps the baby in place.
Do doctors approve of the Bumbo?
Yes, it has been tested and is endorsed by both pediatricians and orthopedists.
Do occupational and physical therapists use the Bumbo?
The Bumbo Seat is being used extensively by therapists and in Early Childhood Intervention (ECI) programs around the USA.
from the original SA bumbo site :) hope this helps the ones who r in doubt
We absolutely love the Bumbo and so does our 8 month old son. It's great alternative to the bouncy seat especially now that he's outgrowing it.