Bumbo Vs. Bebepod Vs. Any Booster Seat

Hello - Had a bumbo with my son - but he didnt like the confined feeling for very long and by the time he was 7 months, he would get himself out of it!!!!!!!

But other moms I know had good experiences with it!

C.

T.,
We LOVE our Bumbo! I received it from my Mom as a baby gift and started using it as soon as DD had really good head control... around 4 months. She's almost 15 months old and we still use it from time to time (she has skinny legs). I originally used it on the kitchen table for her first feedings, before I purchased a high chair. The Bumbo has been to the beach, the pool (our community pool has a beach-like graded access), since the Bumbo is waterproof, it's easily wiped clean and not damaged by the elements. (This also makes it great to pass on through family & friends and for resale/second hand purchasing.) I'm convinced it helped DD develop the muscle tone a bit sooner for sitting on her own, too.
We still use the Bumbo as another Mom pointed out for the shower. Our stand in only shower is very large and the Bumbo makes it perfect for DD to shower with me. I can still wash my hair, shave my legs, etc... and not have to worry about a slippery baby!
The Bumbo is very light, too, which helps in portability. I have very carefully moved baby and Bumbo all together. Of course with anything, constant supervision -- especially around water, etc... is necessary.
I think it was definitely worth the $.
PS My Mom bought one in Canada to use for the week we went on vacation... wiped it down, returned it in the box. You could always buy one and if you don't like it or it doesn't fit properly, return it.

Okay T., here is the scoop. My youngest son is a year and 1/2 old and the oldest is 3. I wish I had the Bumbo with them both. The Bumbo is the best thing yet made for babies(they really should give me a job) and I promote it every chance I get. It is the only baby present I give now and I often stop shoppers in the infant and toddler department buying baby presents and give the same advice. I know it looks a little strange but that is exactly what makes it unique. My son was born with seizures and low muscle tone. This chair allowed him to sit and observe the world a lot sooner than he would have on his own. The physical therapist turned us on to it and well... like I said, I wish I had it for them both. He has caught up with his peers but we us it still all the time. It is a great high chair, booster. Great to take to restaurants, hair cuts etc. I did by my cousin the Bebepod because I was late on ordering the Bumbo and although similar, it is not the same, but that could be because I am use to the Bumbo. In my opinion, it is way worth the money.
P.S. My 3 year old tries to sit in it all the time. We have to peel it off his behind. Hope this helps.

We had a Bumbo and the only thing was I wish we'd gotten it sooner! Our daughter used it all the time from about 5 months old until she was maybe 13 months old. It is very portable, lightweight, easy to clean and worth every dime IMO. When she was itty bitty we just sat her on the table when we went out to eat, right in her Bumbo. It's quick and easy. She couldn't get out of it and for a few months we had to pop her little chubby thighs in and out but never a red mark, never a sign of discomfort. She grew and then her legs fit better LOL. You can use it whenever your baby has head/neck control. I highly recommend it!

I would not trade my Bumbos for anything! I have twins and I have 4 bumbos. I keep 2 at home and 2 in the van. They are great for taking to restaurants where the highchairs are unsafe. They are not easy to get out of either. My 1 yr olds still have not figured it out. They also work great on the floor of the shower. You can not put them in the tub because they float and tip over but in the shower they are fabulous and easy to clean!

Hey T., I have the Bumbo chair. It was a christmas gift for my daughter who was just under 6 months at the time. She loves it, the shape actually seems to help her sit up well without slouching. I even use it to feed her in when I am in the living room, or she will sit and play with toys on her lap. I have nothing but good things to say about it. Sometimes she tries to push off with her feet like she is trying to stand up, but so far, she has not toppled out of it or anything. She seems pretty secure. The only worry that has crossed my mind is that when she is wearing thick pants, (the leg area is kind of narrow) I worry her legs may feel stuffy/constricted, but so far so good. Hope this helps....

Hi, I have the bumbo and I can't recommend it more especially with a preemie or small child. The bumbo and the bebepod are designed in mind with children who are not yet able to keep their heads up and/or sit up unassisted. It's not a booster seat per se. When your child is old enough to sit up on his own you would get a high chair or a booster chair. The Bumbo is a totally comfortable chair. It was designed to keep a baby snug and comfortable. If they made them in my size I would get one ;-) My daughter was 5 lbs when she was born and has always been small and slender so we never encountered the chubby leg thing. We used ours for longer than most babies would. I would get dinner ready and put her and the bumbo on the counter or get some work done and put her on the desk etc. We took her out for dinner in her bumbo (on the table) and she LOVED it. She could see everyone and everything. Totally happy baby. My daughter never toppled over even when she was old enough to start trying to free herself (she didn't). Of course I wouldn't put her on a chair or on an uneven small surface. I totally recommend it!! Our daycare has both bumbo seats and bebpods and everyone there seems to like the bumbos much better. The material is softer. The child is not able to get out. Apparently they have a problem with "slouchy" babies in the bebepod etc. I don't know since I've never used one. I know one other person who returned her bebepod because she said it awkward and took up more space and ended up buying the bumbo. Hope this helps. You can google Bumbo chairs to find some interesting articles and opinions. Good Luck.

with my daughter i had just a regular booster chair and now with my son i have a bebpod. the booster was good and served it's purpose. the thing i like about the bebepod is that it's a softer material so it's much more comfy. and with the booster i had to wait until she could sit up on her own to use it, the bebpod is meant to help them sit on their own. my son is 5 months now and he has been using his bebepod since about 2 1/2 months. he can sit up and play with his toys instead of just being on the floor all day. as far as being able to get out of it, not sure, i haven't gotten to that stage yet but i definitely reccomend it. it is one of the few things i bought this time that i didn't have last time, and i'm glad!

Hi T.,
My friend bought the Bumbo-type baby seat for her daughter last year for her 4 or 5 month old. It was too small for her daughter's chunky legs! So, my thought is that it is probably a gross "waste" of money. I have a feeling that it is not designed to last a long time in a baby's life.

I am a mother of 2; daughter will be 4 next month and son is 2.5 years. What I have learned in my experience is that there are a lot of products out there that parents buy because they think it will be good for their kids, it looks fun or educational... whatever. I'm still a big sucker for that. I am trying to keep in mind that back in the way-back times, people didn't have a lot of this stuff and still their kids turned out fine.

As far as booster seats... I bought one from Fisher Price. I'm not sure what the name of it is, but it was white with a blue tray. It also had another white sectional tray that you can serve food on as well as a green lid to keep the surface clean. I LOVED this seat! You can fasten it to your kitchen chairs and it also had a 3-point buckle to keep your child secure. It also worked great in the playroom floor for watching DVDs. When my kids were young I brought them when we went to parties at friends' houses, too since I never knew if they had an extra high chair or booster seat. As they got older, they were able to climb in and out of them by themselves (even climbing onto the kitchen chair without getting hurt). They would even buckle themselves in (until I told them they were old even not to have to buckle! Do I have the greatest kids or what???)

The other kids seat I bought was the infant to toddler rocker also made by FP. This is not a booster, but a nice seat that my son LOVED as an infant and when he got older, would fight with his sister who would try to sit in it, too. It's meant for kids up to 4 or 5 years old, I think. But I had to get rid of it to keep the peace.

Anyway, I hope my info helps you make a decision!

I bought a portable highchair type seat for my daughter. I got it on sale for 15.00 at walmart. We also bought a bumbo chair and it was 34.99 plus tax and shipping. So If I had it to do all over again I'd just stick with the highchair type seat. She can use it longer because it has a tray and the bumbo chair we only used for a short time because she could get out of it. It's a cute chair, but I only bought it because we were going to the park alot and she wanted to sit like the other kids. I think I wasted the money on the Bumbo.

Good luck,
E. mother of Chloe 16 months

T.,

My daughter had a Bumbo from about 4 months through 7 months of age, then it didn't fit so well. If you are wanting something the baby can sit in and eat, and use on a chair, go with one of the First Years booster seats that straps on to a chair. Bumbo is only for use on a floor. I don't know anything about Bebepod.

K.

Hi T.,
Congrats on the birth of your son! Mine is 3 now and was due 10/17/03 and was born 9/5/03 preemies are amazing (and flu season is hell! we were shut-ins for 2 winters!)
Alex was pretty delayed- not helped by his giant head (genetically big and has benign hydrocephalus) so couldn't stay seated by himself until almost 9 months as his head would just knock him over (it sounds very funny now!)...
The bumbo was a lifesaver for us as he could sit up to play and eat without falling over or coming out...The way the crotch piece is designed (and the scooped out part of the seat is a little slanted back) to keep them in- sure they need supervision, and never place any child seat on any surface other than the floor- but we found he couldn't get out of the bumbo even when older and stronger because of the overall design...He eventually outgrew it (he was a chubbo at 1 year!) ....I believe the box said something to the effect of not being appropriate for kids who are mobile, but you might want to check at target (I had to order mine from australia as they didn't have them here yet)- that way if you aren't crazy about it you can return it...
Best wishes, and if you need to chat about preemie parenting I'm here for you!
B.

We used the Bebe Pod for both of our children. They loved being able to sit up and see what's going on. We loved how portable and simple it was. I have a SIL who owns a Bumbo and I noticed two major differences. One, the Bebe Pod is slightly higher in the back and therefore helped with head control for younger babies. Two, the big knob in the middle of the Bebe Pod keeps babies secured better than the Bumbo's smaller knob. The Bebe Pod went with us everywhere! Around the house, to friends houses, overnight trips, and even restaurants. I would definitely say it's a must have for the first year of life.

I bought the Bunbo seat for my 4th son. He used it for about 3mths, good for when they want to sit up but can't without a million pillows around them. We would put him in the seat and he loved it, really felt like a big boy, Ithink and could look around at his brothers. He is now 7mths old and getting too active and sits better by himself. I liked it personally, maybe look into a consinement shop locally, you never know what moms are getting rid of. I am going to bring mine to one to sell back. No they really are in the seat nice. It has a lower seat part so they really can't get out.
You should also look into the MOMS Club in your area. Great support club for moms and great activities! www.momsclub.org
Not all have web sites, so request by email.... Good luck!

mama4boyz