The Bumbo and Your Baby’s Back
I admit babies in Bumbo seats are cute!
Years ago, when they first hit the market, I wished I had invented them. Whoever did has made a ton of money, right? However as time has gone on, I’ve noticed some not-so-great things about Bumbo seats.
The Bumbo seat allows your infant to achieve sitting via its unique design features. The seatback comes up high on your baby’s back and the area where your baby’s bottom rests is slightly lower than the front of the seat where your baby’s legs go. In essence, your baby is slightly slumped in the seat similar to how an adult slumps in a recliner, slightly tilted back.
You may be asking yourself, what’s the big deal? Here’s why it matters. If we could look through the Bumbo and see the alignment of your baby’s back and pelvis, we’d probably not like what we find.
The not-so-nice thing pediatric physical therapists have noticed is that the seat design, while very supportive, does not align your baby’s back and pelvis in the proper position to strengthen the muscles necessary to achieve independent sitting.
If a bone or a series of bones, such as in the back, are not in proper alignment then the muscles that attach to those bones are also not in the proper alignment. If a muscle is not in the proper alignment, it does not function properly and in some cases, will not function at all. If a muscle is not in the proper alignment or not functioning, it is not getting stronger!
There is no reason to believe and research has not demonstrated that sitting your baby up in a Bumbo seat is going to help them achieve independent sitting. In fact, the opposite may be true.
While I’ll not tell you to dump the Bumbo, let’s face the fact, as uncomfortable as that may be, the colorful and easy-to-use seats are merely another cleverly designed baby holding container. See my post on Container Babies here.
Moms and daycare providers love them because they provide another safe place to place the baby. While they can be used safely, I encourage you to see them for what they truly are and to not believe they are helping your baby gain motor skills.
Research and professional observations have not shown the Bumbo promotes your baby’s achievement of independent sitting. That skill, which is often achieved around the seven months mark, will require more strengthening and balance practice than the containers allow.
Gravity is unforgiving. Proper back and pelvic alignment plus adequate muscle strength are required to master sitting up without falling over. To help your baby build strong back muscles, sit with your baby on the floor or surround them with pillows or a boppy pillow so he can practice wobbling and tipping and righting himself without getting hurt.
In conclusion, the Bumbo seat, cute as it is, will not build a strong back in your baby. Please limit its use or eliminate it entirely from your inventory of baby equipment.
If you have further questions, please email me or comment below.
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(Photo from Adobe Photo)
