Getting rid of Bumbo

jshf · April 2010

DS was evaluated y a couple of OT's, PT's yesterday for his torticollis and they said to give him lots of tummy time and to limit his time in his exersaucer, bouncer, etc. When I asked about the Bumbo, they said the positioning is bad and not appropriate for normal development. They did say leaving him in there for a few minutes probably would not hurt him, but it certainly would not help. They even recommended just throwing it away as they wouldn't want some other child to use it. Just wanted to pass that info along.

ninasc · April 2010

The PT told us the same thing this week. She said a few minutes here and there won't hurt him but not to use it often (same goes for 'standing').

rocksteady91@hotmail.com · April 2010

great,i just bought one 3 days ago and already threw out the box. oh well,like you said cant hurt for a few minutes a day. I thought she would love it but she'd rather focus on her rolling right now lol!

mrsH_777 · April 2010

ninasc:
The PT told us the same thing this week. She said a few minutes here and there won't hurt him but not to use it often (same goes for 'standing').

Uh-oh! Do you mean "standing" like I hold her on my lap, and she is in a standing position? Because that is what my DD wants to do 80% of the time. She loves "standing" up.

dunvilles · April 2010

ninasc:
The PT told us the same thing this week. She said a few minutes here and there won't hurt him but not to use it often (same goes for 'standing').

I'm interested...what did your PT say about standing? It would be helpful to have a handout from what PT's say are "no-no's" when we became pregnant! :P

cinderellabella · April 2010

I was told the same thing about all "containers" or things that restrict the baby's movement. A blanket on the floor with some toys is better than a swing, bumbo, excersaucer, or anything of the sort. Then baby can develop in the appropriate sequence.

beckypooh03@yahoo.com · April 2010

My LO didn't like the bumbo anyway so we returned it a few days after we got it.

cinderellabella · April 2010

mrsH_777:
ninasc:
The PT told us the same thing this week. She said a few minutes here and there won't hurt him but not to use it often (same goes for 'standing').
Uh-oh! Do you mean "standing" like I hold her on my lap, and she is in a standing position? Because that is what my DD wants to do 80% of the time. She loves "standing" up.

The problem (from what I understand) is that LO's legs will get strong before her trunk muscles have, so the sequence of development is out of order. This can lead to improper posture and a related problems. However, this is just what I heard at a class when I was pregnant, so it was a long time ago and it is a bit fuzzy in my memory.

ninasc · April 2010

mrsH_777:

ninasc:
The PT told us the same thing this week. She said a few minutes here and there won't hurt him but not to use it often (same goes for 'standing').

Uh-oh! Do you mean "standing" like I hold her on my lap, and she is in a standing position? Because that is what my DD wants to do 80% of the time. She loves "standing" up.

Lukas is the same way--'standing' is his absolute favorite position but the PT said she doesn't recomend it. She said it develops the wrong muscles and that we shouldn't have him in that position until 9-10 months unless as a last resort. She said floor time is the most important right now

jshf · April 2010

This is what I understand from the eval. They said is that when they use exersaucers and other things to help them stand it's not good for them because their bodies aren't ready to be in that position for long. Giving them lots of tummy time helps them develop their muscles properly as well as to practice rolling, crawling, etc. The standing they do while you are holding them up is different because of how you hold them, under their arms and helping support their weight. The standing they do helps strengthen leg muscles and so it's ok to do as they tolerate.

But I agree. I wish they would tell you these things before LO is born. Or just a handout at least!

jshf · April 2010

Reading other posts now have me wondering if I understood them correctly. Good thing DS will have weekly PT. I'll post after the next session to let you know what they say about standing.

Pumpmaster T · April 2010

We've barely used the Bumbo. He never cared for it and it looks so uncomfortable. He has a Jumparoo and we limit it to 15 minutes a day. He has an exersaucer at day care and I don't think he's in it long there either. He really likes the play mat on the floor.

slukd79 · April 2010

I am an early intervention PT and have yet to recommend a baby needing any equipment like a Bumbo, exersaucer, Jumparoo etc. Babies this young need floor time, tummy time etc.

Babies build muscles from the head down. In other words, you need a strong neck to hold your head up before you strengthen your trunk. You need a strong trunk before you strengthen your legs.

They also develop joints closer to the body and then move outward. As an example, this means the shoulder develops before the elbow and before the hand.

Typically when I say families on my caseload can use the Bumbo for a limited amount of time, I mean 2-5 minutes. Not 15-20. Think of using it only for bathroom breaks or when you need to put them in a safe place very quickly.

I think it is tempting to use all of this "stuff" for many reasons. It is easy, cute and a change in your day. But remember repetition is good for babies! It helps them learn. So while it may seem boring to keep putting them on the floor-- they are getting more and more out of it each time!

C&C6202005 · April 2010

slukd79:

I am an early intervention PT and have yet to recommend a baby needing any equipment like a Bumbo, exersaucer, Jumparoo etc. Babies this young need floor time, tummy time etc.

Babies build muscles from the head down. In other words, you need a strong neck to hold your head up before you strengthen your trunk. You need a strong trunk before you strengthen your legs.

They also develop joints closer to the body and then move outward. As an example, this means the shoulder develops before the elbow and before the hand.

Typically when I say families on my caseload can use the Bumbo for a limited amount of time, I mean 2-5 minutes. Not 15-20. Think of using it only for bathroom breaks or when you need to put them in a safe place very quickly.

I think it is tempting to use all of this "stuff" for many reasons. It is easy, cute and a change in your day. But remember repetition is good for babies! It helps them learn. So while it may seem boring to keep putting them on the floor-- they are getting more and more out of it each time!

Thank you for the info! I was actually heading out this weekend to buy a jumparoo, but think I might just save my money because DD loves floor/tummy time...I just thought I needed to change it up a bit!!

avbliss · April 2010

Now is this for all babies or just babies who need PT? DD is way advanced in her head control, rolled front to back at 2 mo and back to front last week. She gets tons of floor and tummy time, but I also use the bebe Pod and she loves to sit in her high chair (on the middle setting so slightly reclined) and play. She is currently trying to sit up on her own, and is an excellent supported sitter. So I'm just wondering if this is a blanket thing for all babies, or just ones who are behind in physical milestones?

shihtzumomma · April 2010

Yep, DD's OT said something similar. She just said stop use for a few weeks though, until DD gets stronger. I wrote about it on my blog the other day if you're interested in what all the OT said.

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