As a gift, we received a Bumbo chair. At first, I wasn’t really on board with the chair and kind of thought it to be a crutch. However, I am a huge fan nowadays.
This chair is a designed to help babies sit in an upright position when they are not quite able to do this themselves. Instead of the old method of tucking pillows around them, this chair does the work for you. There are leg cut outs with high sides to keep the little one safe and snug.
I am one of those people who thinks if you wear a brace or use a crutch of any kind when you don’t absolutely need it, you will take much longer to develop the muscles yourself. My first thought was this chair would discourage my daughter from learning to sit on her own. However, I quickly discovered she loved to sit in the up position very early on.
This sitting position made her feel like she could look around and stay in touch with mommy and daddy. Just putting her in the chair would calm her during the fussy times. Now, she is right on the verge of sitting on her own, and it is obvious the muscles are being aided by this chair.
She almost is convinced that she can sit on her own and will try so hard to balance on her own. It is like spotting someone who is learning to do a flip. The spot gives you confidence in your ability. You will do a flip much faster this way than if you left it to your own efforts.
The Bumbo chair is not a crutch, it is a spotter for sitting babies.