When a friend told me about the Bumbo, I thought:"What a crazy name for a baby chair. Why would a company name a chair to rhyme with Dumbo?". Regardless, the Bumbo is a great baby seat, and does in fact have an elephant motif on the front... Here's what you should know before purchasing a Bumbo:
AGES AND STAGES:
This seat can be used for babies from as soon as they can hold up their head with some consistent control to approximate age 14 months (or 22 pounds). I didn't buy my Bumbo until my son was 4.5 months old, and as he was almost 11 lbs. at birth, he was around 18 lbs. when we started to use the Bumbo. My friend (with a 'normal' sized child) got her Bumbo when her daughter was 3 months (11 lbs.) and had head control. She found that her child could use the Bumbo, but slipped around in it a bit. My son sat in it firmly, but at his size, there wasn't much room to wriggle.
Now that my son is 7 months old, he is quite large (25 lbs.) and very strong. He is beginning to be able to twist and wiggle right out of the Bumbo. I know many people with children older than my son who are still using their Bumbo without having "escape" issues, so I assume that my problem is rare and due to my child's larger than normal size.
USES:
This is a multi-use seat that will help you replace others. The Bumbo is great for feeding, stationary seating, travel seating (at grandma's house, or even for use on a beach...), and simply just to keep baby in one place while you exercise/are at playgroup/etc. Although it is expensive ($35 USD/$55 CDN), you will save money by not needing to purchase a bouncy seat, booster feeding chair, baby sitting ring, and other similar baby seat gear.
DESIGN AND FEATURES:
The Bumbo is made of an injection moulded plastic product. It is lightweight and wipes clean easily. The Bumbo would be made even better if it had more convenient carrying handles, and some sort of travel bag. It is also a bit sticky on baby's legs/thighs in warm weather. That being said, it is an excellent ergonomically correct seat that hold baby upright. The ease of cleaning is a huge benefit, given the amount of wiping that you will subject it to. There is no other baby seat like this on the market, and it is a unique and useful product.
DOES BABY LIKE IT...?:
This is the most important consideration. My son loves his Bumbo, and is very content to sit in it for long periods of time (up to 45 minutes or so). I can sit him in the Bumbo and put on a video while I jump into the shower, and have also used it often for feeding on the go, or for a safe and secure place to sit while visiting friends and family. I've seen the Bumbo used at Pilates classes, and other fitness situations where baby can delight in watching Mom bounce around and do crazy things to get rid of that baby weight.
FINAL WORD:
This may not be a long-used product if you have a larger than normal baby (like I do). But I know that I would buy it all over again, because it has more than paid for itself in the time I will have used it.