If you’re deciding between the high chair vs Bumbo Multi Seat options for all your baby’s mealtimes, you may be faced with some difficult decisions to make. After all, hasn’t the high chair always been the first choice for most parents? That is until the Bumbo Multi Seat hit the parenting scene!
Differences Between a High Chair and a Bumbo
What really sets them apart? When looking at their differences, you’ll notice that the high chair is designed particularly for baby’s meal times. The Bumbo Multi Seat can be used for feeding babies as well as for many other purposes.
While you can seat your baby in the high chair for some playtime, when cooking or busy with other tasks around the house, it’s not the chair’s sole purpose. On the other hand, the Bumbo can be used to seat your growing child at the table to play, read, or eat.
The Bumbo Multi Seat has also been designed to meet your infant’s growing stages from six months old and can be used as a baby floor seat during active playtime.
Are Bumbo Seats Good or Bad?
Bumbo seats are good for babies older than six months learning to sit upright. They can be used during meal times and as a floor seat. However, child experts warn that leaving a baby seated for too long, without a strong core and pelvic stability, could hamper developmental skills.
What are the use cases for Bumbo Seats?
Baby floor seats are designed to give your growing child the support she needs while learning to sit upright. Bumbo is not the only baby floor seat on the market and you’ll find other brands also make this kind of chair for babies older than six months. My article comparing Bumbo Multi Seat vs Ingenuity talks about these two baby floor seats as well as the Fisher-Price Sit Me Up seat.
Can You Use a Bumbo as a High Chair?
The Bumbo Multi Seat can be converted to a high chair. The seat can be securely attached to an adult chair using the attachment straps of the Bumbo Multi Seat. A stowaway tray is also available and can be used for mealtimes when not seated at a table.
Differences Between a Bumbo and a High Chair
Bumbo is one alternative to a high chair. Still, they’re different, and therefore I’ve highlighted some key differences between a Bumbo and a high chair so you can decide which option is really suitable for you and your baby.
Seat Height
The Bumbo Multi Seat is designed to be used as a booster seat and for seating on the floor. It doesn’t come with high legs which is the main feature of a conventional high chair. This means the seat height of the Bumbo depends on what type of chair it’s attached to when not used as a floor seat.
The high chair comes in a range of multiple heights and modern designs even allow you to adjust the seat height to suit your baby’s growing stages. Babies can be very curious and love to see what their parents are up to. Being higher up in a high chair gives them more scope to see what’s happening in their surroundings. So, your baby may be more comfortable in a high chair, staying longer in it than in a Bumbo seat.
Fit
The Bumbo Multi Seat fits babies from six to 36 months old. It gives you the option of adjusting the height to accommodate your growing child. And, the leg openings are bigger than the brand’s Floor Seat model. The seat’s foam pad is also removable, giving more space for your toddler.
High chairs are also designed to have ample space and most designs accommodate babies from six months to three years old. Most high chairs also have adjustable height settings to accommodate your growing baby. When it comes down to comfortable fit, parents may find the high chair has more space for their growing child.
Safety
The Bumbo Multi Seat can be securely attached to another chair with its strong attachment straps. A 3-point harness strap keeps your child safe in the chair. The base of the Bumbo Multi Seat is non-slip, which does help to prevent it from moving too much when placed on the floor.
Top-quality high chairs always include harness belts to strap your baby securely into the seating. They also have non-slip foot pads giving the chair more grip on the floor.
Floor Seating
The one main difference between the Bumbo Multi Seat and the high chair is that Bumbo can be used as a floor seat. This is useful when your baby is learning to sit upright, giving them the support they need to hold them up.
A high chair is designed to make feeding time easier. They’re not designed to be placed flat on the ground and used as a baby floor seat.
Portable and Space-Saving
The Bumbo Multi Seat wins hand down for being portable! It’s small enough to be carried by a parent anywhere and is useful for the traveling family. Bumbo is also a great space-saving baby item that can be easily stored out of the way when not being used.
While most high chairs are light enough to move from one room to another in the house, they become cumbersome when packing up to take on a trip away from home. High chairs do require a bit more space when in use but most of them fold flat for easy storage.
Can You Use a Bumbo Seat in the Bath?
It’s not recommended to use a Bumbo seat in the bath. The risk of your baby slipping out and falling into the bath is too high. And, if you’re not keeping a close eye on your baby, she may even drown.
The material used to construct the Bumbo Multi Seat is also porous which means it will absorb water if submerged in a bath.
At What Age is a Bumbo Seat Ideal?
Manufacturers of the Bumbo seat recommend babies from six months to three years old may use this product. However, the ideal age for babies using a Bumbo seat should be between six and seven months with the support of their parents’ hands. From eight months, your baby will be stronger and more developed to sit on their own.
Wrap Up
A Bumbo Multi Seat offers multiple purposes and if used properly, can be a safe option for meal times and as a baby floor seat. The high chair is excellent for feeding times especially if you’re not always giving your baby her meals at the table. However, the high chair is not as versatile as the Bumbo Multi Seat.
Last update on 2024-04-17 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
