Hi Moms! I have a strong 3 month old who can hold up his head and look around for extended periods. He gets bored on his back and agitated at being held for too long if he isn't sleeping. I have a play mat that I use and a bouncer/vibration seat that he likes to kick in sometimes, but I'm looking for a more upright play area (he loves lights and sounds) for him while he is learning to sit up by himself. We have a jumper that he can almost use by himself, but he's still a little small and gets overwhelmed after a couple of minutes. Suggestions?? Thanks so much for your wisdom of experience.
I'm liking the bumbo with tray for my 3 month old... but I think it is just that frustrating time period because I am going through the same thing.
Poor little guy! 3 months is too little to be upright for too long. He could bump his poor little head. I say wait a little longer and he will be big enough for an exersaucer.
I also read on here about the Bumbo. I used to watch an infant and around 3 months she loved the Bumbo seat I bought for her. So that is a good idea too!
Look for an exersaucer! We used ours for months (years, even, maybe). The kids played with it while sitting in the seat and later when they were able to walk and pull up on it. It was a good investment for us.
I saw that a few folks recommended the Bumbo. We have several friends who also used the Bumbo, and as their children aged you could tell how the kids weren't sitting correctly. The would often sit on their lower back versus their bottom (almost slouching). I have never seen this happen in kids who didn't sit in a Bumbo. You might want to reconsider that idea; however, this has only been our personal experience.
Good luck in getting through this fun and tough time... it only lasts a little while! Before you know it, he'll be running through your house!
We liked our Bumbo. You can get a tray for toys and food, but we just liked sitting it on the floor wherever we were. It's not a play area type thing, though. I think he's a little young for an exersaucer, but when my daughter was a little older she loved that. We called it her command center.
My mom also gave us a kick toy where the kid could kick a blue plate and the thing over baby's head spun and made sounds/sang.
Don't forget tummy time, too. I used my snoogle for tummy time and as a sort of "papasan" type chair when DD was little.
Honestly, I just think you're in that tough period of time when they start to get interested in stuff but aren't ready to sit up on their own. Do you have a swing? My kids loved that and the play mat too. I think you just have to rotate to keep him entertained. At about 4 months I started putting my son in the high chair and giving him toys. He liked it for a little bit. He slumped pretty easily but he was okay in there for a bit. Also, try putting him in the stroller and going on walks, my kids loved that too! It's fresh air, new scenery and something to do! ;)
I had great results with a bumbo for my son. He started using it when he was about 2 months old and LOVED it. He had a play mat with the toys the hung from above and we would put him in the bumbo and place him on the mat and he would play with the toys that were hanging down. The great thing about the bumbo is it is made for really little kids and has a deep seat with a high back the keeps them from falling forward but encourages them to use their stomach muscles to learn to sit on their own. They are kinda expensive if bought brand new but they hold up well. I actually bought ours off Craigslist. Saved a ton of money and you couldn't even tell it had been used.
