Froggie's Throne (Bumbo Seat Modification)

     I finally found a Bumbo seat! I've been searching Craigslist for a few weeks because I couldn't rationalize cutting the seat we have. The other night I posted that I was looking for one and didn't care if it had the recall straps. (I mean who cares about straps? By cutting the seat its not like the company has any liability if Froggie falls out anyway.)
     After work I made a pit stop to pick up the Bumbo and another to pick up some cool Duct tape. Modifying a Bumbo was recommended on the International Hip Dysplasia Institute website but there were not any directions or links for a "how to" so I did a little searching. I found one advice page for spica casts that showed how they had modified a seat for a child with a Spica Cast but that wasn't quite what Froggie needed either. I thought I would outline my process in case anyone out there wanted to know what had been done and what the IHDI site means by "modified Bumbo". 

Step 1. Buy a Bumbo Seat. I found this one on Craigslist for $12. It was a little less painful to cut up a $40 chair when I didn't spend that much on it.

Step 2. Mark where your child's legs are held by their harness. Froggie was not as terrified as she appears in this picture, I promise. I couldn't figure out how to get it to take without my flash and she was not a fan!

Step 3. Cut new leg holes in the chair. The spica example cut clear from front to their new end point. Because Froggie is in a harness and can still move her legs I opted to just move the leg holes back and leave some of the chair for support. I just used a plain old steak knife to cut it.

Step 4. Test your work! Before you move on to finishing your chair make sure what you cut is the right width for your child. My advice is to cut less at first and cut more if necessary to avoid ending up with a $40 chair that no one can use.

Step 5. "Finish" your work. The foam is kind of flaky and I would assume if you were sitting with your skin against it that it would become itchy so covering the "raw" foam is a good idea. I picked out Duct Tape with a girly print that was close in color to the seat. 

Step 6. Use your Bumbo! Our newly revamped seat is Froggie approved. She was really interested in the tray as well and I think having it will be a nice addition to having a seat for Froggie.