What do you think of Baby Walker?

[ThomasMum]

We are still investigating it whether to buy or just forget about it!

Pros and Cons pls

Thanks for your inputs! :)

Thomas'sMum

[H&B'sMum]

If you are thinking about the one where Thomas can sit in it and walk, I wouldn't. You will probably read that alot of people have them and really like them but from a developmentally point of view as well as a safety issue they are not worth the risk. The problem developmentally is that they teach children to walk on their tippy toes and can pull their hips and legs out of aliment. Also the safety risk of them toppling over or going down stairs is a real issue. Whether people acknowledge it or not, there is a risk. If they topple over on hard floors there is a risk of head injury and not to mention the shock of seeing your child upside down unable to get out.
I wish these things were taken off the market and never heard of again.
Just my opinion (but yes a strong one)

[drewid]

I don't believe walkers are any good at all at teaching a baby how to walk.

Having said that, we DO have one.

The modern walkers are very different to the ones that I had as a child, which were round with lots of wheels on them. Todays are more rectangular, very sturdily built. The old ones were VERY prone to tipping over and very dangerous if used unsupervised.

Our walker itself is VERY sturdy and takes a whole lot of adult effort to tip it over, not to mention, to make it move on carpet. It just sinks into carpet and is very hard to move. I doubt that Andrew will EVER be strong enough as a baby/toddler to make it move more than a few cms. And the movement would be more from wriggling than from actual walking movement.

Andrew uses it as a seat where he can sit supported and play with the toys attached to its tray. Its a great position for watching dvds, or for feeding, or just to be sitting near mum and dad.

The position he sits in is NO DIFFERENT to the position of sitting up in a high chair. So i don't believe that harms his development at all.

The greatest benefit we have is that Andrew loves to practise standing up in it. He just loves to be in it and stand himself up and then when his feet give out and he falls down, he only falls a few cms to the padded seat. Where he then commences to try to stand up again! Its a great game to him, and heaps of fun. And he is standing firmly on his feet, not his toes.

I do belive that this activity, combined with his love of the jolly jumper, have contributed to him being *almost* able to stand on his own unsupported at 6 1/2 months.

We only bought our walker cos it was very highly reduced on sale. i wouldn't pay full price for one, knowing how limited in use they are. I fully expect that Andrew will be over it within a month or two, and be much more interested in practising his standing and walking out in the 'real world'.

I wouldn't bother buying one as a 'walking' aid.

[draught]

Hi Thomasmum
We have never used a walker. All the experts I trust are totally against them because of the serious risk they constantly pose to children's safety. There is a very strong move to try and ban their sale completely in many states in Australia. While they may be a novelty I think you will find Thomas is more excited by being on the floor and rolling/crawling/wriggling to get where he wants to go himself. My girls have both been early walkers without the use of a walker. We have used a jolly jumper for those times when they need a bit of a change in scenery - or when we have needed to eat our dinner when out at a friends house - but have never used a walker.

You can get other toys that allow the baby to sit in them and play with toys without the wheels on the bottom so they don't move around. This might be a safer option to look at.

[talon]

In reference to what Draught was talking about,

I have a hand-me-down that isn't a walker as such. It is a big lady beetle thing that sits flat on the floor on a wide base and DS sits in the seat in the middle of it so his legs dangle through to the base and it has a bunch of different toys around it. The seat swivels around so he can turn himself around if he wants to, but the actual beetle doesn't move. Much safer than a walker as is guaranteed not to go anywhere and is close enough to the floor that he doesn't stand on his tippee toes. So if you are just looking for something for your bub to play in rather than "walking" in it, maybe opt for something along those lines. Mine is a Safe and sound one.

[Kamaikia]

Hi look I have a walker and love it. The safety issues are a load of crap if you ask me. The main one is the walker tumbling down stairs - what sort of mother would put it near stairs in the first place??????

I have a baby play center that my son loves - one that doesn't move but he got bored with that after a few months.

My ten month old has been using his walker since he could hold his head up and it hasn't caused him to point his feet. He walks in the walker flat foot - starting to run. He is cruising around furniture and trying to work up the nerve to step out alone. Now to me this would suggest the walker hasn't done any harm at all. Like jolly jumpers I think if you have your child in a walker constantly it could cause problems.

It true that the new walkers are designed alot better than the old. The one that I have has different locks on it. You can make it go only forwards, only backwards, make it stay still and there is also a setting that only lets it go 2m in any direction before locking.

It is a personal choice - but remember with nearly all baby product there needs to be parent supervision, and a little bit of common sense - I mean you wouldn't let your baby crawl around next to stairs so why would you put a walker there??

It also depends on your lifestyle - we have a large pergola out the back and spend most afternoons out there with family and friends - the walker gives my son room to run and explore while I have provided a safe environment for him to be in. I don't bring the walker inside - he crawls and cruises only in there.

Oh and I do agree that finding a second hand one is the go - unless you are planning on a few more children. You won't really get your moneys worth with one child

[ThomasMum]

For all your excellent feedbacks. All are valuable to us.
DH and I are still talking about it...

Tempting...

Thomas’sMum

[funnyfarm]

I borrowed a baby walker of my SIL but my daughter never really liked it but it did come in handy with the tray in front to feed her in if we were away and didn't have a high chair.

I bought a second hand exasaucer (i think that is how you spell it) of ebay (babys sit in it like a walker but it is a big disc and doesn't walk but teaches bub balance. The seat turns around to access all the different toys and activities). Found she loved this. It is now in the laundry and she still plays with the activities (standing on the outstide of it) when I am washing and hanging clothes out.

I suppose it is personal choice but i preferred the exasaucer to the walker.

Hope this helps.

Janet
Mother to Briana Sage (2.6.04)