The 'Walker' Debate...

Kent Brockman

Whats your view on when to put a baby into a walker? (If ever..)
My lad is a big strappin 9mth old who can sit up no prob and is standing holding the side of the cot.
We put him in a walker (more for our own peace :rolleyes: lol!) a few weeks ago, but never leave him in it for too long.
I know people who have put babies as young as 5mths in them (which I think is a bit early tbh).
Our local PHN does not recommend them.
What do ye think ?

Dades

Our fella is at the exact stage your is, and my feeling is that he knows what to do - he just needs the balance and confidence to move the next step.

We never got a walker as the way I see it is they don't really challenge them. Ultimately they just want to get up instinctively and walk, and the best way to get that going on is to encourage them up and try and get them to move under their own steam.

The look of excitement and pride on their little faces when hanging onto something wobbling on their feet is hilarious!

lynski

not a fan of walkers, but used the stationary entertainers for my 2 and a door bouncer too.

January

Don't have a walker in my own house, but both sets of grandparents invested in one when my first daughter was about 6 months old. They hadn't really got any "toys" for her and an entertainer would have taken up too much space, so they bought foldable walkers and just take them out when we're there (daughter number 2 isn't walking yet so she uses it now). She's in it for about half an hour twice a week and the rest of the time she's on the floor rolling and crawling.

Grawns

Had a walker in the kitchen for Bridget from 9 months. It was only in that room as it's the only with lino- not carpeted so she was never in it for very long. She loved it and was well ready for it as she always wanted to be standing from 4 months or so. She started cruising pretty soon after and walked across the sitting room at 10 1/2 months. I still put her in the walker in the kitchen for another month or two as she was safer in it than out.

Bottom line - am a big fan

How Strange

I'm totally against walkers because 24 years ago I saw a young boy with horrific injuries after his walker fell into a fire. I know thats an extreme case but its an image that's stuck with me ever since.

crazy cat lady

We got our little lady and push along walker as opposed to one that you sit the child into. She loved it and has been walking independantly since 10 months.

Apparently the ones you sit the child into are bad for hip development

Cat Melodeon

I had my lad in one from about 7 months. He's very sturdy and was well able to support himself on his legs at that point. We have a bungalow with a long corridor & wooden flooring and he had great fun whizzing up and down it chasing the dogs. I'd never have him in it for longer than 20 mins at a time and no more than twice a day, if that.

They are linked with hip development problems, but I think if you are sensible about how long they spend in them there shouldn't be a problem. Some people seem to plonk them in and leave them there for an hour or two at a time, even feeding them in the walker. Not wise.

I don't think it slowed down my fella's walking in any case. He never did that walking on tippy toes thing that people warn you about. I made sure he had loads of floor/tummy time. He was slow to start crawling (11 months) but was walking and running by 13 months, just stood up one day and took off all by himself. Hasn't stopped since!

cynder

I had my lady in a (sit in) walker at 5 months and she went backwards after 2 weeks she was going forwards and she flew around the place, at 7 months she refused to go in the walker and i had to walk her everywhere with her holding on to my pinky finger, my back was broken.

She could properly walk at 7 months but would not let go of my finger until she was 11 months old. No she does not have bowed legs or hip problems and she is the fastest runner in the class and even beats more that half the boys in her class (she is diabetic aswell). for the last 5 years she has won the gold medal on sports day for 100m sprints. She is 11 now.


My other boy (5 weeks premature) went in the (sit in)walker at 7 months as his feet didn't touch the floor until he was 7 months old. He loved it. It was higher set than our first one. he also loved the stationary bouncer.

MY last boy never went in the walker he hated it, he hates confined spaces and he was crawling at 6 months up on his hands and knees so he could get anywhere he wanted to by crawling, so he hated the walker and never went in it. At 9 months we gave him a push along walker and he loved it, the other 2 hated it and never pushed it. he would push it from one room to the next. I had a stationary bouncer and he hated that too, he needed his freedom.

Moonbeam

The push along ones are not bad for them.

It is the sit in ones that are an issue -

www.hse.ie/.../Caring_for_Your_Baby_6_Months_to_2_year_old_Booklet.pdf
www.hse.ie/eng/services/Publications/.../Unit_1_Health_Promotion.pdf
www.childreninwales.org.uk/8547.file.dld

pljudge321

Moonbeam wrote: »

The push along ones are not bad for them.

It is the sit in ones that are an issue -

www.hse.ie/.../Caring_for_Your_Baby_6_Months_to_2_year_old_Booklet.pdf
www.hse.ie/eng/services/Publications/.../Unit_1_Health_Promotion.pdf
www.childreninwales.org.uk/8547.file.dld

Once upon a time several moons ago I managed to fall out the front door in a sit in walker straight onto my head. Couldn't really recommend them.

upinthesky

i suppose when they can reach the ground my little lad took his first steps at 11 months so i no he was in one well before this i think he was getting out of it at 9 months he was a little fiery lad and it was one of the old walkers with bigger holes for the legs lol

implausible

Moonbeam wrote: »

www.hse.ie/.../Caring_for_Your_Baby_6_Months_to_2_year_old_Booklet.pdf
www.hse.ie/eng/services/Publications/.../Unit_1_Health_Promotion.pdf
www.childreninwales.org.uk/8547.file.dld

Those first two links are out of date Moonbeam, but the Welsh one was v interesting.

Hubbie wants to get one and I'm really against it. My 7 month old is sitting up, tipping himself forward and getting into a semi-crawling position, so I reckon he'll crawl in his own time. He's fairly good at entertaining himself sitting in his play pen so I really don't see the need. It's only because he had one himself:mad:.

Nevyn

Like anything else you have to supervise toddlers, accidents can and do happen but in the case of the two mentioned, fire guards and closed doors and watching the baby can go a long way to stopping a lot of incidents.

Both mine were in a walker, never for long each day and I found it stopped a lot of frustration and encouraged them to walk and they went from being in the walker to pushing the walker along.

Like anything there are many toys and tools but all have to be used appropriately.

Kent Brockman

How Strange wrote: »

I'm totally against walkers because 24 years ago I saw a young boy with horrific injuries after his walker fell into a fire. I know thats an extreme case but its an image that's stuck with me ever since.

In fairness it is a bit extreme. You could probably apply that logic to anything.
Do you let your kids travel in a car? Play sports ? (just 2 examples off the top of my head where people can get horrific injuries)
In your example I doubt the walker was the problem.

Some interesting views there. In moderation and under supervision is how we use ours and it works well. I would imagine if they were a serious risk to a childs developement that they would not be on the market?

How Strange

^^^ yes I totally agree that my view us a bit extreme, I admitted as much in my post. I deliberately refrained from describing the extent of the injuries because that was one isolated incident out of 100's/1000's of examples where walkers are used safely.

However, you asked when (if ever) people would put their kids into a walker and i'm saying personally never because of that one incident which has stuck with me even after 24 years.

I'm not telling anyone else not to use one.

lolli

My daughter is currently attending Crumlin for problems with her hips. I was told by one of the head doctors there that under no circumstances should a child use a bouncer or a walker. I had a Jumparoo for my daughter but I only used it twice.

The doctor told me that a lot of babies who use walkers and bouncers end up starting to walk on their tippy toes and it tends to be bad for their posture. When they are in walkers they are not developing the correct muscles that they need to walk. Its better for them to develop these things naturally themselves.

beachbabe

AFAIK walkers are not reccomended for kids once they can sit up independently, the creche my wee man attends are very strict about not letting them spend more than 10 mins at a time in them, he is 14 months and started walking about 6 weeks ago.

cbyrd

i had ben in a walker at about 6 months.. he was sitting up at 5 months and used to get so annoyed at everyone walking away from him. He started walking on christmas eve and is flying now running around outside, I didn't find any problems with him walking on his toes or having any problems with walking in general, he just couldn't wait to get going. He was walking around along the furniture from about 10 months..
In saying that he was never left unsupervised in it, after all they are not a babysitter..:rolleyes: he had a bouncer too and loved that aswell.. he used to run in a circle and then lift his legs and spin in it.. he'd laugh his head off !! again he was in it for maybe 15 mins at a time and never unsupervised but he got such a kick out of them.