My feed
Premium

Please
or
to access all these features

Talk to others about child development and behaviour stages here. You can find more information on our development calendar.

Behaviour/development

12 week old trying to walk - product advice

107 replies

Insomnimummy · 10/03/2014 11:37

My DD is almost 12 weeks old and has been demanding to be held upright so she can walk with our support. She has been doing this for the last 4/5 weeks and now cries if we do not help her.

I'm very proud of how fast she is developing, but its exhausting and painful spending most of the day hunched over someone whos under 2ft, helping them walk!
I have been seraching for products to help my DD develop her muscles and practise walking, such as door bouncers and walkers. However I can't find any that are suitable for a 3 month old, they all appear to start at 6 months.
Does anyone know if and where I can get a baby walker for a 3month old? At this rate by the time she reaches 6 months she will no longer need one!

OP posts:
Report
Raxacoricofallapatorius · 10/03/2014 11:40

How does she behave when lying down? Does she seem in discomfort?

They develop their muscles by rolling/kicking/creeping/crawling etc.

The making walking movements when upright and on a surface is just a reflex.

I'd look at why she dislikes lying down so much. If it's medical then you can deal with that. If it's a frustration thing, I'd get a sling.

Report
Gerty1002 · 10/03/2014 11:43

Could she maybe have reflux or silent reflux? My DS always hated lying on his back and still does at 6mo, but we didn't realise he had reflux until he was 3mo as he wasn't a projectile vomiter.

Report
HolidayCriminal · 10/03/2014 11:45

door bouncer, no?

Report
Gerty1002 · 10/03/2014 11:45

Also I think that's too young to allow her to put weight on her legs for risk of them becoming bowed, hence why most walkers etc start at 6 months. A jumperoo would probably be your best bet once her head is held steady. It was a godsend for our 98th centile baby as he was too heavy for my broken body to carry all day!

Report
kalidasa · 10/03/2014 11:52

Yes we tried the jumperoo around this age, though DS didn't really use it for a while longer. Of my NCT group, the baby who was most like this very early on - insistent on 'standing', wanted to be upright etc - did have a lot of problems with reflux etc. If it's wanting not-to-be-flat as much as wanting-to-be-standing, perhaps even a bouncy chair at the steepest angle it can do might help?

Report
HolidayCriminal · 10/03/2014 11:54

That Jumperoo thing looks perfect.
I'm pretty sure that's a myth about bowed legs, but they need to be able to push & "stand" only to their comfort. Most walkers are too small ime, baby's legs wouldn't touch the floor.

Ds could stand completely if I lightly held his hands for balance (cue HVs saying "Ten week old babies shouldn't be able to DO that!")

Report
Purplelooby · 10/03/2014 11:57

My DS did this and then didn't walk until 13 months!! As posters above have suggested, reflux was partly to blame and a very independent character, we were literally never able to lie him on his back to play, but once he could sit up (anout 4.5 months) it was better. I would be wary of those toys as they can cause hip problems and also she needs to develop other strengths in her trunk before trying to walk. We went for the jumperoo once he was 5 months + and limited his time in it.

Report
Goblinchild · 10/03/2014 12:56

Take her swimming in a baby ring. Then she can practise walking whilst supported, to avoid damage to developing limbs.
Have you talked to anyone at your clinic, or your HV?

Report
Insomnimummy · 10/03/2014 13:23

Afraid she doesn't have reflux, and its not that shes uncomfortable lying down. She'll spend up to half an hour lying on her playmat grabbing at things and turning over.

The walking reflex disappears at around 6 weeks but she only started trying to walk at 7/8 weeks. She can support her own weight, she just lacks balance. It seems to be a family trait to walk early - both my sister and I were walking completely unaided by 9 months.
And its not just the walking, shes developing fast in all areas, she already has 3 teeth coming through and can hold her own bottle for a feed.
We have a door bouncer but the top of the harness comes up to her chin which is no good. All the walkers wouldn't allow her feet to touch the floor which is what she wants.

Thanks Holiday Criminal, its nice to know I'm not the only one with a LO determined to do it all now, and who doesn't seem to care what they 'should' be doing. Smile

OP posts:
Report
Insomnimummy · 10/03/2014 13:30

Goblinchild - swimming is a good idea. We are waiting for a place at our local pool.

I'll see if I can talk to the HV at the local childrens centre as I don't have one any more (we get just two visits before the 6 week check and thats it).

OP posts:
Report
Goblinchild · 10/03/2014 13:58

'waiting for a place'?
Can't you just go to the pool as a mum and baby and play?

Report
Insomnimummy · 10/03/2014 19:59

No the one near us requires you to be booked in on their baby swimming course to use the pool Hmm

OP posts:
Report
ikeaismylocal · 10/03/2014 20:09

My ds used a door bouncer from about 3 months but he was very very strong, he held his head up from birth and could sit unaided at 15 weeks. A few people thought it was too early but he really was strong enough and needed the extra stimulation.

Try rolling up some cloth and putting it under her bum if she is too smal physically for the bouncer.

I think it is important to encourage babies to work through the milestones in order, rolling/sitting and crawling are important for core stregnth and co-ordination.

Report
Martorana · 10/03/2014 20:13

Are you sure about the swimming pool? If you just turn up with a baby do they stop you going in?

Report
TheGreatHunt · 10/03/2014 20:19

My ds walked at 9 months but no way was he walking aided at that age. Maybe after half an hour lying down your baby is tired or bored - half an hour is a long time for a baby. Mine would never last that long and they spent a lot of time on the floor.

Report
quietlysuggests · 10/03/2014 20:27

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

ExBrightonBell · 10/03/2014 21:25

I agree with ikeaismylocal - I do think it's important that babies go through the relevant stages rather than trying to skip ahead. Rolling, tummy time, sitting up etc should all come before encouraging walking.

I also had a baby that wanted to be upright practically from birth. It definitely stemmed from wanting to see everything and join in, and not wanting to be bored. It got very tiring to hold him up like that, but I found ways to hold him that weren't so uncomfy. When he was old enough to go in a Jumperoo it was brilliant! He didn't like the door bouncer, although probably because the only door we could fix it to was in a boring part of the house!

Report
JuniperHeartwand · 10/03/2014 22:12

9 reasons not to walk babies, worth a read OP: www.janetlansbury.com/2011/03/9-reasons-not-to-walk-babies/

A door bouncer would be a good idea at such a young age, go for it.

Report
Bedsheets4knickers · 10/03/2014 23:32

My son was absolutely determined to stand from very young. I always remember my mum exclaiming. " he's just stood up" when she was holding him on her lap. He walked at 10 months but had stood for ages . Maybe 4 months on our laps 6 months against the sofa . We had a very sturdy baby walker that we stuffed a blanket down the back to give him some extra neck support x

Report
NinjaLeprechaun · 11/03/2014 06:14

When my daughter was about 3 months she stopped bending in the middle - she simply refused to be sat anywhere. She pulled herself to standing just after she turned 4 months (I watched her do it, have photographic evidence, and people still tell me it's impossible...) but, like yours, she didn't have the balance.

After checking with her pediatrician, I started putting her in a walker with a small blanket helping to keep her propped up. She couldn't quite touch the ground at first, which meant (best of both worlds) she stayed where she was put but was still happy because she was 'standing' upright. Essentially I was using it as an alternative to a baby-seat or swing, rather than as a learn-to-walk aid. She started walking at 15 months, exactly average for babies in my family, so I don't think it delayed anything at all. Mind, this was eighteen years ago, so I was probably risking her life and development horrifically, the way I did by starting weaning at 4 months.
The doctor did tell me that she had seen 'shaken baby' type injuries from putting too young babies in door bouncers, because their neck muscles weren't developed enough for it yet. So, obviously, she didn't recommend that.

Report
LilllyLovesLife · 11/03/2014 11:49

Any normal swimming pool will let you take baby in to the normal pool! The waiting list will be for if you want to do lessons.

Report
Insomnimummy · 11/03/2014 16:47

Yeah - the pool is at a school so you have to have an appointment to go in.

OP posts:
Report

Don’t want to miss threads like this?

Weekly

Sign up to our weekly round up and get all the best threads sent straight to your inbox!

Log in to update your newsletter preferences.

You've subscribed!

Insomnimummy · 11/03/2014 16:48

Sorry the above was a reply to Matorana

OP posts:
Report
Insomnimummy · 11/03/2014 16:55

Thanks for the support NinjaLeprechaun Thanks

I'm going to drop into the child health clinicon monday to check everything is ok with DD, and make sure we cancarry on 'walking'. I hope so because when shes in the mood to do it nothing else will do!

OP posts:
Report
QOD · 11/03/2014 16:56

Dd just stood up, jumping bat really, you've made a bit of a rod for your own back letting her stand n the floor, we just let her leap around on our laps/legs
She hated being cradled like the baby she was!

Report
Please create an account

To comment on this thread you need to create a Mumsnet account.