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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

to put my 9 month old in a baby walker?

115 replies

buggerlugsandbananafeet · 30/01/2011 18:24

I have recently started using a walker for my 9 month DD. It was bought by my mum, who says that as a baby i loved mine. So i popped DD in it and she too appears to enjoy it.
She isn't in it for hours and hours but some of the mums at playgroup have told me that walkers are really bad and can mess with development.
Is this true and if so, why the hell do they still sell them?

OP posts:
Francagoestohollywood · 30/01/2011 21:02

I am joking of course. No, it is not necessarily crap parenting.
Accidents happen, can happen to anyone. I just can't see how dangerous it can be to use it in a normal room, with an adult supervising and who doesn't leave hot cups of tea on small tables etc etc

cat64 · 30/01/2011 21:03

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn

PaisleyLeaf · 30/01/2011 21:06

I thought they advised against them now because of causing a problem with the development of babies hips, not accidents.

Francagoestohollywood · 30/01/2011 21:08

No, I don't have my own research, thank goodness.
As I said, advising against them because they can compromise a child's feet/hips etc, seems more sensible than banning them because they might cause injuries. Will they also ban skiis, bikes, etc?

BuzzLightBeer · 30/01/2011 21:14

its not either or, its both. All the more reason not to use them I would have thought.

Honestly, I really don't care who uses them, I just hate misinformation and anecdote as data.

hormonalmum · 30/01/2011 21:14

I went and bought one with wheels when ds was around 5 months old. That product was the best thing I bought for him as it made him happy as he could see what was going on and could scoot around. Didnt leave him in long periods or leave unattended.

Have tried dd2 in the same walker but dd1 and ds think it is great fun to push her between each other. It scared me, (although dd2 loved it) so I put it away and get it out occassionally when they are not around.

jollyma · 30/01/2011 21:16

The other developmental issue is to do with body awareness. Babies learn about their bodies in many ways including looking at themselves move. If spending long periods in a walker they cant see their own legs and this can cause problems. Of course once again this comes back to not leaving the child in for long periods.

Liz79 · 30/01/2011 21:18

I got one for dc1 & took the wheels off so it was an activity station but much cheaper. This time we have a jumperoo. What about them from the bouncy pov? Instructions say baby should be on tippy toes and if they are flat footed in it you raise the seat unit.

alfonzo · 30/01/2011 21:22

It is not just leg and foot development, and bod awareness issues - walkers also allow babies to walk in a false situation ie. supported around the middle - this can stop them developing the important core stability that is vital to walking unaided. So even the anecdotal evidence of having used a walker and now has no problems walking - can be hiding the fact that underlying core stability is poor. IYSWIM.
Core stability is vitally important to prevent back problems/biomechanical problems later in life.

pointydug · 30/01/2011 21:28

I hate anecdote as data. You;re right there, buzz.

But I do remember reading research about the high numbe r of accidents to see if I was misguided in poo-pooing the dangers. And all the accidents seemed to be a result of poor parental supervision. I knew I supervised properly so I never saw a problem with them.

LisamumtoJake · 30/01/2011 21:31

I put my DS in his and he loved it, he was another early walker at 10 months old he took his first steps. Now at 2yrs he is sooo very active Grin

Francagoestohollywood · 30/01/2011 21:37

I don't think I used any anecdote as data here.

As I said the injuries side of the matter didn't impress me that much.
I was much more concerned of the problems to hips/feet etc when I had to decide if ds could use it or not. But I decided to "risk" 20 minutes a day to be able to have dinner.

TallulahdoesthehulainHawaii · 30/01/2011 22:00

DD2 (22 months) was born with very mild positional talipes in her right foot, due to this she has been under a physiotherapist since she was three weeks old. (she has recently been signed off - hooray!)

The physio was adamant that we didn't use DS's walker, she said that it forces the hips/knees/ankles and feet into an unnatural position for walking, and, as such could prohibit healthy formation and walking practices.

She was happy enough with an activity station as long as DD was flat footed.

pointydug · 30/01/2011 22:11

No, I don't think you have franca. But other people have done and I did too.

I agree with you. The walker was a great thing for us.

felicity10 · 30/01/2011 22:13

We had an activity centre but DD soon worked out that she could just use it as a walking aid and get about! Was a very handy thing, used from when she was about 5 months for no more than about 10 mins at a time, walked at 11 months and has such strong legs!!

Hats off to those with triplets, I think I'd have to lock myself in the playpen!

origilante · 30/01/2011 22:21

You know what your baby will enjoy at 9 months. Walkers don't harm them in any way! (i've had three babies, all now v healthy teenagers) Forget all the other mothers "advising". Make it a safe environment and enjoy your smiling baby.

TallulahdoesthehulainHawaii · 30/01/2011 22:28

Yes, pooh pooh any professional advice the other mothers are trying to pass over huh?

BuzzLightBeer · 31/01/2011 00:03

Yeah and those pesky doctors and scientists and entire government, ignore them too, cos you no yur bubz, hun.

VirginonRidiculous · 31/01/2011 00:06

I have a tip-toe walker (5yr old). He used a baby walker. At the time I was not aware when using it that this could have inhibited his walking/development otherwise I would not have used it. I asked the paed Dr if the baby walker had any bearing on the way me DC walks and he said "no" there was no real evidence to suggest baby walkers do this.

However, that is one man's opinion. I still think it could have had some bearing. By the time I had noticed that DC1 walking on tiptoes when he really shouldn't have been DC 2 had already been in walker and so therefore might also have the same issues as they do now alternate between flat and tip-toe walking atm Just thought I'd tell it from my experience.

VirginonRidiculous · 31/01/2011 00:08

But they absolutely loved them and it prob may even be a genetic/hereditiary type thing, Who knows?

Morloth · 31/01/2011 00:09

Honestly, I think it would be fine for short periods as long as you are keeping an eye on her.

But I cannot for the life of me understand why you would want to have a baby upright and moving fast. My 10 month old is already a royal PITA and he is only just cruising.

I dread him walking and wouldn't want to do anything that sped the process up. Poor DS1 already does the Jaws Shark Sound whenever he sees DS2 coming towards him!

Morloth · 31/01/2011 00:12

Tallulah DS1 was also born with positional talipes. His surgeon (he needed surgery at 3 months) actually recommended a jolly jumper thing set a little high because it stretched the achilles for him to put his foot flat on the floor to push off. Seemed to help.

Didn't ask about a walker though because as per my previous post I preferred it when they couldn't get around too much.

TallulahdoesthehulainHawaii · 31/01/2011 08:20

Morloth would that be a jumperoo kind of thing? We were told they were fine too. It was only the walker we were advised against. I hope your DS is doing well now?

We saw the leapfrog learning station and bought that, before we saw a jumperoo.

DS had a walker and he's fine, it was just the fact that we happened to have a physio involved with DD2 that we knew any different.

Morloth · 31/01/2011 08:27

Yep foot all fine and strong,surgeon was a magician. On the scale of 1-6 it was a 4 so pretty bent, but you can't even tell now if you don't know what you are looking for, certainly doesn't slow him down any!

bruffin · 31/01/2011 08:38

If you have to supervise the constantly while they use them, then it completely defeats the object of them entertaining your child.You can't do anything while they are in it at all.
I know someone who told me they were safe, the next week their baby had a huge bump on her head where she had fallen down the step to the kitchen in the baby walkerHmm

I don't actually see the point of them at all, can think of much easier ways of entertaining babies.

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