To get my baby a walker?

[Anythingwithagiraffeonit]

I mentioned today to my friend that 7 month DD doesn't seem to be attempting to crawl / lift herself up on her hands and knees etc and she suggested a walker as some babies never crawl and she could strengthen her legs that way etc etc...

I mentioned this in passing to some friends at a baby group and they were horrified... Are they really that bad?

Would I be being unreasonable to get one for her? Are there not safe ones?

Oh a bouncy chair, yes of course I did! Not sure what I thought you meant. Bouncy chairs have quite a gentle incline at th hips and are reclined so there's no pressure on any joints or muscles.

but a bouncy chair isn't in a sitting position is it? it's like being reclined in a parents arms or whatever

and it doesn't move

Baby walkers are fab!

Both mine went in them from around 6 months and loved scooting round the kitchen after me. In fact DS1 literally did scoot when DS2 was in it as he used to push him round then hitch a lift on the back...

thankyou, mummyofone, he is under the care of a physio, ot, hv and several paeds, I will ask at one of his next appointments.

Ok thinking about it, the way he sits in it is no different to the way he sits in his high chair, so hopefully it is ok.

I know it is silly, but I spend a lot of my day carrying him and sitting him between my legs, sometimes I need to do things, and there are few places where he will sit happily - high chair and bouncy chair for a little while, but he seems to be happier sat in this walker than either of those.

I heard a HV telling a group of mums about the dangers of jumparoos and walkers only the other week. The walkers encourage "tip-toe" walking and can delay normal walking and cause problems. Can't really remember what she said about the jumperoos but it wasn't good.

At the beginning of 7mo my DS wasn't even rolling over; and then suddenly he was rolling, then creeping and then crawling all over by 8mo. Your lo is probably concentrating on other skills at the moment, don't worry, your DD will do it all at her own pace.

My DS has had physio from birth for positional talipes. Have had this conversation with about 3 physios who all said same thing. To avoid walkers due to danger, toppling and also because they encourage toe walking. The baby learns that this is the position to adopt to move around. They all said jumperoo type things were fine as long as only used in small doses and as long as they were not weight-bearing ie the seat was kept high enough. They are not moving around therefore not simulating walking, and you adjust so that they are not taking any weight on their knees and hips, which is not true in a walker.

yer i got told alot of "proven" things from my hvs and mw too advice is always changing i wouldnt worry about it go with the flow mums know best :)

Walkers are a terrible idea.
They are well known to cause abnormal development of walking and gross motor skills, and are largely bought by parents ignorant of the risks who find the baby seems to enjoy them (because they can see the world from a fun new perspective and can propel themselves around with minimal effort). They do not 'strengthen the legs', and have no positive benefits whatsoever for a baby.
They are also a massive cause of babyhood injury.
As a GP I strongly advise my patients against using them.

I like them.

I wouldnt use them for hours at at a time
I wouldnt use them near stairs.
I would be very careful about hot drinks, table clothes etc.

I am not thick.

Agreed stew.

But again I wouldnt allow that to happen. I am not going to recommend walkers to anyone.
I visited a family using one last week. I didnt tell them not to use it though. I advised on time limits but mum was being really sensible and in this case (particular circumstances) the walker was a useful tool.

I know its anecdotal and all that but over nearly twenty years and five kids I honestly havent had a single accident with a walker. My ankles have suffered dreadfully though

When my DD1 was little tbh the walker was a life saver. he was dx with adhd later on but when he was a baby he was so difficult to keep amused. The walker gave me respite and him some entertainment. We lived in a single storey flat with wooden floors. If ever a child was going to have an accident it would have been him

I do understand the concerns about walkers. I wouldnt dimiss them as PC gorn maaad or anything.

But I have used them and I wouldnt want to see them banned.

I wouldn't use one.

It doesn't help development (may in fact hinder it)
Could damage hips and ankles
Risk of toppling/accidents

I had a conversation with a woman at swimming one week who told me that they were safe. Next week her dd came with a big bump on her head, the baby walker had tripped on a step down to the kitchen and the child fell out and hit her head.

I also heard a friend of friend story (so don't know how true) of a child whose family were on a flat roof garden and the baby shot over the side and was killed.

I actually don't see the point of them as you have to supervise the child in it every minute while they are using them, so they might as well be on the floor playing.
The rate of injury is something between 30% to 50% of users.

7 months is very early to be worried about crawling.

My DD2 did a caterpillar creep at 9.5 months and full crawling at 10 months.

My DD1 didn't crawl til just before her first birthday! She walked about 8 weeks later though.

Oh, I borrowed a walker for my DD1 (against my better instincts) when she was 10/11 months and she couldn't move it! If you have a reluctant mover they probably won't go anywhere in it anyway!

Encouraging your baby to stand at a low table (supervised) and play with toys will be a better way of strengthening her legs.

All three of our DCs used the same walker with no ill-effects. It gave them a great deal of mobility prior to them being able to roll/crawl and they all seemed to love it. They all walked within a reasonable time frame and there were no accidents. Like everything you have to use a bit of common sense.

If you are a sensible parent, supervised short periods of time in a walker shouldn't be a problem. My dd loved hers and took great delight at running full pelt at us and the dogs....the dogs soon learnt to go upstairs when she was in it. Modern walkers are designed to be difficult to tip.

It always astounds me the number of people who, even when faced with the facts about how dangerous something can be, just carry on with "oh but my babba loves it" and "mumma knows best" (and yes the netmums speak is deliberate...)

Baby walkers are banned in Canada; the American Academy of Pediatrics, the British Chartered Institute of Physiotherapists, the Child Accident Prevention Trust and the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents all strongly advise against their use, in fact the AAP are campaigning to ban them in the US.

It's not just because they are the biggest source of accidents to children of all children's equipment (see here; they also impair the child's development, even when used for short periods.

Just because your kid likes something doesn't make it a good idea. And being a parent doesn't make you omniscient.

I've always worried about them more from the perspective of babies who spend too long in them needing corrective surgery due to shortening of their tendons.

Let's face it, at the rate a baby is growing, 10 minutes a day is quite a lot of time. And being honest, what's the point of using it if that's all the respite you get? That's before you even think about the dangers of having an 8 month old child at a raised height, mobile and upright.

I just wonder why anyone would do it. Sit them up with a cushion and some toys. Put them in the pushchair. Bumbo. Whatever. Not something which is known to lead to injuries and impaired or damaged development.

OP I honestly think that 7 months is quite young to crawl anyway. It is also possible that your baby may be a bottom shuffler instead. One of my children did this, he started shuffling at 12 months and didn't walk until 18 months. Obviously he never crawled at all.
I have also heard that babies who sleep on their backs [as per current guidelines] tend to crawl at a slightly later age than babies whe sleep on their fronts. I don't know if this is true though. In any case I would suggest you try not to worry about it. You need to also consider if he is doing other things ie sitting up, rolling. If so then this indicates that he will develop other movements in due course.

My MIL tried to make me get one for DS, saying that her children LOVED it and it never did THEM any harm.

...my DH's legs are so bandy you could drive a bus through them...

FACTS FACTS FACTS!!!!!! Goodness me you either do or you dont keep your FACTS to yourself

THE EARTH IS FLAT
THE EARTH IS ROUND
BABIES TO ONLY SLEEP ON THERE FRONT
BABIES MUST SLEEP ON THEIR BACKS
NOTHING BUT BREASTMILK TO A YEAR, 9 MONTHS, 6 MONTHS 4 MONTHS

really the list of changing FACTS could go on and on and on..
Only you know how you feel about things and your right to say doctors, midwifes and health vistors say alot of rubbish somtimes not always but sometimes

My child had them loved them and no development delays thank you and yes i was told the FACTS! beforehand and i must be so stupid to have let them but i am mother and i know best hahaha ;)