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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

Friend reaction to baby walker

197 replies

Charmander123 · 09/02/2018 21:51

My baby really enjoys me holding up on her legs so I was thinking of getting her a baby walker!
Quite a few of my friends have them but I mentioned it to one and she basically had a go at me saying that they are horrible for baby development and that if I bought one I'd ruin my child's legs!
I was pretty taken aback by her response but was she right , am I being unreasonable buying a baby walker or are they ok for babies? Xxxx

OP posts:

LizzieSiddal · 09/02/2018 22:16

The thing which used to scare me to death was those things you had no from a door frame. I just had visions of the grips flying off and hitting the baby. Do they still sell them?

DonnyAndVladSittingInATree · 09/02/2018 22:17

Listening to all the scaremongering these days I’m surprised the human race has managed to survive so long

Well, except the ones that didn’t survive due to these things that caused them early death. Always nice to avoid that if possible, I find.

crunchymint · 09/02/2018 22:17

I read that babies who use baby walkers take 3 weeks longer to walk than babies that don't. If that is true, 3 weeks seems unimportant to me.

Imstickingwiththisone · 09/02/2018 22:19

Isn't it common sense that a baby would be able to reach things in a walker that they wouldn't normally be able to, and that you would supervise? So the baby walker is not the reason.

We had one and I thought it was rubbish as it was really tough to move! So it was more a seat with a tray for snacks. Meant I could get a shower and baby wouldn't roll or crawl to somewhere where something actually dangerous could happen.

The one we had was really solid I don't see how it could topple over, they're really wide. Unless the floor is uneven in which case it's common sense to take extra precautions.

LizzieSiddal · 09/02/2018 22:19

Dd1 has a baby walker and walked just before her first birthday.
Dd2 hated the baby walker with a passion, and didn’t use it. She walked at 9 months.

I know which one I preferred. (dD2 was a nightmare!)

youngnomore · 09/02/2018 22:20

of course it’s fine to use op. Just keep an eye out so she doesn’t hurt herself. Like you would do if she was starting to crawl or walk. Can’t do anything these days without someone moaning that it’s not done thing. 🙄

Graphista · 09/02/2018 22:21

news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/735786.stm

From just before I got pregnant with dd.

I'm also an ex nurse and known MANY medics (physios, radiographers, paediatricians) who think they should be banned. Not only because of the accident risk but developmental effects.

My dd was later diagnosed with hms - the damage that having one could have caused her doesn't bear thinking about.

crunchymint · 09/02/2018 22:21

Just read this. Main risk seems to be that babies can reach dangerous things that they normally could not.

www.shb.scot.nhs.uk/departments/physiotherapy/Myths_About_BabyWalkers.pdf

negomi90 · 09/02/2018 22:21

Part of the loving being held up is the interaction. You aren't just holding her up, you're smiling and engaging with her, even if she's facing outwards, your moving her and supporting her in response to her movements without conscious thought.
Maybe she does like the standing position, but don't underestimate your role in it.

Imstickingwiththisone · 09/02/2018 22:22

Yes Lizzie we had one of those too

They are really really difficult to get on and off the door frame so can't see one ever flying off, although I can understand why you would think that if you've not seen one up close.

To the pp who thinks the baby walker helped her DD learn to walk, that's lovely I'm really pleased for your DD what a wonderful thing.

Dancingfairy · 09/02/2018 22:22

Yes you can still buy door bouncers.

crunchymint · 09/02/2018 22:24

I don't know why playpens have went out of fashion. They were ideal for giving you 10 minutes to have a shower or put the washing in.

Farmerswife36 · 09/02/2018 22:26

Why are they suddenly so bad ? I used one 3 years ago and mm dd loved hers and I'd definitely recommend them and use again

SuperBeagle · 09/02/2018 22:27

I haven't seen them for sale in Australia for a long, long time. I never had one with any of my children, and none of my friends have had them either, so I can only assume they are either banned here or are terribly unpopular/outdated.

They're known to affect development, and can be a safety hazard.

DonnyAndVladSittingInATree · 09/02/2018 22:27

Playpen was the best thing ever. I got one with an attached base so they couldn’t push it around the floor. It meant they were safely contained for 5 minutes while I got the dinner out of the oven etc and I knew they weren’t going to be ramming me in the heels while I did it.

Nottheduchessofcambridge · 09/02/2018 22:27

Both my children had a baby walker, they loved it. They couldn’t reach things any more than what they could if they were standing, also the baby walker had a bumper so they couldn’t get too close to anything. We had a wooden floor and they both survived without whiplash injuries.

Imstickingwiththisone · 09/02/2018 22:27

They were probably dangerous crunchy

No for me it was space. I couldn't afford to have a playpen set up all the time. The walker could be put away quite easily and then live in the cupboard when not in use.

BoilYerHeid · 09/02/2018 22:30

My son loved his and had great fun in it. He was a lot safer in the baby walker happily pressing the little musical buttons and scooting along a whole 5cm at a time than crawling around at speed, trying to pull himself up everywhere and trashing everything in sight.

crunchymint · 09/02/2018 22:30

I remember the swimming baths had a playpen in the changing room.

iammargesimpson · 09/02/2018 22:32

Both mine had one, youngest is eight, great yokes altogether, they loved them and their legs are just fine!!

Farmerswife36 · 09/02/2018 22:33

My not mm.

Anyways I firmly believe that my dd baby walker was the most brilliant invention ever as it allowed me time to make other 3dcs lunches or spend time doing homework etc with other kids

Mogginthemog · 09/02/2018 22:34

They were the thing to have in the 80s when DD was tiny. She absolutely loved being in it and whizzing about. One time she was going out one door and into the adjoining room and took it at a bad angle and fell forward going round the corner. She really took a tumble poor thing. She crawled at 7 months and walked a few weeks after her first birthday so it didn’t seem to delay her mobility. She was a very discontented baby and I think the walker really made a difference to her.

callmeadoctor · 09/02/2018 22:35

Funny how fashions change, I used a baby walker and a playpen!!! (Child survived!)

MooPointCowsOpinion · 09/02/2018 22:37

Take it as a sign your friend cares about you and your child, it’s awkward to being something like this up with a friend but she cared enough to put up with the awkward for your child’s health.
They’re pretty shit, sorry you didn’t know OP, not a nice way to find out but at least you didn’t use one and then find out.

NoIdeaWhatToSay · 09/02/2018 22:41

fell head first into an open fire

Yeah, that was totally the baby walker's fault.

They're not great for hip development, but this is advice for people who dump their children in them for hours on end. The jumperoo is exactly the same.

Like everything, they're safe if someone is supervising and if there are baby proofing measures in place, of course. I don't understand this mad hysteria about everything being so dangerous. They're not advised because idiots don't judge dangers accurately, this includes the amounts of time babies are left in them for.

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