Friend reaction to baby walker

[Charmander123]

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

'My baby loves it'.
One of the worst reasons to make a decision on health.
My child loves chocolate for dinner, luckily I know better...

I have just googled NHS advice on babywalkers etc which seems to boil down to no more than 20 mins at a time.

That could be a very precious daily 20 mins to a parent.

I was advised by my HV 11 years ago that they were no longer recommended and when DD came along 5 years ago i was given the same advice which was then repeated by our consultant as she was double breech and at higher risk of hip problems which can be associated with these.

Personally I've never been keen on anything that holds them in a position that they can't do naturally anyway, never had bimbo type things, walkers, bouncers or anything like that and they've both still managed to get around and learn to do things in their own time.

I don't necessarily think these things are terribly bad for children but I don't think they have many benefits either other than somewhere for the adult to put them.

Yes, there are many adults walking around fine after using them but similarly there are many, many more adults before them who didn't use them because they weren't around then and they managed fine too!

If a walker is bad so is a jumperoo.

It’s not the items themselves but the correct use of them. If you think a walker will suit your child ensure it is the correct height (feet flat in the floor,think bike) and same for jumperoo.

Your child can be in either for short periods of time and as far as I’m aware there’s no real issue, it’s having them in them for hours and their feet arched as far as I’m aware.

We had a jumperoo and everyone was sound with that, baffles me that everyone thinks it’s any better than a baby walker for their wee legs.

Teenager-we were very much discouraged from using a jumperoo by all paed professionals.

I had a jumparoo. My son was in it for ages because all he wanted to do was jump. I can only speak for myself but we had no problems with his legs.

We were also told to avoid Jumperoos by DD's consultant.

They aren't any better, the hip and leg positioning is still not great and the bouncing motion isn't good for developing spines BUT there is slightly less risk involved as the child is stationary.

I havent read full thread. I thought walkers were discouraged as can hinder childrens learning abiluty later. Crawling is one of the most important activuties to aid childrens reading later. Its to do with left right stuff. A walker interferes with that development. So they are frowned upon for that reason.

My child's consultant said no baby walkers or jumperoos. I've never told a friend I think buying one is daft but I've declined offers to put my child in to one. If asked I've explained politely and allowed them to do their own research.

As ever, complete hysteria caused by inability to employ common sense.
From Mothercare Website regarding baby walker.

The baby walker should only be used when there is an adult present to ensure the area in which the child has mobility is free from danger.

"Baby walkers should only be used on a smooth surface, free from major obstruction, and for a limited time period. They are not a training aid"

So - if you let your unsupervised child roll around an obstructed area , with steps , for hours, GUESS WHAT ?? high chance of accident and IF your child has hip dysplasia, perhaps employing some basic intelligence would suggest this is not a good option.

However , if like me and every other mother I know who used babywalkers, (including my own). The employ of a small amount of brain power enabled them to be a great fun and enjoyable addition to baby paraphernalia.

The hysteria on here knows no bounds sometimes. If baby-walkers are so awful ,how on earth have they managed to pass EUROPEAN (that's 27. Countries not just U.K. ) General product safety regulations 2005 and more specifically the CE mark. ;

The CE mark is a declaration by the manufacturer that the product satisfies essential safety requirements and can be sold within the EU. For more information see this guide on CE marking.

Local authority trading standards officers can remove a toy from the market if they believe it to be unsafe.

..... and yet . Baby walkers are still legal to buy in any baby store.

Like all things - if you don't use them correctly then they are dangerous. For example, if you put your 4/5 month old baby in a stroller when they can't correctly support their own heads then it's bad for them . Doh surprise !

Should we therefore ban all strollers because some parents can't read basic safety guidance ?
Or ban the use of something that hundreds of thousands who could manage some basic reading , have found fun, useful and perfectly safe. ?

DS hated the playpen. Would howl from the moment he was put in until he was taken out.

We didn't have a Walker but did have one of those bouncers you hang in the doorway. He went in there for 10-15minutes a day, maybe five times a week and loved it. I loved it because I got to drink a hot cup of tea, but always sat by him while I was drinking it and read to him or rolled a ball to him for him to kick which he thought was hilarious for some reason.

I knew spending long periods in anything like that was potentially dangerous so I didn't leave him in there - and I probably wouldn't have bought one myself but it was a gift.

Most children don’t have a consultant to advice against using one. If your child already had an issue that means they are under medical care, it may well be the case that they should never be in one even for 20 mins.
Children around the country are strapped into buggies or highchairs for hours and stuck in front of the telly - they will suffer for this but we don’t ban buggies or highchairs, just say they shouldn’t be used for too long.

No. They walk soon enough themselves.

They're considered so harmful that they have been banned in some other countries.

Complete hysteria as usual.

As everything it’s all about moderation. Unless advised by a professional not to use one the “dangers” of using them are generally more about bad parenting than dangerous baby walkers. Allowing unsupervised access at the top of the stairs is generally a a bad idea, but let’s be honest we don’t have generations of developmentally delayed adults who were fine until they started using a baby walker. And over the decades millions and millions of children have used them.

But as usual people are selective in what they advise. I bet there are plenty of “you’re putting your baby at risk,” types on here who would happily advise women to co sleep even though that too is recommended against, yes, even so-called “safe” co sleeping is not advised but suggest that that is a bad idea on here and you’ll be shouted down because happy mum equals happy baby dontcha know.....? .

*bet there are plenty of “you’re putting your baby at risk,” types on here who would happily advise women to co sleep even though that too is recommended against

Co sleeping has more middle class kudos than walkers. Therefore the risks can be more easily brushed aside.

@newyearsameme80 consultant said no children should be using them. We did quite happily without them in our house anyways can see the attraction but cons out weighed pros for us.

my baby loved his for a month or two. helped me massively to get stuff done as he was furious when trapped in the bouncy chair. he's 9mo and walking now having survived the dangers of our hard floors.

OutyMcOutFace
and yet the 27 countries of the EU don't have a problem and give them a CE child safety mark.Including the UK.

IfYouDontImagineThenNothingWillHappen
Again, a paediatric Consultant, by the very nature of his job will see children for whom common sense would dictate - probably would not have their lives enhanced by such an activity. However for all the millions of others over the last 40 yrs since they've been around, they are considered to be entirely suitable when used ACCORDING TO THE INSTRUCTIONS. And found to be so by 2 rather stringent laws.
There are far far more dangers and actual injury and death caused by incompetent and neglectful parenting than by a correctly supervised baby walker.

So, let's get this straight.

EVERYTHING can be dangerous if used without supervision, for too long or for children with specific lower limb development issues.

Answer - supervis, limit time used and don't use with children with lower limb development issues

There - sorted.

As for the PP who commented that a jumperoo was dangerous because it enabled a baby to be in a physical position that they would not otherwide be in without artificial assistance, that means you cannot pick your baby up and hold them upright, as you are providing artificial assistance. So tosh.

The baby in the OP is now 7 months older so is possibly walking anyway.