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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

To want to buy a new walker

14 replies

Marshmallows2 · 13/12/2020 09:32

DD has been gifted a baby walker. It's lovely but only has a wheel on the front and I would of liked her to have something with a bit more activities dangly things etc so it's more sensory. I know that is not the purpose of the walker and I am very grateful but I feel DD would get bored easily. I have tried putting her own toys on it but there's no space they just fall off. AIBU to be tempted to buy another walker and say the previous one broke or something. I feel awful I guess I just wanted something more sensory. Wwyd

OP posts:

Thatwentbadly · 13/12/2020 09:37

I don’t know any child who has played with a walker. The toys are at a funny slant so they can’t reach them. My girls couldn’t manage to push them until they could walk any way. The vTec ones (awful flashing lights and noises) are always on Facebook selling sites for £5 in like new condition.

Ohtherewearethen · 13/12/2020 09:41

Why can't she just play with sensory toys away from the walker? Why does the walker have to be 'sensory'? Walking itself takes up a lot of energy and she can't practice walking and play with the 'sensory' bits at the same time. What a lot of overthinking over absolutely nothing. Buy her some 'sensory' toys if you want, which she can use long after the walker becomes redundant. Or, just give her some ribbons/pipe cleaners and a colander to play with for when she's not practising walking.

ClickandForget · 13/12/2020 09:49

None of mine had walkers so I don't know how much use they get, but it seems a waste of money to buy another if you've been given one free. I also don't see why it would need sensory toys on it.

MrsMigginsMate · 13/12/2020 09:57

You aren't supposed to use baby walkers anymore. Shops shouldn't really be allowed to sell them but that's a whole different discussion. They've been banned in other countries already due to the problems they create with babies knees and hips. My daughter only used hers for half an hour at a time but she's now under hospital care for her ongoing foot and gait issues caused by it.

Google it and think carefully about whether it's worth investing in a new version of something your child will grow out of very quickly, especially considering it could damage them.

CherryPavlova · 13/12/2020 09:59

Babies using baby walkers walk later than those that don’t.
They put strain on hips and spine.
Not ideal to have one they’ll sit in for longer and probably just not a good idea. Put bricks and a cardboard box on the floor.

MrsMigginsMate · 13/12/2020 10:00

To clarify, Im talking about the walkers that have little seats they scoot around in, if you're talking about walkers that are like baby Zimmer frames then they are fine.

littleharissa · 13/12/2020 10:17

@CherryPavlova

Babies using baby walkers walk later than those that don’t. They put strain on hips and spine. Not ideal to have one they’ll sit in for longer and probably just not a good idea. Put bricks and a cardboard box on the floor.

Quite a broad statement.

Babies who spend limited amounts of time in a walker supervised have no different outcomes to those who don't.

Original poster

Marshmallows2 · 13/12/2020 10:20

Thank you all for your replies. I think I will just leave it from reading a few comments the walkers can cause problems so it's something I have to read in to. I think your all right in the sense that buying another one is pointless I think I just needed some reassurance.

OP posts:

MrsMigginsMate · 13/12/2020 11:09

I used to think the same thing @littleharissa , but now my daughter's consultant has told me she thinks they should be banned from sale as even short amounts of time adds to her caseload at the hospital. I really didn't think it was an issue until I was faced with the consequences of light use myself.

snookercue · 13/12/2020 11:14

You can buy your child anything you want. If you bought your child something that wasn't quite what you were hoping for you would replace it without a thought. Don't get tied up in having feelings about someone choices.

Fatladyslim · 13/12/2020 11:22

@MrsMigginsMate

I used to think the same thing *@littleharissa* , but now my daughter's consultant has told me she thinks they should be banned from sale as even short amounts of time adds to her caseload at the hospital. I really didn't think it was an issue until I was faced with the consequences of light use myself.

Sounds like a consultant who wants to assign guilt to me. There's zero way of knowing if she would have had the same issues but your consultant seems to want to blame you for putting her in a walker for what sounds like very limited time periods?

littleharissa · 13/12/2020 12:29

@MrsMigginsMate

I would be switching consultant.

A consultant making assumptions? Causation vs correlation? No real evidence?

PinGwyn · 13/12/2020 12:39

I was told that sit in walkers weren't recommended anymore when #1 was a baby 14.5 years ago.

I had mentioned it to my HV as I thought it would encourage him to move around more but she told me that there was evidence to suggest that they put excess strain on hips (same with anything that holds them up by the crotch) and can tighten/stretch calf ligaments causing difficulty later on if they are using tiptoes.

Nooch · 13/12/2020 12:44

@PinGwyn same. I was advised against walkers and bouncers when my now teens were babies due to tiptoe walking and potential hip problems.

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