Can anyone answer me a couple of questions about Baby Walkers?

[MrsPotter]

Don't start on me as I am aware some people think they are the devil's work, but I digress..

Basically my 6 month old DD is getting quite adept at moving round (supervised) around my living room.
How long should I let her practice in that one (the type the baby sits in) before I get the push along baby walker (if that made any sense to anyone, and knows which one I am referring to), she's quite strong on her legs but its the balance she is still getting the hang of IYSWIM?

Thank you very much for reading this.
:)

Well, I don't know why I said a couple of questions.....that was clearly one

Bumping before bed so hopefully will have replies to read in the morning

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completely depends on the child. Mine have been late walkers and progressed to the pushalong at around 11 months, some children walk at nine months best thing to do would be get one and see.

I'm not anti baby walker at all, both of mine had them in fact, but you do realise that they don't help develop walking skills at all?

why?

the research is a bit ambivalent but it appears the sit-in walkers retard or, at the very least, have no effect on walking age - probably the muscles they exercise aren't the same as they need to walk with IYSWIM.

I knew that when I got one, but I have found it soooo useful (and for a long time now - DS is 10 months). However, he only recently has stopped trying to walk on his toes, started placing weight back onto his heels and stopped leaning into corners when he walks along holding my hands :)

dd had a baby walker but hated it but i did get a long telling off by the hv. she said that the problem with walker is that parents don't adjust the height so babies 'walk' on their toes. they should also be used for about 20mins a day. the hv also said about them falling down stairs but wtf lets them near stairs in them

their legs are in completely the wrong position, so they're working different muscles...so they don't help them walk at all.

They're good as a toy/ entertaining (for them I mean) place to put them though

I used one with both of mine as a change of position from lying down and they could also move about in them. I even used them for feeding them in sometimes at my mums rather than put them in a highchair (you have to put your feet through the bottom bit though or they zoom off mid-mouthful!). They were only in them for a short while at a time and it never hindered their walking as they were both on their feet by 11 months, at which point they climbed on it rather than in it!

They are both just toys rather than walking aids.

DC3 has a stander, which is like a walker but with no wheels which he has managed to drag around since 7 months, he has also been pushing his block truck around since 8 months but is now 13 months and although he is cruising he is not showing any signs of independent walking.

We had for for DS but he never made it move! He generally sat with his feet held off the ground, looking uncomfortable, so we didn't really use it that much.

We allowed him to use a push-along walker once he could stand up holding it without falling straight onto his face - maybe 16 months? (he was delayed with all his gross motor skills but has finally caught up now (ish!) at 23 months).

We Freecycled his sit-in walker a few weeks ago, so dug it out of the cupboard under the stairs. He was sooo excited when he saw it and asked to sit in it straight away. So we squeeeeeezed him in, and he just sat with his legs held off the floor (no mean feat now he's nearly 100 cm tall) and looked uncomfortable! Don't think we'll bother getting on if we decide to have DC2!