BABYWALKERS--- FOR OR AGAINST???

[mindy26]

was at my local bf group and we were talking about xmas pressies for our lo's and 1 of the girls said they were buyin a baby walker and my HV said she wouldnt advise them as theyr not good for babies as it makes babies walk on their tippytoes, i had always planned to get DD but now im not so sure, advice greatly appreciated??

DD had one and loved it.
Just make sure they are not in it too long each day and still give them lots of time on the floor. I think HVs are concerned about babies who are left in them for hours at a time. DD used to be in it for 15 minutes at the most, maybe 2 or 3 times a day. Total around 40 mins or so a day. Was a real godsend when trying to cook tea, and when trying to get out to school in the morning.
Good resale value too at NCT sales and the like.
Watch your ankles if you do get one, they can be lethal!

agree used in short time bursts, and with major attention to safety, I have found them a god send.

Also concur re the ankles
Ow.

AGAINST.

DH has scars all over him where he zoomed across room in babywalker and pulled large amounts of boiling hot liquid all over him when he was 1 .

Never felt my dcs missed out on one, except they haven't got burn scars all over them

Do you mean those things that babies can whizz around in?

If so, my mate is a physiotherapist and she says they are not recommended for babies/toddlers (even those with impaired mobility).

Too many accidents happen apart from anything else.

i used one for ds and agree with ming if only used for a few minutes here and there they are great in moderation and i never let ds have an accident in his he was always suppervised.i think if a baby is in one morning,noon and night they would be bad

Against, they get up too much speed and they can't control themselves.They could really hurt themselves

For (with constant supervision). DD loved hers for a few minutes each day (in fact she learned how to tantrum as she didn't want to get out).

Against

against- they don't teach babies how to balance etc- alters the centre of gravity, very dangerous- hate 'em!!

as long as supervised and not left in it for hours on end I can't see the harm really. You wouldn't leave your dc unsupervised if they were crawling/walking at that age so why would a babywalker be any different?

as for the poster whose dh pulled hot liquid over him, surely that has more to do with the safety of the kitchen than the babywalker.

why don't you get one of the trolley style ones instead. DD loves hers, and it's really helped her walking, she's sort of learning to move it out of tight corners, and she can let go whenever she wants.

son loved his

dd had one and was fine.ds1 had one and it kept folding up with him in it!!im suprised he never seriously got hurt!so ds2 hasnt had one.im againgst.im againgst and can think of plenty of arguements againgst but not for them.

against, prefer push along trolley things. they have several babywalkers of the sit in kind at toddler group and there's always little babies in them. i always think they look marooned. they can't reach the toys the other kids are playing with.

Against. We managed for zillions of years without them.

I think they are great. If they are used properly - i.e. SUPERVISED.

yeah like cars

we always found old bit of toast in the folds

Worked a treat for our dd.
Of course, usual caveats (as outlined by others on this thread) apply.

I didn't use the sit in kind, just the push along kind.
I remember asking similar question on mumsnet when ds was starting to get up and about.
I did buy a door bouncer for ds so that he could look around and be 'up on his feet', can't remember how old he was now!

The difference to a walking/crawling baby is that a baby walker is a lot faster and the babies tend to have there hands free to get at things they shouldn't.
Too dangerous and totally unnecessary.
I heard of a really horrendous accident where a baby
In the usa in 2000 7400 babies were injured in a baby walker and I think Canada actually has gone so far as to ban the sale of them.

AGAINST

I have a huge skin graft right down my left arm and left thigh where I pulled the kettle on me. I have also heard of a teapot being pulled, toppling down kitchen steps, etc. I think they are a convenience for parents and of no benefit at all to a baby. They alter their balance, they don't stretch their legs out in them/ put their feet down properly.

DS had a push along vtech walker and was walking at 10m, he loved it and it helped him to walk properly with his feet right and his balance/posture correct.

Their is a gran who brings her grandson to playgroup, and he is immediately stuck in a sit in babywalker, whilst mindee I take of the same age crawls around after other kids, plays with toys, etc I always feel sorry for him stuck in it!

there is
sorry pedants

apologies didn't finish my sentence

I heard of a really horrendous accident where a baby

just ignore it

ime trolley style more dangerous than sit-in walker. They'd put all their weight on it, as not yet able to balance properly then build up real speed. frightening. I used a walker, supervised blah blah for all 3 and didn't have 1 accident. Brilliant when you have a 2nd or 3rd as I found mine hated lying down and wanted to be upright to see all the action.
so vote for from me.

oh and the comment about surviving thousands of years without them??? Could say the same about cars, trains, cookers, sterilisers....... anything. really.