baby walker, good idea or bad ?

[robinredbreast]

could they make babys muscles weak of anything ? and what age is best to get one from

I think they are dangerous. Babys can get up to speeds that they can't control. They run into things or down stairs. It would earn you a couple of trips to the emergency room

bad
also waste of space/money considering baby isn't born yet, non?

I know people say they are dangerous but surely we as responsible parents supervise our children? And who in their right mind would let a child in a baby walker near to stairs?!
I have to say though, we had one for DS1 and it didn't get much use partly because he was quite short and so by the time his legs reached the floor he was nearly walking anyway. Also they are big and bulky and get in the way so ours got tossed into the understairs cupboard never to see the light of day again. He had fun in it though for the three or four times he used it!

They're supposed to be bad for babies' spatial awareness.

We have got one and DS loves it, he is 8 months though, wouldn't be any use before this age imo.

Really fail to see how it's 'dangerous', it's not like we put him at the top of the stairs and give him a push. Also he's only in it for a short while each day (normally while I prep his lunch), I wouldn't leave him in it all day long!

it is bulky but for us it is useful for a few months, saves having a travel cot out for when you need to put them down for a minute.

Have you seen those things that don't move but the baby sits in the middle and spins around to play with all the activities?? It's my best investment ever! My friend MADE me get one because everyone she knew loved it and from 4 months my baby has used it extensively every day! I put household objects on it for him and little ball things etc to surprise him from time to time. He has very strong legs which may be from using it.

lispy can you give us a link please??

IMHO bad idea. They aren't necessary. I cna't believe they help children walk and they are huge.

We did get one and although they are bulky DD loved hers. I'm with the other posters - if properly supervised then definatly not dangerous. DD liked the being able to move around, so something stationary would not have had the same effect for her.

I wouldn't get one yet though, and decide if you want one nearer the time. Also, before buying one take your baby with you and sit her in a few. Yours' may not like them at all!

I think there are studies to show that they don't achieve very much and don't help with learning to walk - one I read said they even delayed walking by a couple of weeks which isn't much but still not beneficial for baby muscles. Some people have had problems with safety and there have been various campaigns to ban them. It isn't just them tipping over on uneven surfaces but also the babies can have their fingers squashed by holding onto the edges and wheeling into things or they can suddenly reach things that previously they couldn't. You can't leave a child unattended in one.

I wouldn't bother with them -babies can develop perfectly well without them.

For me it's not a question of babies needing one to develop -- just something to entertain him for a few minutes (which it certainly does!). As for "not leaving them unattended", in what circumstances would you leave an 8-month-old baby unattended anyway?

Also afaik the world is not full of people who can't walk because their parents put them in baby walkers for a few minutes each day.

baby walkers are fab, it's great to see them scooting round the house crashing into things. My dd used to park up next to the open front door and chat to all the kids in the neighbourhood. I looked at a report on-line which said most of the accidents occur when they fall down the stairs but you would have to be pretty thick to let them go in a baby walker up stairs. It's definatively a class thing though I reckon - none of my middle class friends would dream of owning a baby walker but my more down to earth friends all do.

robinredbreast,baby walkers are badly named, as the one thing they DON'T do is teach a baby to walk. In order to walk, a baby has to learn to sit first, then stand on two feet holding on, then cruise the, when he/ she has the correct balance, he/ she will start to walk. Many people put their babies into these things before they can sit, so if anything, a walker will delay walking. Once in the thing the baby doesn't walk, it propels itself with its toes, and I have seen physios blaming them for tip-toe walking as well.

You might think that no parent in their right mind would leave a baby unsupervised in once, but as paulaplumpbottom says, it is very easy for a baby to get up to high speeds when your back is turned for a second.

I wouldn't get one (I didn't get one!). I don't think they're allowed to sell the mobile ones any more, but if you MUST get one, get an "Activity Centre" which is static.

yes seeing babies crashing into things is great fun

I never had one with DD1 and professed to hate them, ugly big bits of plastic. However, when DD2 came along I did relent and buy one BUT she was never in it for hours and as soon as she was crawling and pulling herself up we got rid of it.

I do know someone who's DD was in one most of the day, she got up dressed, breakfast, baby walker, lunch was in the baby walker, bottles of milk in the babywalker, all snacks in the babywalker, she was hardly out the thing only really for nappy changes, took her ages to learn to walk (might not have been the walker), I found it very

i wouldnt get one for my first, second, but did my third

but there are people who have them upstairs !
so the point is they can be dangerous if unattended.

I had one for my second ds and it was the best thing. Wish we had got one for our first ds. It just keeps them entertained for a short while when you need to sort out the washing or do other jobs. We never used it upstairs for obvious reasons (even though we had a gate at the top). It just made a pleasant change for him to move around from room to room as you go.

It certainly did not harm his development - he was determined to ride a bike at 3 years old without stabilisers - which he did very successfully.

Invest in one and everyone will be happy.

I don't know of a link. do an ebay search for activity centre etc. don't know what it would be under but i saw mine really cheap on ebay once. i'm in australia so i'm not much help. it's safe because they can't go anywhere. they're big but you can get smallish ones and i found it was the only toy i really kept out so it was fine. it means you can have showers, hang out laundry, cook dinner etc. I would def prefer this to a walking one. i've seen newer models over here that the baby seat rotates around the table. both styles use the baby's legs to move around but htat's all so it's at their own pace. I would urge everyone to get one since i've never seen a baby not love it. Every baby that has visited and tried it now has one and their mums love it.My friend's 1.8 year old still begs to go in it!

Here's a link
here
Tho i've seen more complex round ones at the local library donated by mums.

Bad. Most accidents for babies of this age are caused by those things. You baby will learn to walk, s/he doesn't need artificial help.

I was in a shoe shop once and the assistant correctly identified a baby that had learnt to walk using one of those things. Seems they have a different gait. Can't be good.

Ds loved his baby walker but he was supervised and didn't live in it. he was so nosy he loved being able to follow us about, he really loved being in it in his little leather slipper type shoes out in the garden. And yes, he can walk, run, play footbal, ride a bike etc. Like most things in life, fine in moderation. he also loved his doorway bouncer which he would bounce in while I cooked dinner (door is at far end of kitchen from cooker before I get blastd for having a bouncing baby near a hot stove!! {wink]
However, when dd came along she loved it too but couldn't use it when big brother was around as he used to try and push her in it too fast - she couldn't use the doorway bouncer either as he tried to usue her like a catapult!!! He only attenmpted it once BTW!!!

rrb have you had your baby yet ? tbh it is one of those things best to left until you think it is worthwhile. By then you may find the baby has more than already taken over what space you imagined you might have! Personally never saw the point as they have such a limited lifespan (maybe 4 months), take up room and have no proven developmental value, let alone the higher incidence of accidents.

hi girls, ive already had my baby shes 19 weeks old,nearly 20 !
the reasoni ask is because my mum wants to buy us one for xmas,it wasnt something i had even thought of tbh and wanted to get some ideas for the people that have been there if you think there good or bad, but with such mixed responses im stillnot sure !!

robinredbreast - my mil got one for dd's first chirstmas - after I had explicitly told her not too for the type of reasons outlined on here!
Dd used it once - managed to get a speed going crashed into the wall and tipped over! Needless to say she didn't use it again!

Just saw the link, you can get much more attractive ones than that, but yes, it's the same kind of thing!!!!