Opinions on Walkers please

[tayroo]

Hi, my DD is 5.5 months and I was considering buying her a walker but am a little stumped as to which one to get her. Space isn't a problem so either will be fine and I'm not too concerned about it hindering her ability to walk as my mom had both my brother and I in walkers as babies and we both walked from 9/10 months. So here they are....

www.twoleftfeet.co.uk/acatalog/Two_Left_Feet_Graco_Fun_Center_Extenda_230.html

Graco Funstop Walker
www.twoleftfeet.co.uk/acatalog/Two_Left_Feet_Graco_Funstop_Walker_228.html

Thanks in advance

Oops!!! Sorry, here are the links again....

www.twoleftfeet.co.uk/acatalog/Two_Left_Feet_Graco_Fun_Center_Extenda_230.html

and

www.twoleftfeet.co.uk/acatalog/Two_Left_Feet_Graco_Funstop_Walker_228.html

Thanks once again

Hi, tayroo. My own feeling about walkers/sitters is that they're most useful from when babies can't sit up by themselves but get bored lying down, until they can crawl and get around on their own (though can still be good after that as a safe place to put them for a few minutes).

When mine were little there were only walkers with wheels, none with brakes or no wheels at all, but if there had been I think I would have got the no-wheels kind from a safety point of view.

HTH!

Links for you (have had a lot of practice!)

Fun Center Extenda

Funstop Walker

thx Jahn! Am still trying to get to grips with all this!

been lots of complaints on mumsnet about 'two left feet' BTW.

Funny you say that as I haven't had the best of service from them. Will bear that in mind when I decide which 'walker' to go for.

personelly would'nt recoment baby walkers - but that's my opion

but kiddicare
have some good ones at resonable prices had excellent serivce from them.

Thx fairydust.
I'm not keen on playpens so was therefore considering walkers (either a stationary or mobile one). I just want her to have somewhere to play that's safe and childproof when I'm busy working in the study - she'd be in the study with me. She's got a play gym, baby swing etc so am looking for other alternatives to those

Oh I have to say I thought you meant crips!

or even crisps

I would go for the play centre rather than the walker. Accidents with baby walkers are well documented - they can tip over quite easily.

The play centre you've picked out looks really good, but again like most of these things I don't think it's advised to leave babies in them for more than half an hour at a time.

I'm not keen. have you seen this?

my dd loves her stationary one at nursery. i didn't want to get one at home but as she only wants to stand up all the time (often won't sit or lie down) I gave in and bought a second hand walker for a tenner. she hates it and its cluttering up my house I'd go for the stationary ones - they can turn around in them and play with all the different things and see whats going on around them and won't constantly get trapped up against a radiator or knock over your dining room chairs onto themselves

Smoky bacon are more favourite. Yum, yum, yum. Planning on having several bags as soon as I arrive in England.

Oh, baby walkers. Sorry. We had the Graco exersaucer, and it was great. Like you said, it's a safe, fun, place to put them for a short period of time, while you get something else accomplished. I would go for a stationary one over an actual walker, even if you have a safe stair-free environment.

Bundle - sorry what is that list - the list of common sense things you must do to ensure that your child is kept safe??

DD used a baby walker- we had 3 one at each of her grandmas and one at home and she loved it - never once had an accident (I actually have some common sense!!) and walked just before she was 10 months!!

I actually have never met a mother who did not use one and have never heard of anyone having an accident.

I've never used one and do know 2 mums who did who had accidents- think one qwas the babies jaw.
Arent they the main cauase of accidents for babies?

Mind you they did lack common sense.

what about a ball pit, thats what i bought when i need to entertain DD to be able to write my thesis, she could sit and play and was safe

I used one for ds1 and he had an accident even though I was right next to him. It tipped over on an uneven edge and he hit his head. I've never used a babywalker again. Haven't they just been banned in Canada or somewhere?

This is on the Chartered Society of Physiotherapists' site. It seems to make a distinction between "old" and "new" style walkers whatever that means.

Twinkie has a point regarding the common sense aspect to child safety. There is all too often an assumption that everything available in the shops must be intrinsically safe by definition and no further parental input required. Such complacency and, probably more often, just momentary distraction is what leads to accidents, in walkers just as in any other every day situation.

Having said that I have not used walkers for either of mine - purely my personal choice. Thought they were overpriced, overrated, took up too much space and had a short life span. Have friends who have used either the stationary and wheeled ones quite happily. Think you have to remember the height to which they are able to reach from one especially if you are used to a static, on the floor baby. Also look for the obvious obstacles which may cause it to tip, debris on floor, uneven surface and steps. There is still concern about the general safety and benefits though and I just discovered that Canada has recently banned the sale of mobile ones on safety grounds.

Have one of the stationary playcentres - sent by my lovely cousin from the US as they weren't available here in 2000.

Used it with ds1, then lent to my brother for niece, now back with ds2.

ABSOLUTELY BRILLIANT!

Babies all loved it and its somewhere safe for them to play happily for a bit when you need to do something.

Was given a babywalker but have never bothered with it - if ds1 and 2 wanted to actually get around they preferred to do this under their own steam.

Love mine, love it, love it, love it. My DS is 7 and a half months and wants to be on his feet all the time. He zooms round our wooden floors like a little gremlin. It gives him the independance he needs.

I know some people that think they are dangerous, i thnk that is only the case if you are not watching them and let them play near stairs, open french windows or on motorways

But surely not all the babies who do have accidents have parents with no common sense?
Otherwise there must be a large number of parents who dont watch their children. The figures seem very high.

I swore I would never put ds in a walker, because of hip damage?

But when dd came along, she was never into the same things he was, so I gave in a got her a walker. Which she loved. I'm not sure how you can have an accident with stairs, we only ever used in downstairs where we have hard floors, and I never left her in it for that long.

She did walk 2 months later than her brother though, but who can prove why that was??

It has to be one of those personal choice things.

We also have a wooden playpen, which I used for both of them, where they were also perfectly happy, which was the safest option. I put them in from an early age so they were used to it.