My mom is putting my son in a Walker?

Question

My son is 8 1/2 months old. My mom watches him twice a week while I work. The last time I took him over there, she was very excited about the new walker she bought for him.

I know that they are no longer recommended.

But, is it safe for him to use it two days a week?

Also, I'm pretty sure she's not only using it for 15 minutes at a time twice a day. From what she was saying, he might be spending 15 minutes at a time or longer, every hour or more. She said he just LOVES it, and when I went to pick him up he was just running up and down the kitchen floor (the only place he can go in it), chasing the dog and banging into the table.

I'm just concerned. Is it one of those things I should let go for sake of family peace, or is it really dangerous enough that I need to say something?

Ok, I feel much better now, thank you all. She uses it to keep him off the floor, out of the dogfood, the cabinets, the rest of the house, etc etc. He can't get out of the kitchen, there are no stairs, and he can't really reach anything except what's on his little tray in front of him. It's got a wide base and is one of the "updated" models, so I will put my mind to rest about this now. Thank you all so much.

Answer 1

My son loved his walker, too. Actually, he liked it so much that even though he's 18 months now, and has been walking on his own since before 10 months, he still tries to get me to bring it out of the basement (he sees it when we go down to do laundry).

From what I understand, the reasons that walkers are no longer recomended, is because of the level of injuries that were happening from the parents not using them properly. Like, they would not put up safety gates and the baby would fall down the steps.

The walkers that they make now should all have something to stop them from moving if one of the wheels becomes lower than the others, like a pad on the underside of the bottom rails. If you turn the walker over, you will see it. There should be at least 4 of these pads. These will cause friction against the floor, and the baby won't have the strength yet to overcome it, and the walker will brake.

If the walker you rmother bought has this safety feature, she's got the house properly childproofed, and he's not banging his head into the table (until he's got better control of it- then he'll probably do that on purpose cause he'll think it's funny to watch gramma yell), I think it's fine to let him have his fun.

Actually, you may begin to see huge developments in his leg strength, which will help him walk and crawl.

Another thing my son LOVED was a Johnny-jump-up, which we began putting him in at 4 months (smaller than reccomended, to save our poor, aching arms from having to 'jump' him ourselves- we had to brace him with a blanket). He would also still get in that, if he could.

Answer 2

All of my kids have used a walker. I did not use it as a tool to help them walk, but more as another form of entertainment, which they really enjoyed.
They are no longer recommended because a child takes much more supervision when they are in a walker than when they are not. 1. They can reach more stuff, so you have to baby proof higher. 2. The baby can get moving very fast and get out of reach or in a dangerous situation quickly. The walkers that are sold now have bases that are wider than the top and are usually too big to fit easily and quickly through a door so they are safer than they used to be. (This is type I have and we received it as a gift it for my first child in almost 5 years ago.)
So,as long as you are sure that the baby is in a safe place when he is in a walker (most importantly he should not be able to get to any stairs.) and as long as you trust that your mom will watch him closely it won't do him any harm, so I would let it go.

Answer 3

I've read to limit the use of walkers, but not that they were outlawed! Certainly the fear that a baby is now more mobile and thus can get into things they couldnt before, fall down stairs, etc etc is very valid. As far as developmentally I've read that babies can take longer to walk if left in walkers too long as it isnt the same motion to push yourself along and to stand up, but it's probably a very negligible difference if any. My daughter LOVED hers, and I certainly didnt put her in very long at a time because you do have to make sure you keep a close eye on them. I bought it for her just before 7mths I think, and she was zooming around the apartment before we knew it. Her little face would light up and you could see how happy she was so I quickly got over feeling any 'guilt' for letting her do something a baby book said not to. All in moderation, right? Since he's just getting to use it a few days a week, you shouldnt worry at all. Still at 22mths my daughter will try to climb into one at the store if she sees one!!!

Answer 4

Well I am a Mom of 3 boys who has used excersaucers w/ all...it has not effected their developement at ALL! So I have my own realistic research. I wanted you to know though if you use it too early it can be detrimental to their muscles. They need to have adequate strentgh beofre they use it and they should not use it for extened periods of time while young. My first 2 crawled at 5 mths, walked at 10; My 3rd was full on crawling on all 4s on the 4 month mark! He also walked early. The average for my friends kids was 6-8 months crawling. We used the saucer around 3-4 mths. So gage it by the strenght of your child, not by what others say. And for those who were harsh about time w/ your child...there is only so much time you can entertain them! You do need time to get things done. Walkers and saucers are wonderful if not abused and it sounds as though you spend plenty of quality time w/ your son. I would start out w/ no longer than 10 min at his age and watch him. Also ask your Doctor, I know many believe walkers are used too early as well as too long at a time!

Answer 5

Keep in mind that one day something is perfectly fine to use, the next day it's not. It's like that with everything and anything anymore. If they were truly unsafe they simply wouldn't make them anymore. My daughter uses one at her grandmothers house and loves it. I don't mind it at all. If your baby is fine and loves the walker then I would let it go. I'm sure your mother is not going to let anything bad happen to your baby. But on the other hand if you are truly adamant about not using one then you should say something, it is your baby after all. Personally, I've never heard of any serious harm coming from a baby walker. At 8 1/2 months your son should be able to control his head movements pretty well by now. But in the end it is your choice. I'm not sure if I helped, but good luck to you.

Answer 6

Take a deep breath you are right to be concerned but remember your Mum did ok bringing you up!!.. Lol. Still doesnt make it easier tho does it?. My son is 5 months old and he sits in his walker once a day for around 10 minutes and he loves it he can only go backwards and side ways at this stage but he goes side ways to the mirror then spends the rest of the time checking himself out lol.

Answer 7

As long as he can't go down any steps he should be ok. That was the safety concerns with the walker. The concern would be if he was in it all day with his legs scrunched and his back humped over but he would have to be in it ALL day. I got my son the jumperoo and he loved it. He also had a walker at my moms house cause she had tile and I didnt want him falling on it. He was in it maybe a hour while we ate diiner. He liked it but got peeved cause he couldn't reach the dog she was a toy poodle.

Answer 8

I started putting my daughter in a walker when she was 6 months old. She loved it and was walking on her own by the time she was 11 months old. I don't really know why they are not recommended any more. I had heard that too. My opinion is there wonderful and if any thing they helped her build muscle in her legs.

Answer 9

Its fine. My daughter is 9 months old and uses a walker all the time. She is crawling on schedule and standing up like other babies her age. The hype about walkers is really just that babies fall down stairs or into pools (because of the stupidity of the people who are supposed to be watching them). I wouldn't worry too much about it. They are not as bad as people make them out to be.

Answer 10

My son used to hate the walker, he would cry every time I would attempt to put him in there, the point is if you don't want him in there he shouldn't be in there. Personally I think there are fine, just make sure he is not using it by stairs. Good Luck!