Babies: 9 - 12 Months
Anyone else NOT using a walker?
Just curious...
Me: 30, DOR with a FSH of 12.5
DH: 31, no issues
4-6/2012 100mg of Clomid + trigger + IUI/TI = BFN
7/2012 150mg of Gonal-f + trigger + IUI = BFN
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DH: 31, no issues
4-6/2012 100mg of Clomid + trigger + IUI/TI = BFN
7/2012 150mg of Gonal-f + trigger + IUI = BFN
8/2012 Surprise unmedicated BFP!! Due May 8, 2013
This discussion has been closed.
Re: Anyone else NOT using a walker?
this
DH: 31, no issues
4-6/2012 100mg of Clomid + trigger + IUI/TI = BFN
7/2012 150mg of Gonal-f + trigger + IUI = BFN
8/2012 Surprise unmedicated BFP!! Due May 8, 2013
I don't think walkers are a must have & needed by everyone but it is not the same as being confined by any means, if you have space for them to run around. My twins run allllll over my kitchen, play bumper cars, run around & around hte island, chase us, etc and it gave them mobility before they were mobile. My son walks now & still loves being in that thing, thank god since it is how I have a chance to clean up after meals!
We weren't going to, but we have a long somewhat narrow kitchen with a ton of room so I figured why not. Eventhough she doesn't really like to be in the jumperoo or other confining things anymore she LOVES it. She is confined, but goes where she wants to go in it. She has gotten so good at steering it around.
It is perfect for if I'm making dinner and don't want her getting into everything. If we didn't have a lot of space on the tile for her to move around I wouldn't have gotten one.
We don't have one. Our pedi recommends against them, and our house is not conducive to having one.
We do have this though. Which is walker-esque, he just can't go anywhere:
https://www.walmart.com/ip/Bright-Starts-Doodle-Bugs-Around-We-Go-Activity-Station/12960826?sourceid=1500000000000003260330&ci_src=14110944&ci_sku=12960826
we didn't use a walker, and he took his first steps around 10 months.
we don't really have any extra space for another huge toy anyway!
Posted before I was ready!
Our pedi doesn't recommend them either. We bought DS the fisher price stride to ride lion walker...it's a push type walker.
You mean a walker they sit in?
No we do not have one. J has a push behind walker (Stride to Ride Lion).
We did not use a walker for my daughter, we did use a exersaucer though. After she started walking (8 months) we started letting her play with the walking toy and she got a lot better with walking. She is now trying to run (9 months). She is moving way too fast!
We had a walker and a bunch of walk behind things. He loved them all, He started walking just before 10 months and is now running at eleven. We have a very open house with gates at any stairs and it worked great for us. He occasionally asks to get in it even though he does not need it. We plan on using it for our second child.
Our ped never said anything for or against it we decided on our own to try.
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They're dangerous if like so many other things, parents don't think before using them, like using them on the 2nd floor with open stairs or in a room that has stairs down to another place. Kinda like don't put your bouncy chair or bumbo on a table if you don't want the chair to fall off. And also it gives them access to stuff they normally can't reach so the parent has to remember that they can reach hot things, dangling things, drawers, etc...
I do think Canada does not sell them, you're right.
There's also something about them hanging by their crotch for too long (again, don't stick your kid in there for hours...) and that it is not teaching htem the right mechanics for walking so don't think it is going to teach them how to walk. I would kind of hope most people don't see it as a trainer for walking...
All that being said, my kids have them & we all love them. I learned quickly to keep stuff out of their reach (pull up dangling cords & whatnot, drawers & cabinets are locked anyway) and they can only use it in our kitchen anyway since it is hardwood & the next room is carpeted, they don't go too far on the carpet.
Once again, I agree with Beanie.
The research I read was from physical therapists who say that there can be hip problems and toe walking if walkers are used. My pediatrician never recommended anything either way but when I told her the baby has an activity station that bounces just a little, she asked if it was stationary and I said yes. She said, "Good, walkers aren't the best thing". However, why didn't she tell me that before? I just so happened to have done the research myself and come to the conclusion that I didn't want a rocker or a doorway bouncer that allows high bouncing. Had I not had the internet I probably would have bought a walker. Anyway, the recommendation I read about walkers was to not have them in it more than 20 minutes a day but that's pretty useless to me. That means you have enough time to use it for a shower or maybe to wash the dishes.
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A stowaway on board!
Canada doesn't sell them.... They are also illegal in Canada due to safety concerns. The pediatrics society and other health agency advocated for years against them because of high reports of injury as a result of their use. In 1989, manufacturers in Canada issued a voluntary ban and in 2004 walkers became illegal in Canada. It is even illegal to sell one in a garage sale here... and there is no way anyone would get them across the border.
So..... we don't use one ;P
Canada doesn't sell them.... They are also illegal in Canada due to safety concerns. The pediatrics society and other health agency advocated for years against them because of high reports of injury as a result of their use. In 1989, manufacturers in Canada issued a voluntary ban and in 2004 walkers became illegal in Canada. It is even illegal to sell one in a garage sale here... and there is no way anyone would get them across the border.
https://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/cps-spc/child-enfant/equip/walk-marche-eng.php
So..... we don't use one ;P
That's exactly what ours are for, I clean up the high chairs & dishes after meals so they're in them for like 10 min at a time or so. I would never leave them in them for a shower, I don't leave them unattended except to run to the bathroom right next door for 1 min maybe, with the door open.
I am pretty sure you're not supposed to leave kids in exersaucers or jumpers for extended periods either, even though many people do.
Eh, like many other diversions & things I think some parents can use them in ways that are not so great. To me, it's kind of like crib bumpers. Not recommended, documented risks, parents make choices. I chose not to use bumpers but I do use walkers a couple times a day to entertain my kids & allow me to clean up meals.
Speaking of bumpers, why haven't those been banned? I just read about the Nap Nanny recall (which we use a lot) due to a 4 month old falling over the side and getting caught between it and the bumper. Nap Nannies aren't supposed to be used in cribs so this was a case of misuse. But had there been no bumper or else a breathable bumper maybe the baby might have been able to breathe. I use a bumper because our little chubster has always been about 6 months ahead in height and weight so he was getting his leg caught in the crib slats at 3 months. But we have a breathable bumper and when he insists on sleeping with his face planted in it (despite our use of a Guardian Sleeper), he still breathes.
THIS!!!!
I learned in college (infant development course while getting my teaching degree) that not only are they dangerous, but they are bad for a baby's gross motor development.
So no, my child does not have a walker. DCP has one and I told her to never put Jack in there.
Listen, I totally get the injury thing, 100%. You do have to be careful about what is in reach and anyone who would use one near stairs or a body of water is totally insane. The AAP recommends not to use them b/c of injuries.
And not to be cynical here and this is not necessarily what it is about but I bet the US would ban a lot of different things if we had nationalized healthcare that had to pay for injuries from such items.
But I do have to say on the development front, it goes back to being a smart parent. Parents who leave their kids in any kind of device for long periods of time, esp dangling from their crotch, are risking developmental problems and parents who think that a rolling walker thing is going to actually teach their child proper walking mechanics is not very well informed. My kids spend the bulk of their day crawling, cruising & walking and go in the walkers for entertainment & for me to get a break post meal. My son started walking just shy of 11 months and my daughter has been very competently cruising for 2 months and crawls & pulls up great.
So of those who don't use walkers, again I have to wonder, did anyone use crib bumpers? did you cosleep? did you/will you turn your child forward facing in the car before age 2? have you ever left your kid alone on a bed and had them roll off by accident? some of you I'm sure didn't do any of those things but parents just need to be informed & make decisions based on that info & what they are comfortable with rather than getting all high & mighty about how they make the smartest decisions. There are parents who put bouncy seats & bumbos on tables & counters to make it easier to feed. I think they're crazy but that is their decision & hopefully they realize there is a risk in doing something like that.
Ok hopping off my soapbox now.
You're not cynical. You're just wrong. It is poor for development.
And WTF does healthcare have to do with this? The OP was "are you using one?" Not, "Do you use one bc you're scared of injury and afraid the government won't pay for it?"
Get over it. They're banned in Canada for a reason, and it's not healthcare.
See the second reason walkers are bad?
It is backed up with scientific articles if you follow the link I gave you.
Two more articles:
Here and here
Yes yes was I being facetious with the healthcare comment? yes & i happen to pro-universal/national healthcare fwiw. I just think if they were causing such a high rate of injury that hopefully the US would take action too. And maybe they will. And maybe I'm overly optimistic about the oversight in this country.
I was not trying to start an argument, just saying that parents make choices & should make informed choices about what they do with their children, the things they buy them, etc. and there is a lot of grey area with so many of these things.
As for the articles, they actually back up what I was saying fwiw, as they are pretty clear about the fact that all of the data relates to the expectation that a walker will help a child to learn to walk and that kids should not be in them for extended periods & there is a high risk of injury.
The first one says that 40% of kids who use them get hurt & 96% of those injuries are from falling down stairs. As I said, people who use them near stairs are crazy.
One says this, also what I said, which is that parents need to be sure their kids have enough time doing other things, not sticking them in the walker all day. I have no doubt that a child who is put in one of these things really early on & constantly/all the time will have problems.
DevelopmentBabies need to spend time playing on the floor to learn to roll, sit, crawl and walk.When a baby crawls and pulls himself up while holding on to furniture he is making the muscles needed for walking stronger, and learning about balance.Baby walkers do not help a baby learn to walk, and may even slow down their development. They do not learn how to balance while in a walker.Babies learn to walk on their toes when pushing a baby walker around, and they may continue to walk on their toes when they start to walk. Their leg muscles may become tight.Also one article says this:
"So, is using a walker forbidden? No, definitely not.As long as you use it sensibly and for short periods to keep your child entertained while you're occupied elsewhere, it is still a good friend."
And this:
"Before any baby can walk, she must master proper balance and bearing weight on her legs and feet.But when small babies spend most of their early weeks in a walking ring, they almost always learn to walk on their toes. "
I'm sorry but whose 'small baby' is spending 'most of their early weeks' in one of these?
Please show me research that if a child is in one of these for 10 min at a time a couple times a day and the rest of the day is crawling, pulling up, walking with or without assistance, using a push toy & all sorts of other activities, s/he will have their development altered by a walker.
Geez.
Oh & so sorry, I forgot, no posts on TB ever turn into a debate/discussion of the matter at hand or the responses within. Silly me.
If you cannot pay for an ER accident, then you don't. It's called GOVERNMENT HEALTH CARE FOR THE PEOPLE WHO NEED IT!
They are dangerous, poor for development, and illegal in Canada for a reason.
You obviously missed this -- "The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends against using walkers not only because they can discourage your child from learning to walk on his own, but also because they can be dangerous" from a pediatrician on baby center.
Go ahead and use walkers. I'm just putting the information out there. I really wish that every parent on here could have taken some of my college courses because walkers would never be used. If the US Gov gave a damn, they'd make them illegal also.
I was delayed in gross motor skills (I was put in a walker) and DS is not. He's 9 mos and can stand on his own plus take assisted steps.
Oh & so sorry, I forgot, no posts on TB ever turn into a debate/discussion of the matter at hand or the responses within. Silly me. Not to mention I never said ppl didn't use it b/c they were afraid the gov't wouldn't pay for it. More like the gov't (rightly so perhaps) does not want the citizens to utilize things that will increase the possibility of injuries.