BrillKids Forum

I'm thinking about getting a walker for my almost 6 month old baby, but besides the safety precautions, I've read somewhere that using a walker slows down baby's progress toward their actual unaided walking. Sounds strange, but one never knows...
Are you using a walker? What is your experience with it? Thank you for your counsel!

Here's another thread that may help http://forum.brillkids.com/product-discussions-and-reviews/baby-walkers-to-use-it-or-not-is-it-safe-or-dangerous/

Walker is ok provide it's supervised and not over-used.  The problem arise when parents just place their babies in the walker unattended.  Over-using walkers will also hamper babies' opportunity to learn how to walk as important muscles and movement are not exercised.

My baby girl wouldn't like the walker, she will cry and not even hang out there for 2 minutes. So decided to put the walker away.... and she hasn't never used. Besides I read in a book of this famous doctor, that walker doesn't help to hips develop... I asked my daughter's doctor and he say that is not true, walkers are just fine.

My Qarissa also sumtimes hate the walker, she prefer to crawl & creep (& of course its tired for us to catch her!) but when she watch her DVD, i will put her in the walker. She's ok  with it. I see that when i put her in the walker, she tend to "walk" very fast (the wheels help her of course!) but at least she stand  & really walk. If i put her down & ask her to walk normally, she dont want to do it.. y lah ..? so lazy ...

I'm using walker for my daughter as well. I feel it helps her a lot on judgement as well as ability to stand, as we're staying in apartment. At the beginning, she doesn't stop her walker and just hit on every corners. Later, she knows when to stop. Now, she's 10 mths old, and she prefers crawling, sit on the floor & stand up instead of putting her in the walker. She dislike the restriction movement when she's in walker.

hello there,

i have een using the walker for my baby since she was 5 months old and she stopped using it when she was 8 months. this is becuse the walker made her movement restricted and she was able to drag the walker by herself.. :ohmy:

i just realised that the walker may make the baby progress in walking by herself slow down, after been told by a friend and until now she had not yet walk  :mellow: . she just braved enough to climb the stairs and coffee table but had not taken her first step in walking.. :wub: maye because of the walker..who's know, right?

but if you are thinking of buying one, make sure that your child uses it and take precaution when she is using that since the walker may make her mobile and who's know what she can grab from the walker...

Thank you all for your contributions, I've checked the other thread mentioned as well, and it looks like we will do without a walker...

Because of the importance of crawling, I would advise against it.

The only walker I would recommend is the 'push walker' type where the baby is holding on to the bar and pushing it along, and I would use it at a later stage when she's about to walk, as an intermediate step towards independent walking.

i beg to differ for those who dont like their babies to use walkers. Baby walkers have been used by mums for a long time. Many of the adults have grew up using walkers, and they are perfectly fine.Its only recently that there have been so many school of thoughts on baby walkers. i.e. Legs deforming, hip issue, opportunity to learn how to walk. etc the list will go on. I let my boy use baby walker when he is 6 months, with the walker, he is able to manipulate his direction very well using his legs. I believe its a good "legs and brain" coordination exercise as he learn how to move forward, backward, sideway, and control of speed. It worked on his leg muscles which he learnt how to stand up/ walk with support. There was once, i met a couple at a shopping centre frantically searching for a walker for his 10 month old baby. Reason being that his son's legs are weak, he is not able to stand up even with support. So i guess it really depend on your choice. As long as you dont overuse it like putting him on walker all day (i bet he doesnt even want it), its perfectly fine.

I was also worried after reading the numerous articles online about how unsafe it is...but after much contemplation i got one...thats cuz my lil boy doesnt like to be carried and he is so much happier and mobile in a walker. He is able to move about on his own and discover the world around him. I got a walker about a month ago when he turned 6 months old and now he can pull himself to standing position with the help of furniture around the house... also he tries to walk when we hold on to his fingers... so i doubt it that the walker actually hampers their development or slows them down :) .When we were kids, we utilized the walker and we're doing great arent we?  ;)

no no and once again no
the longer the babies crawl the better, their hand eye coordination and eye convergence gets much better. Besides ask any child therapist and they'll tell you that children should be walking when they are ready to do so, we should not force them to do it

Interesting ..... we heard many views before ..... but in the end we used a walker .....  :yes:

I use it when young .... and my daughter wants to move, she wants to explore, she wants to be free, and oh boy ... she really take to the wheels like fish to water ..... she really wants to move and when she used the walker at 5.5mths she moved very quickly and was very happy ..... she was flying around exploring all the rooms etc .... and she was screaling as she was flying ..... but she only used it till 10 mths ... that's when she was able to stand on her own an dtrying to take her first steps ... well at 9.5 mth and she started pushing the walker around as a support at 10.5mth ... she was walking at 12 and running at 13-14mth. People commented on her stability and willingness to walk ..... at such a young age .....

However, lets be clear ..... the walker is not a baby sitter, i limited her usage to 1-2hours a day not longer than 30 mins each time ..... mainly when we wake up and none of us was free to look after her she is in the walker, when i was busy cooking or washing up she is in the walker .... and she would be looking at us doing our chores ...running around looking and following papa or mama ..... but also please take note of all the precautions required when using a walker ..... most people just dumped their kids in it for hours on hours .... hey if you sit on a bicycle for hours on hours your bottoms gonna split ..... so will the baby's, that's when walking difficulty comes about ..... but otherwise its a temporary toy or entatainer for the baby, its also a leg muscle work out, .... eg drinking wine is fine but once it gets into bottles instead of glasses .... your gonna get liver poisoning ..... so moderation is key ....

of course she has 9-11 hours of crawling each day everyday ..... and at 10 mths she wouldn't want to use the walker at all she wants to walk on her own ..... it helps to give her the desire to move and explorer .....  and help build up leg muscle .... and boy was she able to navigate thru all the obstacles .... talking about coordination..... she's going to be F1 driver ....

I have to say Noooo!!!

It is very dangerouse. You child may get hurt.
 

wouldn't that depend on your ability to provide the baby with a safe environment to play in??

alot of parents are very very self assuming ....until things happened and they ask why .... but if they had check and double check, then accidents don't happen .... its not like your using it in public area then you cannot control for others action ..... whether accidents happen be it hot water, knife or scissors, small toys, sharp objects etc..... at the end of the day accidents in the house can be controlled by parents ...... unless.....

eg we put gates (yes gates not one but 2), we have no stairs, every corner and sharp edges are padded, objects are stored, etc ..... if you don't do the proper works even walking and crawling could result in accidents .... so whether accident shappen its upto us parents to foresee and prevent it ....

just my 1.5cts worth ...
(sorry just bored, just past midnight time for extra OT work and taking a breather only)

I believe in Glenn Doman's stressing the importance of crawling to baby's brain development.  And that crawling should be encouraged and that walking will just follow when your baby is ready for it.  Aside from that, I find walkers unsafe, especially with my little one who crawls/creeps very fast, i could just imagine her in a walker zooming all over the room.  Instead of using a walker for our daughter, we use a push toy (mini grocery cart), we also use Walking Assistant / Walking Wings, it's like a padded vest w/ velcro and snap wrapped around her chest and has adjustable straps on the shoulder part where you can hold her, it's also good for the parent's back, you don't have to lean over to assist them in walking   ;)

Well,

My baby is 8 months old. He's been using it for more than a month. He's okay with it. After finish showering him in the morning, I'll always put him in a walker. He enjoys it and at least, I could do or catch up with those house works. I've 2 more older young kids. I also let them used it until they're able to walk. So, It's fine.

I have found that walkers seem to improve and speed up the learning to walk process. My latest bub had a a walker that didnt walk very well, so she was mainly standing in it... and she didnt walk til 12 months, but her sisters walked at 10 months. have a new walker for the next bub. I dont have them in it all day, just here and there. I like them to be off the floor at times, like when there might be something on the floor I need to clean up before they eat it! Or choke on it. And it's handy for feeding solids, as an alternative to the high chair. Very handy and convenient to just hand them some chopped apple on the walker tray, rather than having to lug them out and strap them into the high chair.
The main issue against walkers is the falling down steps issue. So best to use with those potential hazards corrected, like gates across all stairs or outside steps at the front and back doors. I like walkers. And all my bubs have crawled at 6 months, so using a walker didnt impede their natural development. I think it strenghtened their legs, and burned off more calories...helping them not to be fat. Just dont keep them in it for long periods. I had a walker, I walked at 9 months.