You might try child proofing your house. Your child is going to get into those very same things in a few months when he is pulling up and walking around.

Of course I will childproof the house when it becomes necessary but a child in a walker is a whole lot more mobile than a child who is pulling up and walking around.

I'm surprised to hear that you can still buy walkers in the U.S. They don't sell them in Canada.

I guess I haven't heard the walker criticisms. Why do they no longer sell them in Canada? And for those of you who use walkers, how old was your child when you first started using one?

newmom - We started using ours just a few weeks ago. Cole's 4 months old (19 weeks). He doesn't push around (yet) but loves to be pulled around - - I pull the walker by rope we attached to the bottom - - while I put away laundry, etc., moving room to room it's great! (thankful for the wood floors) He likes to be upright more now.
Walkers or not, babies need supervision.

The American Association of Pediatrics has repeatedly called for a ban on walkers. I, too, am shocked when I walk into a store and still see them.

Walkers can get kids in lot of places that they wouldn't otherwise, presenting numerous hazards. Even if you've childproofed for your 4mo, you're not "safe" for a mobile infant, which is what you have with a walker. Children have fallen down steps, gotten stuck in tight spots, and had access to dangerous items in a walker that they could not access without one.

Further -- and, more importantly for me because I do supervise DS relentlessly -- walkers actually are bad for physical development. The "walking" they do can actually impede real walking because their legs are forced at an awkward angle, and they can't see their feet (a key part of learning to walk).

If you want a toy/device that allows your baby to be upright, an exersaucer is a much better option. Just make sure it's adjusted to the right height.

Honestly, with all the information out there, and all the attention the AAP's statement has been getting lately, I can't understand why anyone would buy a walker for their child.

we have one simply because my baby could not stand not being able to sit up constantly- she hated lying down and we couldn't hold her all day-(before she could sit on her own) bouncy chairs and the swing weren't good enough because she couldn't move around once she could sit up. we don't have any stairs in our house and the walker is so darned wide that she couldn't get into anything if she tried - it is wider than her arms are long- so i don't worry about that at all- it is mostly the older smaller models i wouldn't feel real safe about using.

In Canada, due to the number of walker-related injuries the government instituted new standards in 1989 in regards to width; walkers must have a base of at least 900mm (which is greater than the conventional width of a doorway). Since the introduction of this new standard, no new walkers have been sold in Canada.

In addition to the obvious safety hazard, walkers do not help babies to walk and can actually lead to delays in child development. It's also not just falling down the stairs. Babies get into dangerous situations, ie pulling the cord of the kettle, getting into bleach and other chemials. Serious accidents have happened as a result of walkers, so when you're using them knowing this, you're taking a gamble that you're going to be one of the lucky ones. 30-40% of infants using walkers will sustain an injury. Is it really worth the risk?

When DD was at that age, we did not buy one for DD, but my parents had one at their house for DD to use when she visited. I did not have a problem with it at all. Yes, she was mobile, but she was also being supervised - just as she is now when she is toddling around and wanting to get into everything.

There are sooooo many warnings today about toys and products that it is overkill, IMO. A lot of it is common sense. I am betting that most of the horror stories you hear about walkers are because those parents had a false sense of security that the baby was ok in the walker, and they could do other things and not have to really watch the baby the whole time. Can a walker be dangerous? Sure. But so can just about anything else. All the safety devices and "safe" toys, are no substitute for proper supervision.

Proper supervision or not, there's still the development issue. And while I have a very healthy dose of skepticism about quasi-governmental groups, the AAP doesn't repeatedly issue strong recommendations for recalls lightly, or as a matter of whim.

I've read about some of the concerns about children's development and postponment of walking, etc. I can't help but think that the associated health problems occur because some people try to use walkers more as babysitters than as a part time toy. The newer walkers are built much better and safer than the older varities. As long as you've gotton down on your knees and childproofed for a child of that height and don't have a concern with stairs, I don't see how a child could really get into trouble anymore than when they are walking.

As far as impeding development, I've never seen that happen in the children I've been around. DS had a walker and he started walking at nine months. Most of the other children I've known walked before a year. They all fun time in their walkers, but didn't spend all day in them either.

I've read that the exersaucers are recommended over walkers also, but I don't understand how it would be more advantagious to have one of them since the child fits in them almost the same way as a walker. The only advantage I could see is that the child isn't mobile.

I personally don't care if other people use them or not, but I'm glad ds had his.

Don't flame me, but I have to say it. If walkers truly impeded development as badly as they NOW claim, most of the population of the US and Canada who are over about 25 years of age would be unable to walk. Most of us had walkers, BEFORE they were bad. And I think some of us turned out quite well ;).

{{gwi:336191}}
BTW - no, my DD did not use a walker. I will not buy second hand items when it comes to safety, and you cannot buy them brand new legally where I live. I do think they are tippy and dangerous and a child should NEVER be left unattended in one.

I agree with AdellaBedella and Dances. I forgot to mention the "development" issue. Yeah, if you leave your child in a walker all day, they are going to have issues. But letting them use it for a short period of time, is no different than an exersaucer in how they sit. Walkers have been used for years, and like Dances said, we all turned out quite well. Some experts say exersaucers are bad, and if you listen to enough authoritive groups, you will find just about any toy/product is bad in someones eyes.

Well, I have to say that while supervision is an absolute must, I was surprised at how quickly a 5 month old could move in the walker and how easy it was for him to get into things. It would be easy to misjudge how quickly a baby could get from point a to point b and have an accident.