Admittedly, I NEVER wanted one of those things, but we received a secondhand one the other day and let DS take a brief whirl in it - do you KNOW how fast kids can zoom around in that stupid thing? If we weren't watching him closely, he could have (and tried to) get into a zillion dangerous areas of the house - electric cords and outlets, books on the shelf, plants - who KNOWS what else. It took Tristan about 5 minutes to learn how to get around in that silly contraption but he really liked being mobile and really could get into a whole heap of trouble in it. I think it'll go back in the garage.

Pam

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.

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?

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.

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.

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.