When Is The Right Time To Put My Baby in a Walker?

Hmm.. I don't know. My son has had very strong legs ever since he was born. Whenever we hold him he just wants to jump up and down or stand up on our lap, so we started putting him in the walker and exerciser around 5 months. He is very tall though and his feet touch the ground nicely. I'm thinking about getting him the jumparoo though since he does like to jump so much! He can sit up, roll over, and is starting to scoot around. I'm not sure when the right age is ... I guess you can just tell when your baby is ready. You don't want to put stress on his legs or knees, so when he is trying to stand often on his own then I would suggest trying it out then.

My kids were both walking on their own by the time they were 9 months old. I did not put them in the walker until the y could sit up though. If they cannot sit up on their own then putting them in a walker is pointless. They will just slump over.

Put him in it!!! At 9 months old he should be able to sit by himself. He should be crawing and pulling him self up. If he is not doing these things I would talk to his pediatrition. I had my daughter it hers at about 5 months. The seat was a little big so I rolled up a blanket and put it in front of her. She loved it - so many things to do so many places to go! At first she couldn't go anywhere but once she figured out that rocking back and forth made her move - she was as good as gone. For safety reasons just make sure there is nothing on the floor in is path and gates are up or doors are shut to stair cases. Check out at the gerber.com web site to see more on what your child can do at this age. I personally relyed on it because I am a first time mom. Here is another site that helps with stages. http://www.parents.com/parents/childTracker/month.jsp;jsessionid=ZCX1SAHOC1Y43QFIBQNSBHQ?_dyncharset=ISO-8859-1&_dynSessConf=7860979775220551432&month=9

When they are able to sit up and not falling over. The reason a walker is used though is to allow them to practice walking safely when a parent or caregiver can't hold them up. It does help strengthen their leg muscles.

Both of my kids were in their walker long before they were 9 months old. When they can't support themselves, put blankets around them because it'll help them with their back muscles. My youngest daughter has been in her jumperoo since she was 6 months old. At 10 months, she is all over in her walker so in my own opinion I think 9 months is perfect for the walker.

my son was sitting up on his own at six months and walking at nine months. I would be a bit concerned if my baby could not sit up on his own at nine months.he should at least be crawling by now and walking by ten months. I would check with my doctor if I were you.

Can he sit up on his own or is crawling? At this stage our baby should be crawling around and moving around on his own, with no help. Personally, I don't think walkers help[ at all. I didn't use one for my son and he was walking at 10 month. My friend and my SIL are using ones and their kids are almost one and not walking.

My older one was standing on his own by 9-10 months. I didn't use a walker where he was inside...we had a walker that he could push and walk. My younger one was walking on his own by 10 months and I never used the walker on him. I never wanted my kids to use a walker since my sister fell along with the walker when she was around 8 months old. She hurt herself near the eye and my mother realized that it was safer for her to fall on her own than fall with the walker where she would hurt herself. So, I never used the walker with my kids. Why don't you use a bouncer(I think that's what it's called...it straps the baby and you can attach it to a doorway and the baby is able to bounce) for your little one? You could also help him by holding him and letting him stand. Isn't he sitting on his own yet?

Nows the time to get him in a walker. My kids were in one at around 6 months. It helps them develope the leg muscels needed for walking. He should be sitting already being that hes 9 months. And in a month or two he should start walking. Being in a walker he will feel more secure standing and trying to walk. I would go for it. The walker isnt a bad thing it really does help. Just my thoughts! Have a great day! ~May The Kisses Of An Angel Cover And Protect You Always~ Copper

My son's pediatrician when he was that age told me not to put him in a walker because they have to learn how to crawl first and if they don't they will end up with back problems if they walk first. Her husband is right not to like the idea. Just thought that I would tell you what my son's pediatrician told me when he was that age.

A walker is not necessary anyway. Just let him sit on the floor and hold on to furniture to pull himself up. A walker is restricting and can actually delay him reaching certain milestones, including pulling himself up, sitting up and walking. They can also be dangerous if the baby is not closely supervised. Placing him on the floor in a room that is childproofed where he is free to crawl and move around is the best thing for a baby.

I have a 7 month old that has been using her walker since about 4-5 months old. At the beginning we did put a blanket around her to help her keep stable, but for the most part she's done fine, infact I think it has helped her build some muscles. She really likes being in it...she can see her siblings better. Of course she doesn't move herself around the house yet, but she still really likes it. It kind of works like an exersaucer ( I know you spell that different, sorry) If you read up on the manuals and other material it says that they are for 3 months and up. Of course I think it depends on the baby, but if they can hold their head up, I would give it a try. To be honest 9 months is plenty old enough, he could of probably been in there months ago. My son who is now 2 was in there at 3-4 months and it was a God sent at that time, because he wanted to see everything going on and I didn't want to hold him. My daughter probably could of started that early, but she was 6 wks early so she is smaller, right now at 7 months she weighs only 13lbs. My advise is to try it out anyway, I think he'll do just fine and probably thank you for it in his own way. Another thing I love about it is that it is so easy to roll her to the next room if I'm doing house work. She just keeps on playing and I can just roll her around to where I am and all is well. I would seriously try it. To be honest no one ever told me to wait til they can sit on their own, you and your family would probably be suprised at how well he will do in that walker as far as holding himself up, I think it would be good for him and help him strengthen some muscles. Good Luck to you!

I put my baby in a walker when she was 5 or 6 months old...it would be better if the baby could be in a stage where she can sit properly..and she started to walk by 11 months of age and that too she walked on the bed, not on the floor, we were all quite surprised about that

It is time for the 9 months old baby to put in the walker.Our four kids used walker when they around 7 to 8 months old.Some kids sit their own but some goes directly to looking for a wall and start walking on their own.

As soon as your child has neck control he can go into the walker, the jolly jumper etc. If he "slumps over" use a towel or whatever to help him be held up. His back muscles will strengthen and develop in the walker,jolly jumper etc. But the most important reason for you to do it eihdra, is because YOU feel your son is ready!! You are with him day in and day out, only you know what you truely feel comfortable with. Wait until hubby goes out the door to work, and your son is in a happy mood...then put him in it and sit with him, talk and play...you need no ones approval to do something with your son, because there is no one in this world that knows your son or his needs the way you do.

I do not mean to alarm you, but if your baby is 9 months old and can not sit on his own you may want to have a talk with his doctor about it. All babies are different, my son did not take his first steps on his own until 13 months. I never wanted to use a walker. It just seemed to me that it would be better for them to learn to walk on their own. The walk that is learned in a walker is very different from how they actually walk and I saw no value in learning the walker style walk. What I chose to do instead was give him some stable toys on wheels and he pushed them around as he learned to walk.

My son is 8 months old and still isnt sitting up on his own totally! I do not believe walkers are a good idea! It teaches them to rely on the seat to support their body weight instead of their legs! A lot of kids I know were placed in walkers way to long and now that they are older like preschool age they walk on tip toe which isnt good. I think if your child is strong on his legs then hold him around the waist and help him walk or let him hold your hand while walking.

I've heard time and time again that walkers are not good for helping children to walk. They become reliant on it so it can delay them from learning how to use their legs and balance properly for walking, so they often don't progress to actual walking for a while. It's best to just let them pull up on the furniture. If you want to help them with some kind of walking toy, wait until they can stand up (whilst holding onto something) and then buy a sturdy trolley or push-along walking toy. This will help them to balance while walking without it doing all the work for them! Also, I would say don't be in too much of a hurry for your son to walk. All babies develop at different rates, I've heard of some babies who don't walk until they are nearly two, and this isn't considered abnormal, but within the normal (wide) range this type of development. I would also say to not push your son into doing it as he might not be physically or psychologically ready. And it's never good to compare your kids development to other childrens', they all develop at different rates and they do things when they're ready. Sorry if this advice sounds too pushy, I know how annoying it is having people give you endless advice on how to bring up your child. Of course it's for you to decide!

In my opinion as long as the walker supports him sitting well enough he is old enough for the walker. My son was already in one by this point, because he started walking on his own at 9 months. Granted that was early, but he did alot of things early. (Unfortunately potty training wasn't one of them LOL)Give it a try and stay close the first time and see how he does. Be careful of anything the can reach now that he is higher and watch out for steps if you have them.

I agree with your mother in law. He should be sitting up on his own and even rolling over before putting him in a walker. My friend's son is crawing very well and he's in a walker. He can only go backwards right now but he's learning more and more everyday. I think it's better for the baby. He should learn the lower lever things before he goes to the walking. Hope this helps.