So Many "Things"!

In my opinion, the activity jumper is better and wouldn't worry about the walker. My daughter loved her exersaucer and honestly, since working in the health field, there is research that walkers aren't all that great for babies, plus if you have steps they can cause accidents. Just my opinion...

S.
Allentown, PA

M., I would stay away from walkers. they force the baby's hips to "work" before they are ready, which may lead to problems down the road. Not only that they are dangerous around stairs and door openings. I have the exersaucer and my boys loved it.

The jumper is a terrific activity for children and I personally like them over walkers..... I especially prefer the one that clips onto the molding over the door frame, but I remember my Mom had one that sat on the floor and was like a seated pogo stick..... The babies jump and jump and jump themselves into exhaustion, laughing as they go..... Great for muscle development and also just plain good fun.
Walkers were never my favorite things..... They really require that you have the entire space open and super-child-proofed and that all stairs be safeguarded..... I lived in fear of hearing the scream, "The basement door is open -- Where's the baby!?!?!"

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Walkers are not safe so please be very careful!! A jumper is good for when they are little but as your baby gets older provide a safe place for her to learn to scoot around and eventualy crawl.

ive read that walkers are one of the top accident causes for babies...and that they do nothing to help a child walk sooner, i never had one mostly because we dont have the space and she had a jumper so i figured that was enough. and it was, she loved her jumper but for a very short time, as soon as she started crawling she didnt want it anymore because she wanted her freedom to get around. so id say youre fine with just one.

Do not get the walker. From everything I have read, they are dangerous and actually cause babies to walk later. Get an saucer instead. They are like a walker but stationary.

Hi M.,

All things are made for a specific purpose. When your baby starts walking, you will be glad you have so many things to keep her occupied and under control.

Good luck. D.

An activity jumper is really good for placing your baby after he/she is able to sit and/or stand. But, most don't move with the baby. The walker is good for when your child is ready to start moving around and learning to walk.

I think a jumper or a walker are fine. You really don't need both. Eventually, you will want a push walker when your child is learning to walk, but those are small and often fold up. Congratulations on you new arrival!

One does not "need" any of the "things". Walkers can actually be very dangerous. I remember hearing about a baby who was near the stairwell, and the door had accidentally been left open. She was in her walker -- and she slid toward the stairs, fell down them onto the basement cement and cracked her skull. That said, they can also be entertaining and provide mobility a child didn't have before. But they aren't "necessary". They take up space. And I know many plenty of young adults who never even saw a walker until they were too old to be in one.

I definately enjoyed having a swing, although I initially said I'd never use one. More importantly, my infants enjoyed the swing and I enjoyed a bit of free time from the constant holding and carrying.

What your child needs include love, nourishment, gentleness and parents who include her in their lives and make room for her idiosyncracies as they develop. :-) She needs warmth and clothing, lots of hugs and smiles. She needs a carseat so she is protected in the speeding bullets we label cars. You would probably enjoy a stroller at some point. But for entertainment, a blanket on the floor and some activity in the room, a couple of toys, and she's all set. I like the crib gym things, so a child can lay on its back, reach up and play with what hangs down. We used ours when our babies sat in the carseat in the house as well.

Don't feel you have to spend money because there is so much cool baby "stuff" in the stores. Be wise and responsible because you are living on only one income now. Try to hunker down and be inclined to build a savings account if you can manage that with just one income. Having money in the bank will go a LONG way toward minimizing any crises that come along, making molehills out of mountains . . . Having a bunch of stuff is just that -- and it's generally clutter. Some of it is fun clutter, but most of it is unnecessary. People were having babies way before there were cribs built to contain them at night, way before there were playpens, port-a-cribs, crib gyms, walkers, strollers, etc. . . Most of them survived, built our country and perpetuated the race. :-)

IMO, walkers are kind of overrated. I had one for my daughter when she was younger and I hated it. She wasnt walking alone yet, but with the walker she could move around more and reach things that she wouldnt have been able to reach before. It was really more of a hassle than anything else and we ended up getting rid of it after a month or so of having it. But..we did have the Baby Einstein ExerSaucer and I loved it. So did my little girl. She had a nice place to play when I was cleaning or something and I knew she wouldnt be on the move and able to get into anything.
Now, with my son, we have a Jumperoo. I like it, not as much as the baby einstein, but its nice. Again, he cant move around when I need him to stay put for a minute..the only thing I dont like about it is that it doesnt have much for him to do on it. He gets bored easy when he's in it.
All in all, I recommend not going for the walker. Stick with a nice saucer or something that has lots of activites for baby. Hope this helped some! :] & Congrats on your baby girl!

Just wanted to add my two cents. Walkers can be dangerous.
Stationary bouncing saucers are much safer. They didn't have those when my kids were little. My second daughter loved her walker, it made her feel independant, but we had to be very, very observant and cautious when she was in it.

I would skip the walker. I have 3 boys we used an exercaucer type toy all of the time & a jumperoo. But walkers are not recommended due to falling risk. Our pediatrician also said that they can not move there legs correctly in a walker due to how it holds them. Just my 2 cents.

Personally, The walker was a problem. They just get "jammed" on so many things. You have to make sure doors are closed the saeps are blocked. The activity jumpers are the way to go!!!!!

(Not sure if this has been mentioned.) While pregnant, I read an article that walkers are the #1 cause of head injuries and are not recommended by the AAP. My son received one as a gift and I asked our developmentatlist about it (my son was a premie, is developmentally delayed).

She said that they should not be used until the child can stand on his own, and sit from a stand-up position (this way, they can protect themselves when the walker shoots out from under them). She recommended using a rectangular laundry basket, turned upside down, in the meantime (its working very well).

Good luck!

Hi M.,

All the baby stuff is so large and so overwhelming! i don't like walkers. I think they are dangerous. Even if there aren't any steps for the kid to fall down they can reach things they couldn't otherwise get to. My kids loved their Mega Saucer (like an Exersaucer but a different brand) which is a stationary walker. I liked that the toys were attached so I didn't have to pick them up every 10 seconds. I kept one in the bathroom and used it when I showered. My boys (now 3 and 6) began using the Mega Saucer around 4 or 5 months, I'm guessing it is similar to an activity jumper?

Best if luck!

My first child had one, the other 3, never got one. All depends on ur preference for one and the space they can use it. They all turned out fine, my 4th walked by 10 mos.

I had an exersaucer for my boys and they loved that. It was great for strengthening their legs to transition to standing/walking. It also helps improve balance. You certainly don't need more than one item that will allow your child some standing time. Check out the weight limit on the jumper. The exersaucer is good to around a year old - and your child can't go anywhere. I've heard lots of stories of children launching their walker down the steps if they're not blocked off, or making a mess because they can travel out of sight pretty quickly.

Hi M.,

Nowadays, most doctors, websites, etc. advise AGAINST walkers, due to safety issues. Beyond that, if you have an activity jumper I think you're fine. Trust me, when you're trying to figure out where to store these things after the four months they use them, you'll be glad to have only one.

Best of luck.

In my opinion the activity jumper is plenty. If you happened to meet up with another mom that had a walker that you could borrow or buy it might be fun for a few months, but really not something i would invest in.
First it makes kids more mobile which means more work and more watching for you. You would have to watch her sooo much more than if she was having tummy time or in the activity jumper.
They aren't recommended because the baby doesn't learn to develop the right muscles for walking, not to mention falling down stairs, walker tipping over, etc safey issues.
and they are only really used for a short window of time, 6 months AT most!
If this is your first and you are home with her, i would stick with what you have and not invest in gadgets like a walker that you don't really need, that take up space and money.
If you make some mom friends that have slightly older kids you could always swap stuff out, borrow from relatives, or check out consigment shops or garage sales for items like these walkers that aren't essential.

Congratulations on your new daughter!
I had to kind of chuckle when I read your post. Technically, kids don't "need" either! They will walk and jump with or without jumpers OR walkers! I had neither for my son, but he did love his excersaucer. Either way, it will be months before you can use either with her. Try not to get too bogged down by all the baby gear! Good luck!

You really can get by without either! Especially if you are watching money, your little one will still learn everything without the gizmos.

I would get a walker as it helps with the movement of how to walk. I put my daughter in the walker when she was 5 months old and to my surprise she was walking in it.

I actually prefer the walker although you don't "need" it. If you have a big living room area, you can gate it off so that she is safe and can roam. I used to take it outside in the driveway when my older kids were out playing so the little ones could have fun too. I think it is more fun for them to be able to move rather then being stuck in one spot.

I do know a story where a friends neighbor let their kid fall down stairs in one. You really do have to be right there with them and have everything gated. It is no different from when they are walking on their own....

my vote...veto the walker and go with an exersaucer

I like having the jumper and the walker. The jumper is great for when they are still pretty young and just building strength in their legs. The walker was a great way for my son to practice walking before he could do it on his own. The only thing you really have to watch is as they get older and stronger the walker can be dangerous because they can actually flip it over. My son flipped his and landed on his head and it was very frightening. Thankfully he wasn't hurt but that's when I knew he had out grown it and it was time to put it away.

I hope this helps!

A.

I know so many people say walkers are dangerous now a days or will hurt babies developmentally. All I know is my older children (16, 15, and 12) turned out just fine. The thing is my 16 year old had a jumper and a walker and he walked at 9 months. My 15 year old had neither and he didn't walk until a year old.
I know they recommend those bouncy saucers these days, but if my children don't want to be confined and want to get around then that saucer won't do the job a walker will do. You just need to use your common sense and keep it away from steps, etc.
I would say there are definite pros to having both. Because with the jumper your dd will still not be able to get around. A jumper can be used earlier but then graduate to a walker. But the jumper is a plus because it strengthens the legs.
Oh yes I have 2 younger dds 2year old and almost 10 months old. My 2 year old didn't have a walker, yet she walked early. However, her legs were so strong even in utero. I knew when she was kicking!! lol. My almost 10 month old was a lot more floppy at birth and her legs were not as strong. She has really strengthened with the walker we found for her at the thrift shop. She took her first step yesterday and we played pass the baby with her today, where 2 of us sit with our legs apart on the floor a couple of feet away and have her take steps between us. I did this with my 16 year old when he was this age (actually younger).