Why Do Baby Walkers Get Such A Bad Rap?

When I looked around online to find a baby walker for Emmett—they just seem so fun!—I found all sorts of alarmist websites.

"You'll delay his development!"

"Stunt his growth!"


Well, we live in a ground-floor apartment, so the only stairs Emmett would encounter in a walker would be the kind he'd have to walk up.

I spoke with a friend who did a bunch of research before letting her daughter use a baby walker, and she said the only study she found about developmental delays said a walker could delay walking. By a week or two.

Is that what all the fuss is about?

I don't see how a walker is any worse for development than, say, an Exersaucer or a Jumperoo, which are basically walkers without wheels.

I mean, it can't be good to leave your kid in any contraption for hours on end. But how did walkers in particular get such a bad name? It sounds like any harm that comes from using one is the result of bad parenting, not bad design.

Do you (or did you) let your baby use a walker? Should I?

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