Every site I read on parenting has a different take on whether or not we should use a ''walker" to help the baby learn to walk...
Hmnnn... I read a lot ... and mentally decided to 'try' not using one... the husband and I had sort of taken this decision from stories we had heard as well as personal experiences....
The husband it seems was given a walker and when his grandmom and mother saw the contraption... they fainted... so they took photographs and then packed it up and kept it deep inside the loft.... lol...
I had grown up hearing stories about my cousin sister who used to go "whoosh" all over the place and then crash into things and fall over due to the thingy being very very unstable...
So...we said... "na..thaak"....
But after five days of running after Joy and him crawling into and under everything...we said .. maybe we should give it a try... at least it will have a radius.. and it will prevent him from lunging at some things at least.....and we won't have to hold on to him all the time... and he won't be able to go under things....
So , I called a cousin of mine who had offered to give us her son's old one.... now, this cousin.. is very particular about what her sons' use.. so I was sure she had bought a walker after properly researching the market... and sure enough.... its a great one... and even the husband .. after seeing it said .." Well! it looks very stable... unlike the one I had "
So , the walker arrived.... Joy took one look at it and gave us a toothless smile followed by a "Whoooooop!!!!! and Wheeeeeee!!!!!!" We too looked down at him with fondness ..thinking maybe we had done the right thing..... look how happy he is with it....maybe it will be good for him..he will learn to walk and explore....
That was one of the biggest mistakes we ever made... or one can call it our naivety.....I say.... we were idiots....!!!! Some one rightly told us that at each stage you think it can't get worse than this... but you are wrong... when the next stage happens... the previous one seems so so so peaceful....
Earlier , Joy would go under things and get into things... now he goes over them.... and around them....
Earlier , Joy would be crawling around ....so we would have to keep bending down to pick him up or help him stand up..... Now we have to look out and save our toes.. coz he goes over them.....and also we dont have to help him stand ..he is standing....
Earlier, he could not reach a few things.... but now.. he CAN....he can now open drawers, he can yank the table cloth off the table...with all the cutlery and crockery on it...
Earlier , my dressing table was safe.... now it isn't....nor is my nice-pretty drawing room.....and all the crystal...( thank god the drawing room has a door separating it from the rest of the house... so now it is out of bounds for Joy)
Earlier the fridge was off limits for him.... now he doesn't care...
Here is a pic of him openning the fridge door and examining what to chuck....
He did chuck the bread out... Thank god ! The eggs compartment was still a little too high for him..
Initially , he was a little unsure about manouvering the contraption.... but now he has mastered it.... he is still making a break for it .. whenever he sees the balcony door or the main door open....only difference being.... now he's gone in a flash... so if we thought the time when he would crawl and make a break for it ... bad.. it has just gotten worse...much worse....
I have been warned that it will become crazy when he starts walking.... I don't even want to think about it.....
Cornered in the walker
5 comments:
Ananya used a walker quite like the one Joy is using from when she was 8 and 1/2 months old to almost until she was 11 months old. A lot of people tried to dissuade me from using a walker for Anya-it's unstable , it'll delay walking, she'll walk crooked. But I found that Anya was an unhappy stationary baby and crawling always got her into places which were dangerous and also gave her a low vantage point which she didn't quite like. She took to the walker like a pro and was really happy. It never once toppled altho she rode it at breakneck speed sometimes.When she turned 11 and 1/2 months old, she began to walk unsteadily and gave up the walker completely.Now she walks and run perfectly. What I am trying to say is that as parents we know our child the best and its up to us to make decisions. I am sure Joy will be happy toddling around in the walker until he realizes that he has enuf strength and balance in his cute little legs to do the same without the contraption!
Hmmm...so many choices...so many decisions! Thanks for the sneak peak into what lies in store for me a few months down the line! :)
I did not use a walker since my house has a lot of open space and I have seen children run at jet speed with it and we were scared it would only harm than help. Maybe you got into this phase of opening drawers and stuff a little early because of the walker, nevertheless it does happen and ruin all your happiness :).
:) the brat used his for like a week or something and then didnt use it. but that one week - it was pure terror!!! he had the same walked in a different colour.
Thanks all of you for writing in... Joy loves his walker...so I guess I will have to deal with him going all over the place...and opening everything....The Maid and I will just get some exercise is the only positive way of looking at it
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