My little guy, Hunter, is 9 months old and loves his walker. I am thinking that he loves his walker so much he will never crawl. Hunter weighs 22 lbs. , last time we checked, so when he is in his walker he is moving fast! He looks like a football player pushing one of those big training things at practice. His walker has given him so much freedom and has saved my arms from having to carry him around all the time, but this weekend it became a nightmare for Mommy.

We were visiting my Mom and I had put Hunter in the walker in her family room. The family room is just off of the kitchen in her house and there is a step seperating the two rooms, so it is the perfect place for him to be in his walker and contained in one room as well. My Mom had just come home from the grocery store, so I went outside to help her unload the car. During this time my sister came in the house and picked Hunter up to say hello. When she put him back down she moved Hunter’s walker into the kitchen and then set him in it. For some reason she got distracted or something and she left Hunter alone in the kitchen in his walker. Meanwhile my Mom and I are out at her car getting the groceries. I had a handful of grocery bags and as I walked into the garage I could see Hunter just at the top of the three concrete stairs that go into garage. I just started screaming at him, “No, no, no!” But, I was too late. I dropped the groceries and dove to catch Hunter all at once, but I just could not move fast enough. It was like it all was happening in slow motion and then after he fell everything moved fast. I picked my screaming baby boy up and surveyed the damage as I cried my eyes out. Surprisingly Hunter looked fine, he had a small bump on his head but nothing like what you would have expected. Luckily my parents have a large rubber mat at the bottom of those stairs and I think that saved my little guy from a lot of trouble.

My Mom ran into the house and found my husband who came out and comforted Hunter and his basket case of a wife. He took Hunter in the backyard to play, and within minutes Hunter was fine. I was still crying, but so relieved that my baby boy was okay. Later that night our friend who is a nurse came over and checked Hunter out, she said he looked fine and everything seemed to be normal. Thank goodness!

I have not been that scared for a long time! So, here is a warning for all of those parents out there with babies and walkers. Keep an eye on your child at all times when they are in a walker, you don’t want to make the same mistake I did!