Jackson Roloff Is Walking! Sort Of: ‘Little People, Big World’ Star Is Moving About, With A Lot Of Help

Jackson Kyle Roloff is walking! OK, so saying he’s “walking” may be a bit of a stretch, but he’s definitely moving about and using his legs, which is as close to “walking” as he’s going to get for a while.

As InTouch Weekly reports, Tori Roloff posted a video on Instagram showing her little guy moving about using a baby walker. That’s pretty impressive for being 7-months-old; according to Baby Center, most babies take their first steps when they’re between 9- and 12-months-old and are fully walking by 14 or 15 months of age. Jackson, of course, obviously isn’t even standing on his own yet, but if Mom Tori’s post is any indication, he’s certainly getting the hang of it.

Unfortunately, it appears that Tori’s video of Jackson’s early attempts at walking has been removed. It’s not unlikely that she got some hateful comments in response: baby walkers are intensely controversial, to put it mildly. Canada banned the devices in 2004 over safety concerns, according to HuffPost — this after retailers had voluntarily not sold them for 15 years. Babies using the devices sometimes fell down stairs, flipped over, got within range of hot ovens, or were able to grab dangerous things such as hot drinks or sharp objects.

The U.S., meanwhile, hasn’t banned the devices, and Tori seems more than content to let Jackson use his.

For what it’s worth, the use of baby walkers in the U.S. is controversial, according to What To Expect. Although most models sold on this side of the border have safety features such as brakes that prevent them from taking more than a couple of steps at a time, or do not move at all if all four wheels aren’t touching the floor (for example, of one wheel has gone over a step), many pediatricians recommend against their use.

And of course, no amount of safety protocols is a substitute for attentive parenting, and parents should never assume that, just because their baby is in a “safe” walker that he’s going to stay out of shenanigans.

As for Jackson, though he’s in the early stages of learning to walk right now, he may yet grow up to have mobility issues, like his grandfather, Matt Roloff, who can often be seen using a cane or an electric scooter. And according to the Little People of America website, some people with Jackson’s form of dwarfism do have mobility issues, most of which can be corrected with surgery.