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A decade ago, the baby walker was the norm for every toddler who started to take his first steps. Meanwhile, there are more and more voices against walkers. What is their harmfulness?
Baby walker – for and against
The baby walker is a gadget that undoubtedly allows parents to take a break from the constant supervision of their children for a while. Placing the baby in a walker gives him a chance to move around the room on his own, even before he starts to walk. Until recently, the baby walker was very popular. It was considered an excellent toy for learning to walk. Today there are more and more votes against. And these are the doctors’ voices.
Several generations took their first steps in baby walkers. At that time, doctors conducted research on the legitimacy of using such a gadget, and even its harmfulness. The first, very disturbing signals that children’s walkers are not safe concerned numerous accidents, especially falls from stairs, in which the children suffered skin abrasions, shock and head and neck injuries.
This was despite clear messages on the packaging. When the baby walkers were equipped with new safety features, there were fewer accidents. However, much more serious negative effects of their use have been detected.
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Is a baby walker harmful?
Currently, there is probably no more depressed accessory among orthopedic surgeons than a baby walker. The doctors’ opinions are consistent – it has a negative impact on the development of children by delaying the development of motor and mental abilities. Toddlers should naturally learn to balance, judge distances and even fall. Meanwhile, the baby walker makes the baby:
- incorrectly positions the pelvis and spine, putting the belly forward,
- improperly loads the feet, pushing off with the fingers,
- loads abnormal muscle parts, which significantly delays independent crawling and walking,
- has impaired ability to judge distance,
- has problems with maintaining balance,
- cannot fall.
Many parents wonder from which month a baby walker is safe. Well, there is no such age. Regardless of whether the child is not walking at all or taking the first steps – negative effects are just as likely. However, one of the biggest mistakes is placing toddlers who have not yet fully mastered the ability to sit independently.
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Baby walker – accidents
According to studies that were carried out in the period from 1990 to 2014, it turned out that there were over 230. cases of injuries in children under 15 months of age. This is a huge number of accidents that were not prevented by children, even with clear warnings on the packaging or materials explaining the dangers of improper use of baby walkers.
Over 24 years, 230 children with injuries resulting from accidents related to the use of baby walkers were provided to specialists. As many as 676 percent of the cases concerned the head and neck, the most common being scratches of soft tissue, shocks and head injuries. According to the data, falls down stairs accounted for the majority of accidents. Interestingly, researchers say, as many as 90 percent of families with child injuries as a result of the use of baby walkers knew about the risks before the accident. Nevertheless, about 59 percent of parents said that they did not dispose of the device after the incident and that the child continued to use it.
These statistics meant that it was decided to introduce a number of modifications to the design of baby walkers, which was to result in increased safety in their use. In 1997, a safety standard was introduced that mandated the design of baby walkers to be wider than door jambs or to have stop mechanisms when one of the wheels falls off any edge.
It should be added that the structural changes introduced in the construction of baby walkers brought the expected results, and the number of accidents in the USA dropped from over 20 in 1990 to around 2 in 2014. Interestingly, when it comes to the aforementioned cases, i.e. falls down stairs, their number decreased by 91 percent. It should be added that in 2010, additional mandatory decelerators were introduced. This resulted in a further 22 percent decrease in all walker-related injuries.
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A baby walker – position of the European Union
Not only in America, but also in Europe, there have been many reports of injuries resulting from the use of baby walkers. In most cases, there are falls down the stairs, or a child overturns after catching on the carpet. In one year, 850 children in Portugal contracted and 2300 children in the UK, according to figures. In 2009, the European Union published a safety standard for baby walkers.
According to the standard, each baby walker should have the following information attached to the package:
- may interfere with natural development,
- it is not intended for learning to walk,
- not intended for infants who cannot sit up independently,
- about the weight of the child from which he can use it.
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Walker or pusher – what to choose?
The best solution, recommended by pediatric orthopedists, is to let the child take the first steps on his own. She should just get up and start walking when she is fully ready to do so. However, there are some replacements for traditional baby walkers. These are pusher walkers, which the little ones can walk with on their own, but they are confident in keeping their balance. Although it is not a perfect solution, it enjoys better opinions than a traditional gadget of this type.
However, there are still followers of the walkers we know from childhood. Many companies producing accessories for children come out against them. It is worth noting that the baby walkers they propose must comply with the stringent safety standards in force in the European Union.
Where can I buy a baby walker? In stores with clothes and accessories for children, as well as in numerous online stores. A new baby walker costs from 50 zlotys to even 200 zlotys, and the price of a used walker is about 30 zlotys.
How to choose a baby walker?
While the risks of a baby walker appear to outweigh the benefits to your baby if you decide to buy one, here are some important safety recommendations:
- make sure the walker meets EU safety standards for consumer products,
- always keep your baby close and remember that it can move to dangerous places within seconds,
- make sure the walker will only be used on a flat surface with access to steps or stairs blocked,
- use only in places where children are protected. This means your child cannot move or reach dangerous objects such as electrical cables, hot drinks, cleaning chemicals, fire, heaters, swimming pools and toilets.
- choose a walker that has a lock to prevent it from moving when you want, and a braking mechanism,
- do not use the walker before the child is able to sit down or after the child has started to walk,
- do not put your baby in the walker for more than 15 minutes.
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Baby walker – why do parents use them?
Some parents buy them because they believe that baby walkers help their children learn to walk faster. However, the complete opposite is true: using a baby walker may delay walking on your own. This is because learning to walk is not about learning to use your legs. It’s more about learning to pull to stand, then balance and take steps without support. When children are allowed into walkers, they don’t learn it. They learn this by laying down on the floor and helping each other with something so that they can pull themselves up, such as thanks to the couch or the chaperone.
Another reason is that children like them and will happily play in them. This statement is absolutely true. From around 6 months of age, babies love to be upright and mobile so they can discover new things. However, there are other and safer ways to place your baby in an upright position, such as on a stationary stand.
When it comes to mobility, the inconvenient truth is that not only do children need to learn mobility themselves, they also need constant supervision. Baby walkers can give caregivers a false sense of security and make them think that they don’t have to be within the baby’s reach, a situation that is dangerous to the toddler’s health.
Baby walker – interesting fact
Baby walkers were known in Europe as early as the XNUMXth century. The illumination in Hours of Catherine of Cleves, a Dutch manuscript of the time, shows baby Jesus in a wooden walker.
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