Baby walkers


Baby walkers have been associated with a number of injuries; a high number of babies were treated in emergency rooms for walker related accidents. Researchers also believe that using a baby walker can delay a baby's motor development and a to an extent baby's mental development as well. Contrary to popular belief a walker won't help baby your baby learn to walk. He does use his legs to propel himself in a walker but this action doesn't strengthen the muscles he needs to develop for walking. Baby gain instant mobility with walkers; he can go to places quickly on a walker as compared to if he were scooting or crawling. That means he can find himself in harm's way in a moment. Being on wheels exposes baby to other dangers such as a tumble down a flight of stairs. Babies who could see their feet when they were in a walker had close to normal motor development. As such researchers believe baby needs to see his feet for optimum motor development. In order for baby to learn from his environment, baby needs to crawl to explore and this is not possible when baby is mostly in a walker. Another theory is that parents pay less attention when baby is in walker hence parental interaction is at a minimum. This translates to delays in some aspects of development. If you do buy a walker, choose one that is too wide to fit through a standard doorway and one that meets current safety standards. Be sure it has a gripping mechanism to stop the walker at the edge of a step. Limit the time baby spends in a walker; give baby plenty of floor time instead to develop his motor skills. As an alternative consider getting a stationary chair; they have no wheels and cannot move. Baby sits in an upright position while in it; these chairs come with a large tray and some toys to entertain baby.