The history of baby walkers stretches back more than 130 years, beginning with the use of specific technologies to help parents to control babies for safety. In recent years, this device has come under intense scrutiny by the Consumer Product Safety Commission in the United States and in Canada the federal government has banned the sale or use of baby walkers.
History
According to the United States Patent and Trademark Office archives, the first patent for a baby walker device in the United States appeared in 1874, filed by Henry W. Eastman and titled "Improvement in Parlor-Sleds and Baby-Walkers." Baby walkers had been in existence before Eastman filed the patent, and parents had used a variety of baby containment devices for centuries prior.
The most common form of baby control was swaddling and slinging, with the baby tied securely to the mother via a large cloth. Long strips of cloth called "leading strings" were common in 17th and 18th century Europe, sewn into the shoulders of toddler clothing. According to Anne Buck in her book, "Clothes and the Child: a Handbook of Children's Dress in England, 1500-1900," the strings allowed a caretaker to grab the child, much like a leash. In addition, children could be tied to immobile objects, such as a wagon wheel or a table leg, while parents completed chores.
Function
The baby walker, unlike other forms of child containment, was designed to help with a specific developmental milestone: learning to walk. The basic structure of a baby walker has not changed since the 1870s. The device has a seat through which the child's legs dangle onto the floor, with a base that has wheels on it. The child can stand upright, supported, and move across a room using the tips of toes or the soles of feet and the wheeled base.
Significance
Proponents of baby walkers in the late 1800s and early 1900s claimed that the device assisted with leg muscles and walking. A 2003 article in Health Education Journal, "Baby walker safety - baby's minder or parent's problem? A qualitative analysis of clients' knowledge, attitudes and practices regarding baby walker use" notes that most parents in the study believe the walkers do help with muscle development in spite of accident risk. However, a 1999 study published in the Journal of Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics, "Effects of baby walkers on motor and mental development in human infants" found that infants using walkers did not sit, crawl, or walk sooner than infants not using walkers.
Time Frame
The first patent for a baby walking device was issued in the U.S. in 1874. Manufacturers continue to produce baby walkers in the United States through the year 2010.
Warning
Once hailed as a necessary device to promote walking muscles, baby walkers are now banned in some states and countries such as Canada. Canadian law forbids the sale, possession, or distribution of these devices, with fines reaching as high as $100,000, according to Health Canada, the federal agency responsible for health and human services issues in the country. In the U.S., the Consumer Product Safety Commission reported more than 25,000 injuries related to baby walkers in 1992. That number dropped dramatically to 2,600 in 2005 after the CPSC made safety-design recommendations for baby walkers to prevent falls down stairs, excessive speed, and mobility through doorways.
