Infants between the ages of 6 months and a year have a powerful urge to move across the floor, according to DrGreene.com. Children love the freedom that a baby walker can provide as they roll across the floor with the help of their little moving legs. Baby walkers can provide hours of fun and enjoyment to a young child, but should be used with extreme caution and with parental supervision at all times as they can also cause harm, injury and even death. Baby walkers do not promote walking in children and according to the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), baby walkers have no clear benefits and they recommend a ban on baby walkers due to the number of injuries they cause. Instead they recommend the use of stationary activity centers.
Function
The function of baby walker is to promote walking by allowing mobility while a child is learning to walk. Baby walkers can serve as an activity or play center for children and provides a way for children to sit upright.
Types
According to Babydevelopmentnews.com, there are two types of baby walkers: push type walker and sit-in type walker. The push type walker is a walker that does not support the weight of the baby and pushes the walker around. The sit-in type of walker allows infants to sit in the walker, allowing him to move around by pushing with his legs and feet.
Disadvantages
Drgreene.com states that baby walkers allow babies to get around too easily, inhibiting strength and coordination that is normally achieved through crawling, creeping and scooting. Dr. Greene believes that baby walkers actually interfere with learning to walk by decreasing the desire to walk. He states that baby walkers strengthen the lower portion of the legs and leaving the hips and upper legs weak.
Misconceptions
According to iVillage article "Considering a Baby Walker? Learn the Facts" by Dr. Robert Steele, up to one third of parents believe that baby walkers keep their children safe. Parents also believe baby walkers provide a good form of exercise and promote walking---both of which are untrue. Dr. Steele states that baby walkers may delay walking in infants by several weeks. The AAP also supports the notion that infants who use baby walkers experience significant delays in sitting and crawling as well.
Warning
UAB Medicine states that baby walkers have killed more than 34 children since 1974 and in the year 2000, more than 8,300 children were treated for baby walker injuries. Baby walkers cause more injuries than any other type of baby product and baby walker related injuries occur more often in children between the ages of 5 months and 15 months. Baby walkers are dangerous because they allow children access to areas in the house that they might not have access to otherwise. They allow children to reach for items off of countertops and tables that may fall on or cause harm to the child. Children can also fall down steps or stairs while in a baby walker, causing significant injury.
