- Many parents view baby walkers as the ideal way
to encourage their baby to begin to walk
while keeping them entertained, safe and quiet.
But is that really the case?
I think you'll be surprised with the answer,
so stick with me
and we'll talk about the truth of baby walkers.
(bouncy music)
But before we do make sure you click on that
free PDF document in the description box below
which covers the developmental milestones
you can be expecting for your little one
in their first year of life.
This will give you a valuable piece of mind
as you know what to expect and when to be concerned.
Also, if you wanna make parenting significantly easier,
make sure you start now by subscribing to my channel.
Where you'll learn the tips and tricks
I've learned along the way
practicing as a pediatric occupational therapist
and being a mum to two children.
First of all,
let's talk about the safety side of baby walkers.
Despite the common belief that baby walkers
are a safe item for your baby to use,
there are multiple studies, which actually show
that this is really not the case at all.
In fact, a study published in Pediatrics in 2018,
showed that over 230,000 infants under 15 months of age
were treated for baby walker-related injuries
in the U.S. emergency departments from 1990 to 2014.
What's really alarming for me
is that these numbers do not actually reflect
the minor injuries babies sustain from using baby walkers
that are treated in physicians or local doctors' offices,
as well as the injuries that we as parents manage at home.
In fact, due to the significant injury risk
as well as no added benefits to using a baby walker,
Canada actually move to banned
the sale of baby walkers in 2004.
And the American Academy of Pediatrics has also recommended
the banning of manufacture and sale of baby walkers.
So why are baby walkers dangerous?
Baby walkers allow babies who aren't yet walking,
to move really really quickly around the house
and grab items that are usually out of reach.
Infants using baby walkers
can move more than three feet or one meter in one second.
Due to that sheer speed,
parents simply cannot keep up with the babies
and prevent injuries.
In fact, most of the injuries sustained
whilst using a baby walker occur when a parent is watching.
So it's not poor supervision
that's resulting in these injuries,
is the fact that the baby moves so fast
and then they can reach and grab items
that are not necessarily normally within reach.
So the most common injuries from using a baby walker
include head and neck injuries.
So this might include a fracture to the skull,
brain injuries,
a cut on the lip or some damage to the teeth.
And these typically occur when the baby falls
from the baby walker.
So they might fall out of the baby walker completely
or they may fall while still in the baby walker.
This typically happens,
when the baby walker goes over a flight of steps
or there's a change in the level of the ground
which might occur if there's a toy on the ground.
The other injuries include choking, burns which happens
when the baby accidentally reaches for a hot drink
or pulls down a kettle,
touches a heater or a fireplace or an oven.
There's also been incidences of accidental poisoning.
And lastly, children often sustained
injuries to their toes or fingers which may include
breaks as well which happens when the baby walker collapses.
In addition to the safety risks associated with baby walkers
studies have also shown that baby walkers,
do not promote independent walking
and in fact can actually cause developmental delays
and delays in motor control.
In fact a study completed by Siegel and Burton in 2019,
show that babies who use baby walkers
sat, crawled and walked later than babies who did not,
and they also scored lower on the Bayley's Scale
for Mental and Motor Development.
When using a baby walker babysit in a slung seat
and they lean forward
and use their toes to scoot along the floor.
This position is strengthening
the wrong muscles required for walking.
To stand and walk you need to be standing upright,
not leaning forward
and you need to have flat feet not pointed feet,
which is what is happening
when a child is using a baby walker.
The American Academy of Pediatrics has clearly stated
that baby walkers do not promote independent walking
and also stress that baby walkers
can lead to delays in development and motor control.
So parents hopefully now you can see,
why baby walkers aren't a great piece of equipment
to place your baby in
because it places them at risk of sustaining
significant, major or minor injuries
and also has no added benefit
in regards to their development.
Make sure you click on that
free developmental checklist in the description box below.
And hopefully I'll see you next week
where I'll share more parenting tips and tricks.
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