Walkers and baby development
Parents: Don’t use a baby walker
In Canada, the sale of baby walkers is banned. The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) would like the same to be true in the US.
Why? Because baby walkers are dangerous. According to a study in the journal Pediatrics, between 1990 and 2014, more than 230,000 children less than 15 months of age were treated in US emergency departments for injuries related to walkers. The majority of injuries happen when children fall down stairs in a walker, usually injuring their head or neck, sometimes seriously.
But it’s not just stairs that can be a problem. Children in walkers can get their fingers caught, pull things down on themselves, or grab dangerous things (such as sharp objects or hot liquids) that would otherwise be out of their reach. Children can fall out of walkers and get hurt — and have drowned when they scooted into a pool or spa. There have also been injuries from toys attached to a baby walker.
Between 1990 and 2003, baby walker injuries decreased by 84. 5%, as voluntary safety standards were instituted, and more families started to buy standers that didn’t move. In 2010 mandatory federal safety standards took effect. Among other things, the standards include measures to help prevent walkers from falling down stairs or tipping over, and to ensure that babies inside them are well-supported and can’t get stuck inside them. The rules also require a parking brake, to keep the walker more stationary, and have standards for the wheels themselves to keep the walkers safer. Even still, in 2014 2,000 toddlers were seen in emergency rooms for injuries due to walkers.
So why would parents use a baby walker?
Some parents buy them because they think that walkers help babies learn to walk faster. However, the opposite is true: using a walker can delay independent walking. That’s because learning to walk isn’t so much about learning to use your legs. It’s more about learning to pull to stand and then balance and take steps without support.
When babies are plopped into walkers, they don’t learn any of that. They learn it by being put on the floor with something they can pull up on, like a couch or a caregiver.
The other reason is that babies like them and will play happily in them. This is absolutely true. Starting at around 6 months babies love to be upright — and love to be mobile, so that they can explore and be in the thick of things. However, there are other and safer ways to get babies upright, such as in stationary standers. As for mobility, the inconvenient truth is that not only do babies need to learn mobility by themselves, they need constant supervision as they do. Walkers can give caregivers a false sense of security and make them think that they don’t need to be within arm’s reach of the baby — when not only is that exactly where they need to be, it’s where babies want them to be.
So just say no to a baby walker. It isn’t worth the risk.
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Baby walkers and exercise jumpers
Baby walkers and exercise jumpers | Pregnancy Birth and Baby beginning of content9-minute read
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What is a baby walker?
A baby walker is a circular frame on wheels that seats a baby who has not learnt to walk yet.
Some people believe that baby walkers are useful for their babies, to entertain them and help teach them to walk. This is not true. Baby walkers can be dangerous and can actually delay your baby’s walking development.
What is an exercise jumper?
An exercise jumper, also known as a jolly jumper or baby bouncer, is a device that holds a baby in sling seat with a spring or elastic.
The device either comes in a standalone frame or can be attached to a door frame.
Like a baby walker, exercise jumpers can cause accidents and delay your baby’s development.
How does a baby learn to walk?
Most babies pass the following milestones while learning to walk:
- rolling on the floor
- sitting
- crawling, creeping or scooting
- pulling themselves up to stand
- moving around furniture or other stationary objects
This means that babies need to spend plenty of time on the floor, learning and practising these activities.
How can I help my baby's walking development?
Let your baby spend lots of time on the floor. It's a safe space for your baby to learn to roll, sit and pull themselves up to stand.
You can also place your baby close to soft furniture to help them with pulling-up.
If your baby is moving around, block off a safe area for them to play and move. You can also use a high-quality play pen or stationary activity centre.
Do baby walkers and jumpers help my baby learn to walk?
NO - baby walkers and jumpers don't help a baby develop their walking. In fact, walkers and jumpers can impede or delay your baby achieving these important milestones. The more time babies spend in a walker or a jumper, the more delay they experience.
Walkers and jumpers take your baby's time away from the floor so they miss out on practising important, repetitive movements needed for them to reach their walking milestones.
Babies tend to use their toes when they are in a walker or a jumper, which tightens their leg muscles and Achilles tendons (the thick cord at the back of the ankle) - this interferes with normal walking development. Once out of the device, they often want to keep using their toes, which is not how babies usually learn to walk.
When babies sit and pull themselves up, they are learning how to balance. A baby doesn't balance in a walker, delaying learning this important skill.
Being in a walker or jumper also means less time on hands and knees in a crawling or pre-crawling position. This is important to developing weight bearing through both the pelvis and shoulders.
A variety of important movements is needed when babies are developing their walking skills, but they get fewer chances to practise these in a walker or jumper than they would on the floor.
Read more
Learning to crawl
Crawling is an important skill for your baby to learn and is a big milestone in their development.
Learning to walk
Your baby's first steps are one of the most exciting and memorable milestones in your child’s development.
Are baby walkers and exercise jumpers dangerous?
Baby walkers and exercise jumpers are not recommended in Australia.
Baby walkers are considered unsafe because they move very quickly. Your baby is also taller when upright in a walker and can reach things they usually don't have access to.
Potential dangers include:
- falling down steps or stairs
- crashing into something sharp or hard
- tipping over while moving
- being toppled by an older sibling
- accessing electrical cords or cupboards with hazardous substances (such as cleaning supplies)
- moving quickly to dangerous areas such as fireplaces, ovens, heaters or pools
- being able to reach hot drinks on tables or other dangerous objects
Each year, many babies are injured in Australia when using walkers. Some sustain serious injuries caused by burns, cuts, head injuries, broken bones, poisoning and drownings; some even die.
Exercise jumpers can also cause serious injury to your baby, including:
- falling out, causing head or limb injuries
- getting fingers trapped in the springs
- colliding with the door frame or furniture — pets or other children could also push your baby
Development delays caused by tight leg muscles and Achilles tendons can sometimes require physiotherapy treatment, being put in leg casts, or even corrective surgery.
Are baby walkers legal in Australia?
Despite not being recommended for use in Australia, they can still be purchased and are not illegal.
Child health experts and state and territory health departments recommend NOT using baby walkers or exercise jumpers.
What safety guidelines are there for baby walkers?
Baby walkers sold in Australia, must comply with Australian consumer product safety standards.
All walkers sold in Australia must have:
- a braking mechanism to help stop it falling down stairs
- specific labels with clear safety instructions about blocking access to stairs, keeping the baby in view all the time, using only on a flat surface without objects to tip over and keeping away from all objects that could burn
- prior testing to make sure it doesn't easily tip or topple over
Parents are highly discouraged from using baby walkers. However, if you still decide to purchase one, please follow these guidelines:
- NEVER leave your baby unattended.
- ONLY use on a flat surface and block off access to steps or stairs
- REMOVE all dangerous items from the area, such as electrical cords, hot drinks, cleaning chemicals, fires, heaters, pools or toilets
- MAKE SURE the walker has a lock and a braking mechanism.
- NEVER use a walker before your baby can sit, or after your baby can walk.
- LIMIT your baby’s time in the walker for NO longer than 15 minutes.
Speak to your doctor or child health nurse to learn more about how best to help your baby learn how to walk.
Read more
Tummy time
Tummy time is important for your baby’s development. It helps them learn to crawl, develop upper body strength and prevent flat spots on their head.
Toddler development - Motor skills
Toddlers develop fast, exploring their world and doing things independently. Here's how to help your toddler develop fine and gross motor (movement) skills.
Speak to a maternal child health nurse
Call Pregnancy, Birth and Baby to speak to a maternal child health nurse on 1800 882 436 or video call. Available 7am to midnight (AET), 7 days a week.
Sources:
Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) (Product safety Australia - Kids equipment: Baby walkers), Australian Government Department of Health and Aging (Move and play every day: National physical activity recommendations for children 0-5 years), Kidsafe SA (Baby Walkers & Exercise Jumpers)Learn more here about the development and quality assurance of healthdirect content.
Last reviewed: May 2022
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Related pages
- Learning to walk
- Learning to crawl
- Toddler development - motor skills
- Tummy time
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Walkers: pros and cons
Reviewer Kovtun Tatiana Anatolievna September 15, 2021
29217 views
The feeling when you enter a children's room and find that your baby is standing in a crib is something incredible. Just yesterday, he tumbled to one side when trying to sit down on his own, and today he is already standing and even trying to squat on his legs funny.
Very soon he will take his first steps. And here the mothers of the whole world are divided into two militant camps. Some, in an attempt to help the baby, and at the same time unload themselves, are puzzled by the choice of walkers, while others simply let the development process take its course. We do not join any camp, but simply present the facts regarding the pros and cons of walkers.
What is a walker
A baby walker is a device that allows a baby who is not yet able to walk to move without the help of parental hands. They are a frame on wheels, inside of which a special “saddle” for a child is fixed; the child can, sitting in the saddle and pushing off the floor with his feet, ride around the apartment. Walkers are successfully used in the treatment of cerebral palsy (infantile cerebral palsy), and are also intended for older children (1-3 years old) who cannot walk on their own.
Pros of walkers
- Walkers were invented, like most children's modern gadgets, to relieve mom and dad.
They make it possible to calmly drink tea, do household chores and even work without worrying about the baby. - Walkers move the baby from a horizontal to a vertical position, thereby expanding the possibilities of learning about the world around.
- Positive emotions for the baby. It's so cool to explore the world around! And when all this is accompanied by sound and light effects, just thirty-three pleasures.
- Security. A beloved child will not fit into an outlet, will not fall, will not fit into a cupboard with dishes, and so on, because it is limited in movement and space.
Disadvantages of baby walkers
- Lack of motivation in the baby. If there is a device that helps you stand on your own two feet and even run, the incentive to learn to do it yourself disappears: why? After all, my mother will put me in a walker, and I will run!
- The load on the fragile apparatus of the legs can lead to a number of problems.
- Walkers can affect cerebellar function.
A baby in a walker quickly gets used to the fact that when walking he has support from all sides. As a result, the functions of the cerebellum, which is responsible for the coordination of movements, are formed incorrectly. And then, starting to walk, the baby begins to fall in all directions and fall. - Frequent use of a walker can slow down the baby's motor development. Children who are often placed in walkers start walking 3-4 weeks later on average, and the gait is characterized by uncertainty and springiness.
- Loss of sense of caution. If the baby does not fall, does not encounter obstacles, then he simply will not develop the instinct of self-preservation.
- Risk of injury if the baby is in the walker without supervision.
Orthopedic Warning
- Incorrect position of the feet when walking (in a walker, the child gets used to walking on tiptoe)
- Overstrain of the back muscles (constant vertical position and inability to change it)
As you can see, walkers have their pros and cons.
Yes, of course, if walkers are used as an aid, then there will probably be no harm from using them. But in addition to physical activity in a walker, the baby must crawl, receive massage and do gymnastics, and also try to get up and walk on his own. In fact, a walker is the same arena, only on wheels, in which you can successfully move around. But do you remember that the arena is good only for a short time, and then you have to take the baby in your arms? Same here.
Proper use of the walker
- Never leave your baby in a walker alone – he must always be supervised
- Do not use walker before 6 months
- The time spent by a child in a walker is no more than 40 minutes approximately 1-2 times a day.
Reviewer Kovtun Tatiana Anatolievna
Scientific adviser to PROGRESS JSC, Candidate of Medical Sciences
All expert articles
Walkers and jumpers: friends or enemies?
What do Chelyabinsk orthopedists think about them: pros and cons of popular devices.
How not to harm the baby? Safety regulations
They were discontinued in the USSR: it was found that they fix the wrong position of the feet and hip joints. In Canada, they were withdrawn from sale: they allegedly pose a serious danger to babies. But half a century later, they again conquer the world. Walkers and jumpers, bright, funny, so comfortable .... Friends or enemies to your baby?
The health and development of a baby directly depends on how much and variously he moves, and what emotions he experiences. Best of all - in the hands of my mother: you can turn your head, touch it with a pen, try it on the tooth .... But, alas, mom needs her hands for a lot of other things. And it seems a good decision to buy a special device that will free both mother and entertain the child. So walkers appear in the house.
Baby walker - a device that allows the baby to move without parental assistance. This is a frame on wheels, inside of which a special “saddle” for the child is fixed.
The child sits in this saddle and rides around the apartment, pushing off the floor with his feet.
— Walkers have their pluses and minuses, says Alexander Semyonov, traumatologist-orthopedist of ChDOKB. “Mostly, there are pluses for the mother: she has free hands, she rests from the baby. But for a child, there are still more disadvantages - putting in a walker affects the position of the leg, a child in a walker refuses to walk on his own, does not learn to crawl, he is already comfortable, the walkers support him. But from a medical point of view, this is wrong.
So, on the one hand, baby walkers open up a new world for the baby, transferring from a horizontal position to a vertical one, which, of course, has a positive effect on his intellectual and emotional development. Walkers satisfy the child's need for movement and at the same time do not allow reaching dangerous objects, protect against sharp corners and falls. But in these pluses, the minuses are also hidden: without learning how to fall correctly, the baby will not learn to group when falling, to protect his head from a blow.
He does not learn caution either, because he does not feel pain when he hits a wall or a corner. In the future, these "failures" can lead to serious injuries. Walkers also have a negative effect on the function of the cerebellum: getting used to the support, the baby does not learn to balance. And when he then begins to walk on his own, he often collapses and falls. Finally, a prolonged load on fragile legs can lead to their deformation, and overstrain of the back muscles - a constant vertical position and the inability to change it on your own - to a curvature of the spine.
— When parents keep a baby in a walker for a long time, he starts walking on his toes, and this is the wrong position of the foot, - the expert notes. - Therefore, if parents want to put the baby in a walker, they need to remember that walkers can be used from 6 months, and by this time the child should sit up and hold his back on his own. The time that can be spent in a walker without harm to the health of the baby is on average up to 40-60 minutes a day.
And of course, it is necessary to accustom a child to a walker gradually, starting from 3-5 minutes.
Don't lose sight of your baby in a walker. Walkers can get stuck in the doorway, and when moving from one floor to another, for example, from linoleum to carpet, the structure can roll over with the baby. And this is much more dangerous than if the child fell himself. By the way, the child is able to develop a decent speed in a walker: up to 10 km/h! Therefore, the choice of walkers must be taken very seriously.
Ideal walker has a wide, stable base and many wheels around the perimeter, a deep, wide seat with a soft inner bumper and a high rigid back. It is also possible to adjust the height of the seat according to the height of the child.
Jumpers are another popular device.
Baby jumpers - a special seat, similar to a kangaroo backpack, with a high chest, back and springy straps. Usually jumpers are hung in a doorway. The kid hangs, touching the floor with his feet, and pushing off with his legs, he can bounce a few centimeters.
“I have a more loyal attitude towards jumpers,” Alexander Semenov admits, “this device also unloads the mother, but at the same time there are pluses for the baby himself: jumpers stimulate coordination, the child in them can push off the floor, jump, turn, and while experiencing a lot of positive emotions.
So, jumpers develop leg muscles, stimulate the vestibular apparatus. It is not difficult to understand whether the baby has grown up to them. Place the child on a hard surface, hold under the armpits. If the baby begins to actively push off from this surface, bend and straighten the legs, and this usually happens at 4-5 months, then you can introduce jumpers and live for 15-20 minutes for your own pleasure. Claims to the jumpers are almost the same: violations of muscle tone, squeezing of the perineum with the wrong design. In addition, in jumpers, the child pushes off the floor with both legs at once, and then, starting to walk on his own, tries to do the same. And often falls.
