To safely use activity tables or centers, make sure your baby is physically ready. The age range for baby walkers and alternatives vary depending on the height and features. How Big Does A Baby Have To Be To Use A Walker? What Are The Different Types Of Baby Walkers?Īlthough traditional baby walkers (seats with trays on wheels that let babies push themselves around) are still available, the term baby walker now encompasses stationary activity centers (with or without bouncy platforms) and activity tables without seats, as well as push toys that babies use while standing up and walking. The benefit mostly is for parents, who get a short break from entertaining baby as you did with an infant swing when they were younger. The best ones “have attachments that may entertain your child and could help reinforce developmental skills like reaching for objects, using pincer grasp,” says Regan. Many baby walkers and alternatives like stationary activity centers have toys and music that help babies refine their senses and motor skills, as well as learn numbers, shapes, colors, letters and first words. And when you use hands on handles the core turns off.” That can hinder baby from building the strength she needs to walk unassisted, so it’s best to keep an eye on any of this behavior developing in your child. “That often leads to tiptoe walking to keep up. Push toys in particular can impact babies’ balance. Morel explained on aspect in detail: Mobile and stationary baby walkers and push toys encourage babies to put their weight in their tiptoes, which can affect how steadily they walk without support. “Walkers can delay when a child starts to walk.” “Many parents think walkers will help their children develop and learn to walk,” says Anthony Hudson, MD, a pediatrician at Children’s Hospital New Orleans. You can also roll up a towel and put it in the sides of the seat for support to help prevent compensatory leaning.įor push toys, she adds, you can weigh them down or put rubber bands on the wheels to slow their roll and help babies keep up. To improve the situation, make sure your baby’s feet can stay flat on the floor with a slight bend in the knees, she says you can put a flat object like a book or mat underneath if needed. That encourages the “overall use of inappropriate muscles and compensatory patterns,” explains Morel, which can lead to asymmetry and toe walking. The seat is often too big to offer proper support and it may not be the correct height from the floor. “Never use one when your child is less than 6 months of age,” she says.ĭo be aware that spending lots of time in a stationary, seated baby activity center like an exersaucer isn’t ideal for your child’s development. If you’re eager to find a safe, healthy stationary baby walker, make sure the one you choose is age appropriate and certified as safe by the Juvenile Products Manufacturers Association, Regan advises. We now only advise stationary ‘baby walkers’ (activity centers) if a parent really wants to get one,” she says. “They do not help a baby’s development and definitely do not help them learn to walk. “Several infant deaths occurred in the past from baby walkers as well as many emergency room visits due to falls, even after the ‘safety’ modifications made in the late 1990s,” says Regan. The pediatricians and pediatric physical therapist I interviewed don’t like them either. Traditional baby walkers (seats with trays on wheels) have been redesigned so that they’re safer to use, but the AAP still warns against them. Tapping into this advice, I combed through parents’ favorite push walkers, activity tables and stations and bouncers and pulled together a list of those bestsellers that most matched the experts’ recommendations, reading reviews closely and looking only at those with the best ratings. Instead pediatricians, such as Regan recommended: “We now only advise stationary ‘baby walkers’ (activity centers) if a parent really wants to get one,” as well as push walkers. Unsurprisingly, none of them recommend the wheeled, sit-in variety. I spoke with two pediatricians and a pediatric therapist to get to the bottom of their baby walkers dos and don’ts. Contributor How We Chose The Best Baby Walkers And Alternatives
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