As you know, a baby walker is a tool that has been created to help babies learn how to walk faster. However, contradicting its use, some experts discourage parents from using it, especially if they cannot supervise their child as they use it. So, if you are wondering whether you should buy a walker for your child or not, just continue reading this article.
What is the function of baby walkers?
Apart from it allowing your baby to enhance their walking skills, increasing his/her mobility and allowing them to toddle around your house, it also has a seat that allows your baby to rest whenever he/she is tired of walking. It also has wheels that allow them to maneuver it easily wherever they want.
What are the benefits of baby walkers?
- It helps a child stay in an upright position and allows them to go wherever they wanted to go to in the room by himself/herself.
- It may help in strengthening the lower legs of children.
- It keeps the child entertained, allowing the parents to attend to their other tasks such as doing household chores.
Possible Effects
According to some experts, it is a part of a baby’s development to start from the ground and learn how to crawl. On the other hand, with the baby walker, the things that they could do are limited to standing up and walking. They cannot roll or sit while they are using it.
In addition to that, as it assists them as they walk, it takes them a long time to learn how to balance themselves without any assistance. It can also cause a delay in their ability to crawl and even walk by themselves. Some even say that it can cause complications in their spinal development or an imbalance in their muscles.
Despite the possible effects that it has on children, it doesn’t mean that you should fear to buy it. In fact, the safety standards for walkers have been tightened in order to increase the level of safety that it offers to children. So, just make sure to buy the one that meets the latest standards.
Considerations
First of all, you need to check whether your child’s feet can touch the ground if he/she uses a walker for if not, then you better wait a little longer for your child to grow bigger and older for it so that they would be able to push their feet in order to make the walker move accordingly to what they want. Typically, infants of about 4-16 months can use it. Also, as it’s the main purpose is to help children walk, it is not suggested for the children who can already walk to use it.
Of course, you can consider using the old ones but it does not guarantee you that it meets the current safety guidelines for such products. With that being said, it would be best for you to purchase a new one. In fact, baby walkers nowadays offer more features such as breaks that can keep them from harm.
There is nothing wrong with you wanting to help your child learn how to walk at a faster rate even if it that means that they would be using tools that can be purchased online such as a baby walker and allowing them to use it as long as they don’t use it for long hours and as long as you monitor them closely. Also, weight the benefits and drawbacks of using it before you make your decision. So, are you now willing to buy a baby walker for your baby or not?
About The Author:
Sophia Nguyen is the founder of “Healthy Baby Happy Earth” website. She is a blogger, and she loves writing about babies and helping the parents by providing only the most useful information. Follow her on Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter, and Instagram.