The older the infant becomes, the more he wants to learn about the world, but to do this before mastering walking skills is obtained only in the arms of the mother. And in this case, walkers act as an assistant to the parents, about the benefits and harms of which there are many opinions.
What is a walker
This is a device that looks like a highchair, but much smaller in height. At the base of such a frame there are wheels by means of which this structure moves around the apartment when the child pushes off the floor with his legs. But if the chair has a hard seat, then in the walker it resembles a backpack, since the main load falls on the lower body and legs, and not on the back.
There are various models of walkers, both representing a regular frame for movement, and whole play complexes equipped with rattles and sound effects.
The benefits of a walker
For a mother, this is a real salvation, as it allows you to rest your back and arms for at least some time, as well as do household chores while the child is busy exploring the world around him. This is another plus of the walkers: the more tactile contacts, as well as new information, the more complete the intellectual development.
Walkers provide child safety by preventing the child from reaching dangerous objects and also protecting them from falling.
Walker harm
The opinions of doctors and consumers about the dangers of walkers are quite contradictory. Those who are supporters of the natural development of the child say that it is not necessary to force it by means of walkers, bypassing the stages of independent sitting down, coups on the stomach and back, and even more so, putting on legs. This is explained by the fact that a child who has felt the delights of vertical assimilation of the world does not want to make attempts at independent physical development and just waits for his parents to put him in this device. But that's not all. A much greater danger is that the posture and correct positioning of the feet are disturbed, since in the walker the child leans forward and pushes off with the tips of the toes, and does not put the foot on the floor completely. That is, this position is far enough from traditional walking. Well, another important minus is that when moving in a walker, the child does not comprehend a sense of danger, since he is completely protected from falling, which is not too good, since later problems may appear in this direction when he starts walking himself.
So there are no winners or losers in the debate about whether walkers are needed, the benefits or harms of them, whether it is possible to do without them. The decision is made by each parent independently, but when buying a walker, you should still understand that measure is important in everything and you cannot keep the child in them all day, even if you consider them completely safe.
