When children are just starting to stand on their feet, many parents purchase walkers for them. Kids like this toy, and mothers are more comfortable - the child is engaged in an interesting business and is under supervision all the time. But some people think that walkers are unsafe and harmful.
According to pediatricians, a fully developing child with no health abnormalities simply does not need a walker. This is more a need for parents than for a baby. As for the harm from using a walker, rumors about it are greatly exaggerated.
Why do parents buy a baby walker?
Those parents who buy a baby walker in order to learn how to walk faster are somewhat mistaken. Walkers on their own will not help here - in them the child will only learn to push off well from the floor. To walk, you first need to learn how to keep balance, and the ability to move your legs is almost useless here.
There is no doubt that the walker is very convenient - not only for a child exploring the possibilities of his body, but also for a mother. While the baby cheerfully kicks off the floor with his feet and rushes around in a walker around the house, mothers can calmly do household chores or just relax. The child is supervised and engaged in interesting gymnastic exercises. But even your weight cannot be felt in such a device - it falls entirely on special fabric panties, which almost reach the baby's armpits, and on the frame. And to start walking, you need to feel your weight and be able to control the position of your body in space.
What harm can be from using a walker
Everything is good in moderation. So the walker - a long stay in them has a bad effect on the baby's fragile spine and can even provoke a curvature. If you are determined to purchase a walker, it is best to do so when the baby is strong enough, that is, after he reaches nine months. The baby should not be put on the walker more often than twice a day, and the duration of being in them should not be more than half an hour.
You should not force the baby to get up on his feet before he is strong enough for this. The later the vertical load on the child's spine appears, the more chances are that the child's ligaments and muscles are strong enough, and upright posture in this case will no longer pose a danger. It is necessary to ensure that the child does not get used to moving, pushing off the floor with his toes or the edge of his foot - when he learns to stand without the help of a walker, this will create additional difficulties. The support should be completely on the entire foot.
If the child spends no more than an hour a day in the walker, it will not do any harm. The main thing is not to abuse it. You will also need to restrict the baby's movement around the room, make sure that he does not scatter in a walker, does not bump into the corners of furniture and does not fall out with a particularly deft bend.
