For first-time parents, their baby learning to roll and sit by itself, instantly leads to the next goal – to get their little one moving independently. There are many options to help your baby start walking, but the one that is most popular yet which should be avoided at all costs, is the infant walker.
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There seems to be an undeclared and subconscious competition, where parents seem to want their baby to have started walking before others, and, in this desire, to hasten the process they turn to the infant walker. Often, parents are very disappointed when their children do not start walking by one year, but the truth of the matter is that most children start walking independently only after the first birthday. In fact, your pediatrician will only be concerned if the baby is not walking by 18 months.
Certain countries like Canada have banned the walker as it is considered a dangerous piece of equipment. The American Academy of Pediatricians (AAP) is also moving in the same direction.
A study published in the journal Pediatrics spanning a time frame from 1990 to 2014 showed that 2,30,000 children were treated in the emergency department for injuries directly related to the use of baby walkers. These walkers are basically baby seats on wheels, which the baby pushes around with their legs. They are not really walking and they can propel themselves really fast. The most common injuries were to the head, neck and other body parts and some were very serious. Most of these happen when the baby falls along with the walker, especially down the stairs. Oftentimes, their fingers get caught in the walker, causing injury. Most of these injuries happen despite a parent watching the baby, and since it happens so fast they don’t have time to react.
When a child is in a walker they can reach things and places that they normally cannot. They can reach countertops and pull down pans and pots and scald themselves. They can pull the tablecloth and pour hot food kept on the table or even a hot cup of coffee.
Another concern is when babies have wandered off to pools in the backyard or even a bathtub and drowned. They can reach high places like cabinets and open them, which is especially risky with the medicine cabinet.
Following this study many safety measures and standards were introduced in the manufacture of walkers. Most of them are now stationary, have good brakes so that they don’t topple. They are supposed to fully support the baby, either in the sitting or standing position and the wheels also have certain specifications. Despite all these recommendations, in the year 2014 alone, there were over 2,000 toddlers who had to be treated in the emergency department with walker-related injuries.
So why do parents buy these things? On asking my patients this question, the prompt answer is to help them walk. But the converse is actually true. Walkers delay independent walking. Babies have to learn how to walk, it’s not about placing your legs one in front of the other. It is more important for the baby to learn to pull himself to stand and be able to balance first before moving forward.
So encourage your baby to be on the floor and use something like a sofa to full himself up and then take support of the sofa to cruise alongside the sofa. Some children who have used walkers for long develop toe walking. You can use upright activity centers, which are stationary, here your baby can learn to pull itself to stand and even learn to rotate when playing. Once your baby has learned to cruise, make sure to remove anything unsafe from their reach. If you really want to help your baby to walk, you can get a push walker, as these cannot move too fast. Other alternatives include the use of playpens or you can baby-proof a part of the room and leave the baby there.
The truth is you don’t need to do anything special to help your baby walk. You just need to leave your baby on the floor as much as possible in a safe area under supervision, where they can safely move around and explore.
There is no rush in getting your child to walk; they will develop this skill at their own pace.
Dr Saroja Balan is consultant neonatologist and pediatrician at Indraprastha Apollo Hospital. Her column appears every fortnight.
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