- 1. Make the baby walk later
- 2. May damage the baby's joints
- 3. Wrong way of stepping
- 4. The baby can get hurt
- 5. Delays intellectual development
- How to help baby walk faster
Although seemingly harmless, baby walkers are discouraged and unnecessary because they can delay the child's normal motor development, even making them walk later, and can also impair their intellectual development.
In addition, the baby walker allows the child to reach a higher speed, not giving the parents time to react, increasing the risk of accidents such as falls that can be serious, which can cause fractures and even head trauma.
The baby walker can be harmful to your baby's development because:
1. Make the baby walk later
The child must go through all stages of motor development until he learns to walk alone. Putting her on the walker before she is able to stand on her own, but with support, can make her walk up to 1 month later than expected. Here's how to help your baby walk faster.
2. May damage the baby's joints
Putting a child who is still unable to stand alone, even with support, on a walker can lead to injuries in the joints of the lower limbs, as the leg muscles are not properly strengthened and therefore the joints can become 'looser', there is a risk of injury.
3. Wrong way of stepping
The baby in the walker adopts an incorrect posture, which may cause bad posture, spinal problems or even walking in the future.
In addition, the longer the baby stays on the walker, the less he crawls, and this crawling and constantly lifting and sitting exercise is essential to develop strength in the leg muscles so that he can walk alone. Meet 6 games that encourage the baby to crawl.
4. The baby can get hurt
The baby using the walker has a higher risk of falling due to tripping on the carpet, chairs and toys scattered on the floor or falling from the stairs, because the walker reaches a higher speed, making it difficult for parents to reach the walker in time. to stop it. Thus, if the baby falls, you risk having even a head trauma.
For these reasons, the baby walker is not recommended, as it is only suitable for children with neurological problems, but even so, an orthopedist or physiotherapist should indicate the most appropriate equipment for the child's height and weight.
5. Delays intellectual development
The baby who gets stuck in the walker cannot explore the environment around him as much as the ones that are free on the floor. Thus, the baby has less opportunity to be interested in the toys around him because he cannot pick up anything from the floor, for example.
How to help baby walk faster
Generally, the baby starts taking the first steps from 9 months and can walk around 15 months, but to speed up this process parents can use some strategies such as:
- Let the baby walk barefoot; Walk with the baby, holding him by the hands; Call the baby a few meters from him to encourage him to walk; Call the baby a few meters from him to come and get his favorite toy.
Throughout this process, it is important for parents to transmit calmness and security to the baby and let him explore the space so that he feels safe and confident and can walk.
Also see how to stimulate the baby's rhythm and balance.
Watch the video and see how to encourage the baby to walk:
