The baby is growing rapidly, the need for constant sleep is decreasing, he is becoming increasingly active. The child begins to crawl, seeks to know the world around him and tries to stand on its feet. Parents sometimes do not have time to follow all his movements, so various devices come to the rescue. Does the child need a walker? The article will consider the positive and negative aspects of using this device.
Parents' attitude to walkers
Any mother will react positively to the use of walkers or reins. After all, for her it will be a convenient means for moving the baby around the apartment, during which he will be busy studying the world around him. Mom can free herself a little and redo some household chores. Modern appliances have toys that squeak and scream. It is inexpensive and the design folds easily.
First of all, it is necessary to determine whether a child needs a walker? Why is this done? To the child to know the world around him or to facilitate the parents who are constantly busy with household chores?
Against those parents who are not constantly busy with such things as cleaning and cooking. In their life - the main child. Such mothers give preference to joint walks and teaching children to move independently.
Misconceptions related to the use of walkers
The device aims to replace a supportive adult. Walker manufacturers believe that they are developing the correct posture and muscles of the baby’s legs.
What are the baby walkers for? There is no single answer to this. As a result, some misconceptions arose. Here is some of them:
- Walkers help the baby learn how to walk. This is not true, because the device is not able to develop balance, and therefore the child puts his foot on his toes, and not completely on his foot.
- Walkers strengthen muscles. The statement is incorrect, because this only happens when crawling, crouching and walking independently.
- When moving on a walker, the child will never fall. But for the baby it is important to learn how to do it correctly. The use of walkers deprives him of the opportunity to develop a sense of danger, fall to the floor, while grouping his body.
Only an understanding of the action of this device for the baby will help to correctly answer the question whether the child needs a walker.
How do walkers work?
Devices are 2 types:
- push walkers;
- walker seats.
Pushers include a game pad and legs with wheels. The child pushes the device, resting on the manual supports. On the game panel there are many of the most diverse chants and tweeters. It resembles a toy on wheels, which the child pushes in front of him. Walkers can be turned into a game table.
The second type of fixture consists of countertops, castors and seats. The kid is seated in a walker so that his legs reach the floor, while he sorts with his legs and learns to move.
Which walker to choose
If there is an urgent need for adaptation, then you need to pay attention to such aspects:
- To make it convenient for the child to use walkers, it is necessary to choose them according to age. It depends on what time the child began to walk.
- It is best to choose an accessory taking into account the height adjustment. As the baby grows up, the seat needs to be raised.
- Stoppers are necessary when the child is tired and wants to rest. They can immobilize the walker, and the baby will be able to stand on its legs, and not hang down in the same position in which he will be when the device stops.
- The use of a wheelchair accessory is prohibited. It violates the stabilization of the vestibular apparatus, and also makes the baby a sloth who gets used to lean on something.
Walkers must be chosen, paying attention to the width of the seat. This will prevent the baby from turning over when he comes across scattered toys, furniture or carpet. It is best for the support to be rubberized for shock absorption.
The seat should consist of a dense but soft fabric. This will not interfere with the movement of the child. The deep seat of the walkers will not allow the baby to fall out of them. The child’s feet should be fully stacked on the floor, so the height should be adjustable.
Parents need to choose a design that is fully suitable for the weight and age of the baby. The wheels must be at least 6. This gives the walker stability and maneuverability. It is best to purchase a folding model.
From what age do walkers need
When the child has taken the first steps or is trying to do this, then he can be placed in the device. And when this happens - depends on the age of the baby.
How many walkers can I use? It is important to consider age and the following:
- weak muscle tone in the legs;
- skin irritation in the groin;
- rickets;
- violation of the musculoskeletal system.
If health indicators are normal, then parents should consider the following factors:
- The baby should be 8 months old.
- The child must have strong back muscles. He does not fall on his side, but keeps himself level. This usually occurs in 6–9 months.
- The kid must be ready psychologically, that is, he is crawling and ready to go on his own.
How many months can a walker be available? Many mothers are worried when it is right to put an infant on a baby walker, depending on gender or age.
If a girl has previously been diagnosed with hip dysplasia, then even if the disease is cured, it is not necessary to use a device so as not to provoke a relapse.
When to put a child in a walker? The joints of the girl need to be protected, because she will become a mother in the future. To strengthen the spine and pelvis, you must wait until the age of 9 months.
You need to carefully examine the musculoskeletal system: put your legs together, and if one of them is shorter than the other, then parents should urgently visit a doctor.
When using a walker for boys, babies should not be left in this device for more than 40 minutes.
The best age for walkers to seat boys there is 8–9 months. Girls can be put there a little later. Be sure to consider what time the child began to walk.
Benefits
What are baby walkers for? The positive properties include the ability of the baby to explore the world. This contributes to the development of horizons and curiosity. The child’s body learns to take poses that were previously inaccessible to him. Muscles develop and coordination of movement improves.
Children like to run around the apartment when the space at home allows them to do this. The child goes from horizontal to vertical. His viewing angle changes to familiar things, the developing brain of the baby receives new information and continues intellectual development.
If the walker is of high quality, then they will not allow the child to reach dangerous objects. These are sockets, cabinet doors and more.
In the process of using walkers, the baby spends a lot of energy. After all, if he does not creep, then this adversely affects his sleep or appetite.
Having a child in a walker, parents can go about their business and take a break from it.
However, in addition to benefits, there is harm to the baby's body.
Baby walker harm
The use of walkers depends on what time the baby began to walk. If we consider the current dangers of walkers for children, the harm will exceed the benefits. Orthopedists say that the device adversely affects the health of babies and in some countries their production and sale is prohibited.
The negative properties of the walker are as follows:
- The time is set aside when the baby will be able to walk independently. After all, walkers satisfy the child's need for vertical movement, and his motivation to take independent steps is absent.
- The load on the spine. Nature conceived that the baby begins to walk only when the muscular framework around the spine is fully grown and is able to withstand the upright position. If you put a child on a walker who does not yet walk independently, an unbearable load arises. He is not ready for her yet.
- Lack of fall skills. The child must necessarily learn these actions. When falling, the baby learns to group, raise his head, fall on his hips or buttocks. Thus, it prevents injury.
- The development of coordination is delayed. During movement in the walker, the cerebellum does not receive signals about the need to maintain balance, and the development of its functions is delayed. If the child begins to walk independently, then he falls to one side or forward.
- Incorrect setting of the foot. When moving the baby makes a repulsive movement with his socks, not putting them on a full foot, and not making her move in the vertical plane.
- When moving in walkers, the baby does not receive the necessary negative experience from collisions with foreign objects and does not learn to exercise caution.
- Limit sensory experience. While in the walker, the baby does not have the ability to touch the desired object with his hands or take it on the tooth. If you limit them, then logic will not develop.
Therefore, considering the harm of walkers, it is necessary to exclude their use up to 9 months of age.
Opinion Komarovsky
Does the child need a walker? A well-known pediatrician believes that they are not a child’s need, but a need for his parents. This is a great way to free mom from the baby while she is busy with the housework.
After weighing the pros and cons of the walkers, Komarovsky argues that the child can spend 1 hour in them. In this case, there will be no harm from this. The main thing is to limit his movement around the apartment so that he cannot fall out of them. Up to 9 months, the doctor does not recommend sitting the baby in a walker. This can negatively affect his health.
When you can not use a walker
Do not put the baby in the device if he:
- not sitting on his own;
- the child has increased or decreased muscle tone of the legs;
- sick with rickets;
- there are violations of the musculoskeletal system.
In this case, walkers are used with caution.
Contraindications
There are situations when you should not use a walker, so as not to harm the baby's health:
- You should not put him on a walker when he resists and does not want this.
- The baby should not be in the device for more than 1.5 hours a day. You can distribute this period of time for 30 minutes.
- The child should stand on the floor surface in full foot.
- The kid should be shod. Shoes should be lightweight and rubber soled. In a walker without her baby does not need to be planted.
- There is no need to leave the child unattended, and the space where he will move must be as safe as possible.
- There is irritation of the skin under the diaper. The forced position exerts additional pressure on the inflamed area.
- With a deficiency of vitamin D. The child is easily amenable to bone deformities, therefore, the risk of curving the legs increases.
Conclusion
Despite the fact that walkers are a convenient device, which has its pros and cons, not all children like to spend time in them. Parents should not immediately purchase them at the store. You can initially rent them and check the reaction of the child.