Are Baby Walkers Safe?
May 23, 2009 – 3:00 amA common concern is whether baby walkers are safe. The truth is there have been injuries using baby walkers; some have been bad with one notable injury back in 1988 where an 8 month old named Luke Parker received permanent and disfiguring facial injuries. Sadly, this accident happened while his parents were just inches away. His father had just stepped away for a moment when Luke raced away and the wheels got caught and he ended up in the fire. This incident and others sparked an international debate on the child safety of baby walkers. The Child Accident Prevention Trust (CAPT) reports an annual accident rate of 4500 injuries, which is more than any other piece of child equipment.
Although these incidents sparked heated debates, however the purchase of walkers continues to increase. Manufacturing companies argue that baby walkers may actually save lives or injury. They base this on a statistic which states that less than 3% of all baby injuries come from baby walkers. Back in 1985 the Consumer Safety Unit stated that “most mothers who use a baby walker found it to be an essential piece of equipment and very useful”.
On the flip side studies show that the use of baby walkers may hinder a baby’s development, teaching them to walk on their toes which cause leg muscles to tighten. Obviously, this does not occur with all babies, but does enough to cause a concern. Babies that used walker scored 12% or lower on mental and physical development than those that never used them (Journal of Development and Behavior Pediatrics).
The majority of injuries occur from falling down stairs and spills from hot liquids, these incidents can cause injuries that are major and leave lasting damages. So what can you do to limit your baby’s injury chances? The most obvious one is to not use a baby walker. Otherwise, consider never using it while upstairs where there is a possibility your child may fall down them. Don’t use them around fires, especially those where the wheels can get caught or the fire in unguarded. Supervision is the key, but don’t assume that this alone guarantees your child safety. Try and limit the use to no more than 20 minutes, this will allow your child time outside the walker to develop proper motor skills and muscle development. Keep the walker out of the kitchen to limit the chances of hot liquids spilling on your child and in other areas of the house keep hot liquids out of child’s reach. Last, inspect the walker on occasion to make sure that it is functioning properly.
The author of this article is not a medical person, so take that into consideration. The best thing you can do is consider the pros and cons to make a choice that is best for you and your child.