Departments
Health Matters
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Week of 16 January 1998 |
Vol. I, No. 16 |
Health Matters
Walking the baby
I have read that parents should be wary of baby walkers and "exersaucers." Should I worry?
Pediatricians have two concerns about baby walkers, one of which pertains as well to "exersaucers," a stationary device resembling a walker without wheels. The first concern is that babies can quickly escape parents' watchful eyes while in a mobile walker -- and endanger themselves by tripping or falling down stairs. The second is that walkers and exersaucers foster bad posture and weaken stomach and back muscles, which may delay walking.
Sean Palfrey, M.D., says both concerns are valid. "Almost all pediatricians are anxious about the use of walkers because the potential for disaster is too great," according to the associate professor of pediatrics at Boston University School of Medicine and attending pediatrician at Boston Medical Center. "Babies are quite mobile with them, so that if a parent's back is turned, they can get into all sorts of trouble very quickly and incur severe injuries. For instance, if they get too close to stairs, they could tip over and be caught inside the walker. Or they could get near a stove and burn themselves."
But while many pediatricians regard walkers as unsafe at any speed, there is less consensus on the issue of whether these devices lead to bad posture. Initially walkers were marketed as a tool that helped develop good posture because the walker kept the babies upright and gave them a chance to move their legs. "But we discovered that they don't learn how to support their weight and move in a coordinated manner. Instead of walking, they just push, the way adults sometimes push around work spaces in office chairs," Palfrey says.
Some pediatricians, including Palfrey, believe that one solution lies in removing the wheels from walkers, the alternative that exersaucers offer. Still, he and others claim that allowing babies to cruise along furniture, crawl on clean floors, and sit and stand on their own is more effective because these activities force babies to strengthen their muscles. "Moreover, if babies are placed in an upright position before they are naturally ready, they may scrunch forward or hyperextend their backs, neither of which is good for breathing or development," he says.
According to Palfrey, use of exersaucers should be limited to short, closely supervised play times monitored by parents. To increase safety, parents should also put gates on their kitchen doors and scan rooms for small or sharp objects by sitting on the floor, viewing the room from the child's perspective.
"There's a more fundamental reason we don't want parents relying on these contraptions," Palfrey says. "Parents should not let the TV, swing, or walker become a convenient baby-sitter. They need to spend as much time with their children as possible. It's good for the baby's development, and it's rewarding for the parent as well. Babies at this age develop language, social, and physical skills very fast. They are only like this once, and the time you have with them is precious."
"Health Matters" is written in cooperation with staff members of Boston Medical Center. For more information about baby walkers and exersaucers or other health matters, call 800-682-2862.