Baby walkers - a fairly common device, which has long been not a novelty. However, this does not affect the number of disputes that constantly arise between mothers about the benefits and harm of baby walkers.
The construction of the walker
- The classic version of this device is a frame made of metal on wheels. The kid can easily move such a construction around the room without difficulty. In the center of the structure is a chair. Usually it is a cloth, less often - a rigid plastic. In the middle is divided by a jumper, between which the legs of the child are placed. In motion, this device is driven by wheels. They rotate around their axis, as a result the kid can independently choose a direction of movement. Very often, such baby walkers are called gurneys.
- Also there are so-called walkers-transformers which, if necessary, can function as a children's table after disconnecting the wheels, and used for feeding children at the age of 6 months.
- The last option of this device is a baby walker. Their design is quite simple. In the center there is also a fabric seat, which is fixed to the frame by weight with the help of springs. The child, pushing away from the floor with both feet - bounces. Children's jumps do not move, that is, they can be used to teach the child to stand alone, as well as to entertain the baby.
When to start putting the child in a walker?
Often mothers, exhausted by constant troubles, ask pediatricians the question: "How many months (from what age) can you use baby walkers for children?".
Usually it's 4-5 months. In no case should not put the baby in the walker before, otherwise, the child may have problems: the legs are not strong enough and can not hold the weight of his body.
Arguments for and against go boxes
Many pediatricians categorically do not advise using a walker. They explain this by saying that after using them the kid will flatly refuse to walk alone. In addition, the probability of development of pathologies of the musculoskeletal system is great: curvature of the spine, deformation of the lower extremities of the baby. The reason for their appearance is that the child is in a vertical position for quite a long time and can not change it on his own, which is why the muscles are constantly strained.
Also, the baby's feet when walking in a walker take no physiological position. As a result, children get used to it and already begin to walk on tiptoe with independent movement. In this case, medical intervention is inevitable.
Regular use of this device by the mother helps the child to develop a sense of balance with difficulty. When the time comes, and the child must already walk alone, he constantly loses his balance and falls. After several such unsuccessful attempts, he categorically can refuse walking without a walker.
The advantages of this device are not so numerous. The main one is the fact that the mother at their use appears a free minute, which she can take for trouble on the au pair. Also, walkers themselves attract babies. They experience a lot of positive emotions when they move independently. However, do not leave your baby for a long time without supervision. After the child has mastered, he will not walk, but run in the walker, which is quite traumatic for him.
Therefore, before choosing and buying baby walkers for children, it is better to weigh all the pros and cons.