Just a few decades ago, such devices in Russia were recommended only for people trying to learn to walk again after severe injuries. Nowadays, mobile devices have flooded the baby products market and have become quite popular. Not all mothers know from how many months a child can be put in a walker, which leads to disorders in the development of the infant's musculoskeletal system.
Self-travel device
What is a walker
Initially, the device on wheels was created with the aim of returning disabled people to the ability to move through their legs. Thanks to the assistive device, a person could maintain balance while walking and keep the body in an upright position.
The idea to use the device for kids came to English designers in the 50s of the 20th century. Although the walkers became popular all over the world thanks to the Americans, who released a prototype of modern models in 1970.
Products flooded Russia en masse at the very end of the last century. Now many mothers raising a baby consider it compulsory to add a mobile device to the list of necessary things for a child.
There is a heated controversy in medical circles about how important walkers are in the development of a baby. The market continues to be filled with a variety of models, which at the time and get confused in their range.
How to choose the right walker
Entering a children's store or "walking" in the evening through an online boutique, parents first of all pay attention to the beautiful design of products. Many are attracted by the multifunctional walker. When choosing an orthopedic device, the main criteria should be the following:
- Most models are available on casters; during inspection, you must make sure that they are securely fixed, but at the same time rotate without problems;
- The base of mobile walkers should be just as reliable, because they are made of plastic;
- An important parameter is the ratio of the dimensions of the upper and lower parts; the base should be wider than the countertop;
- For children who have not yet started walking, it is better to take a walker with a seat; it is important that the back is soft, and the design provides a mechanism for adjusting the depth of landing;
- Babies who have already learned to move their legs, but are not yet stable in walking, should buy a walker-pusher, which the child will carry in front of him;
Pusher walkers
- In the second option, attention is paid to the height of the handrails and the ability to adjust them for the growth of the crumbs;
Important! When pushing the walker, the toddler should not raise his hands up, hanging on the handrails. A low position that makes the child hunch over is also excluded.
- When buying inexpensive products, you should clarify how environmentally friendly the materials that were used in the production of the verticalizing device are.
In order for the baby to spend time with pleasure in the walker, it is recommended to opt for products complemented by a developing table, equipped with musical, sound, light, and logic toys.
There is another alternative option that allows you to free your mother's handles for a while - the "jumper". The construction consists of a special bag with holes for the legs. It is hung on hooks screwed into the top strip of the doorway. Functionally, this option is close to a swing, but not to a walker - it does not allow the baby to move around the house.
Influence of walkers on baby development
Most pediatricians are inclined to believe that there is no benefit to the child from such devices, there is a negative effect on the physical development of the baby. The issue remains controversial, the responsibility for the choice is shifted to the mother.
If parents take into account the aspect that determines when the baby can be put on the walker, harm to the developing body can be avoided.
Positive
By purchasing a walker, mothers believe that this way their baby will learn to walk faster, although this is a misconception. The positive aspects of using the device are different:
- The design allows you to protect the toddler from falls while walking, bruises and collisions with furniture.
- While mom is busy with the housework, the baby in the walker will not be able to reach dangerous objects.
The little one is busy with business
- The additions, placed on the table top, will keep the baby busy, contributing to his mental development.
Walkers are a good alternative to the arena. The ability to move around the room gives the child more freedom while ensuring safety. Such activity of the baby has a positive effect on the development of the whole organism.
Negative aspects
Having learned to use a walker, the little one loses the incentive to move independently, which slows down the stages of development a little. If the mother began to put the child into the mobile device ahead of time, without taking into account the pediatrician's warnings, such an experience will give a negative result.
Note! Vertical load on the fragile spine will lead to poor posture, the development of diseases of the musculoskeletal system, possibly disability.
If the baby, being in the walker, is not able to lean on the floor with his whole foot, but only touches it with his toes, subsequently he will develop problems with the hip joints, and possibly flat feet.
Flat feet as a consequence of the influence of a walker
The toddler not only begins to walk on his own later than his peers, but also does not know how to keep his balance, so he often falls without a walker.
Psychological aspects
Dr. Komarovsky believes that such devices are more intended for mothers than for their little ones. The woman tries to put the baby in the walker not so much in order to teach him how to move, but in order to distract the child from herself and get the opportunity to do other things or have a little rest.
If the little one is attracted by the device, then he perceives being in the walker as a game. The kid likes not only the model's device, but also the ability to quickly move from one corner of the room to the opposite.
Having mastered the device, the baby will very quickly try to expand the space, trying to get into the next room. Here, "force majeure" circumstances may arise (the wheel caught on an obstacle, or the walker stuck in the doorway), making the baby nervous and crying.
Additional Information. Children learning to walk with the described device, finding themselves in an open space without it, feel insecure and often panic.
Walker rules
If parents decide to purchase an assistive device, they need to learn how to use it. Then the goal will be justified and go for good, without causing harm to the little one.
How to sit down the baby correctly
Before acquainting the child with a new "toy", carefully study the instructions, to avoid unforeseen moments during operation:
- Before you put the child in the walker, you should make sure that the baby is in a good mood and will not resist the process. If this is done by force, the baby will perceive the device as a danger.
The kid is learning a new toy
- You should not send your child to the walker barefoot. Moving around the room, he can step on an object invisible to him and get hurt.
- For the feet to develop correctly, the baby must have orthopedic shoes on his feet.
- By sending the little one to "travel" around the room in a walker, they ensure its safety in advance:
- remove from the floor all objects that can interfere with movement;
- put away things that the baby is able to reach and knock them over;
- if the house has a staircase, you must prevent access to it.
Important! Having put the baby in the walker, you should not leave the room, leaving him unattended. However stable the structure is, there is a risk that it will tip over.
How long
The first runs should be short - 7-10 minutes. When the baby is completely comfortable with the walker, you can leave it in the structure for 30-40 minutes. A longer period will negatively affect the condition of the spine.
If the baby does not incubate the "legalized" time for him and asks from the walker, it must be removed immediately. Apparently, the baby is experiencing discomfort, the cause of which needs to be discussed with a pediatrician, neurologist or orthopedist. After all, the reason may lie not only in design flaws, but also in health problems in the child.
Can walkers be used for boys
Some people are of the opinion that the design is harmful to the boys - allegedly from sitting in a walker, their genitals are infringed. There is no official confirmation of this. If the boy is kept in the device for more than the prescribed time, it will have a bad effect not only on the genitourinary system.
The situation with girls is more complicated. Premature landing of the baby in the walker will lead to the development of hip dysplasia. In adulthood, this will backfire with problems during childbirth.
Contraindications to use
Regardless of gender, there are a number of pathologies in which it is forbidden to plant children in a walker:
- diseases of the musculoskeletal system;
- weak muscle tone or, conversely, excessively increased;
- rickets;
- neurological disorders (primarily cerebral palsy);
- strabismus;
- diaper rash and other dermatological problems in areas of the body in contact with the structure.
Even if there is no reason for contraindication, before buying a walker, it is necessary to consult a doctor on this issue.
At what age to use
From all of the above, it is clear how important it is to know when a child can be put on a walker. There is a medical rationale for this.
What time to sit down the girl
The recommended age for planting a baby in a scooter structure is no earlier than 8 months. Date is not the main parameter that should be guided, because every child develops according to an individual calendar.
The baby (regardless of gender) can be planted in a walker from the moment when his spine gets stronger and is ready to take on the main load.
The baby should already confidently hold her back when she sits, and not fall on her or her side, and also be able to stand on her own legs (in the crib, arena, on the floor near the sofa), holding her hands on the support.
Important! If the baby does not know how to crawl, she has weak muscles, so it's too early for her to use the walker.
The optimal age for planting boys
In determining when a male child is in the structure, the same rules apply as for girls. Some doctors recommend postponing until 9-10 months (taking into account if the baby is physically prepared for such an event). This is justified by the fact that in boys, organs and systems develop more slowly than in girls.
Boy in a walker
Features of using baby walkers
Boys have some physiological differences - the condition of their genitals directly depends on the sensations experienced by the perineum. Due to the squeezing of this area or friction along it, the genitourinary system suffers. Therefore, it is recommended to limit the presence of a toddler in a walker to 40 minutes a day, breaking this time into several visits of 10-15 minutes.
You cannot leave a boy in the device if he does not touch the floor with his whole foot. When trying to move around the room, the baby will reach with his fingertips to give a push. From this, the load on the perineum (hence, the scrotum) will increase, causing discomfort and sometimes pain to the little one.
The child's willingness to sit on the walker
It is important not only at what age a walker can be used by girls or boys. The baby himself must be ready for a similar method of movement and not only physically (as mentioned above).
The toddler should be mobile and active enough to enjoy such an event. If the baby shows cognitive activity, he is not afraid of new toys, and he willingly agrees to experiment, it means that he is psychologically ready to master the surrounding space with the help of a construction on wheels.
In an effort to wait for the first steps of the crumbs, some parents rush things, putting the child into a self-propelled structure ahead of time, and get the opposite result. You should not invade physiology, allowing the little one to develop as nature intended. If walkers have appeared in the house, they must be used correctly, taking into account the characteristics of the child's body.
