WHEN DOES THE USE OF WALKERS FOR BABIES START?
As babies begin to grow, develop and move rapidly, parents eagerly await their first steps. Because walking is an expression of freedom for the child. Thinking that they can contribute to this freedom, parents buy fun walkers so that their children can walk around the house before they even start walking.
They believe that the walker will support the development of the baby by navigating more easily in the environment. However, babies can give us signals beforehand that they can walk on their own.
Tips That Your Baby Is Close To Walking
Pull Up: This movement may be the first sign that your baby is ready to walk. The fact that he wants to stand by pulling himself up from his seat strengthens his leg muscles and balance coordination.
Navigation: Trying to walk holding things around and moving from one object to another, continuing their steps. As your baby takes this walk, he develops balance and the ability to move forward. However, while your baby is on this adventurous excursion, you should be careful of the surrounding objects and plants that may move, fall or damage him. It will be more helpful if you create an environment that will allow him to move around safely.
Walking with Assistance: Play cars suitable for your baby's age, push, wheeled and musical walking toys can help him walk. In addition, you can hold your child's hand and encourage him to walk.
When Should Your Baby Start Using a Walker?
There is no specific time for a baby to use a walker. However, using a walker in the very early stages can sometimes cause risky situations. What is important here is the decision that parents will make by observing their children's movements. The development, mobility, strength and size of the baby can be counted as criteria to be considered. Baby walkers usually consist of products designed for 4 to 16 months old.
What Should Be Considered When Choosing a Baby Walker?
- The product you choose should be strong, light and durable. Your baby should not have difficulty moving in the walker and should feel comfortable.
- It should be compatible with your child's physical structure and should be comfortable. For this, it is important to pay attention that the seat of the product you choose is of good quality and orthopedic, which can hug your baby from three sides.
- It will also be beneficial to buy walkers with sufficient height adjustment. When your baby is in the walker, it is important for his comfort that you can adjust the appropriate height according to whether he is standing or sitting.
- Choose products that will have a positive impact on your child's mental development and make them have fun. For example; The audible, colorful and lighted toys on the apparatus on the front of the walker will be very interesting for your baby.
- When choosing the product, make sure it is foldable and easily portable. In addition, the wheels can be fixed, the lock adjustable and practical walkers are also a very important detail for your baby's safety.
What are the Advantages of Baby Walker?
If you are considering buying a walker for your child, here are a few advantages for this product:
- While your baby is in the walker, you can take care of your other household chores. Because at that time, your child will be playing with the colorful, tiny and interesting toys on the walker. These little toys on them will both entertain them and positively affect their mental development.
- While these products can help your baby walk, they can also make them want to walk on their own.
- When babies start to move, they will first want to visit the inside of the house, then other different places and explore their surroundings. The walker can provide them with this opportunity and they can navigate unaided in choosing their own direction.
Disadvantages of Using a Walker
- Babies who use walkers are said to start crawling and walking later than other babies.
- Movements like sitting up and standing that your baby uses to walk strengthen her muscles. However, this strengthening and development may slow down if a walker is used.
- While your child is crawling, he cannot reach the higher objects in the house. However, while using a walker, he can reach these objects and hurt himself.
- Some parts of the walker may injure your child's fingers.
- When these walkers with wheels on their feet accelerate, there may be dangerous situations that you may not realize at that moment.
- Put safety locks on drawers and cabinets in your home.
- When your baby walks, he can pull the covers on the tables. Therefore, do not have covers on the table tops.
- Keep cleaning supplies or other household chemical-containing products out of your child's reach.
Possible Dangers of the Baby Walker
- The walker can tip over while on the move.
- Bumping into sharp or hard objects in the surroundings
- Accessing electrical outlets or cabinets in walls
- Going towards dangerous areas such as stoves, fireplaces, heaters, ovens, pools or stairs while moving quickly
- Reaching for hot drinks or other dangerous objects on the tables are risky situations that the baby walker can create.
Precautions You Can Take While Your Baby Is In The Walker
We can list the measures that you can make your child safer while using a walker as follows:
- When your baby is in the walker, be sure to be with them. If you are doing your daily chores at the time, make sure your child is accompanied by another adult.
- When your child is on the move with the walker, keep them away from stairs, hard floors and any hot objects.
- Remove sharp-edged or pointed objects from rooms.
- Choose a lockable walker with a brake mechanism for your baby. In this way, you can prevent your baby in the walker from moving when you don't want it.
- Only use the walker in “baby-proof” areas. Also, do not leave your baby in the walker for more than 15 minutes.
Do Walkers Delay Baby's Development?
- Babies learn to balance their bodies when they are in a sitting position, pulling themselves up and getting up. But while inside the Walker, they may not be able to freely learn this balance.
- Crawling using hands and knees is very important for babies to develop their bodies by carrying their own weight. But when using a walker, they do the crawling position less often.
- Babies can improve their walking ability by making a wide variety of movements while on the ground. With a walker, they have less chance of performing these movements.
Thanks to the walker, babies can gain independence of movement and explore their surroundings comfortably. While children are walking around the house, parents can take care of their daily chores with a little freedom. However, this product may cause the baby's natural walking period to pause.
If you want him to be physically, mentally, and psychologically healthy, let your baby play freely on the floor, push a chair or anything else that is safe to help him develop and learn to walk.
http://reingemacht-forum.xobor.de/u694_pregnancydark.html
https://exchange.prx.org/series/40307-what-are-the-earliest-pregnancy-symptoms-and-when?
https://www.extra-life.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=donorDrive.participant&participantID=458136
http://cs.astronomy.com/members/pregnancyroles/default.aspx