Reviewing Toys

My mom arrived from the USA two days ago, along with a suitcase full of goodies for Bea. The best one of all was the activity walker that I couldn’t find anywhere. So far she’s spent a fair amount of time in it and she loves it. It gives her some indendence and makes her feel like she’s deciding what she wants to chew on, yank on and drool all over.

Baby walkers get alot of bad press, with good cause. Out of the plethora of baby toys, walkers have the highest injury rate. BUT not because of the walker itself but because of lack of supervision. Parents often don’t realize how quickly babies can get around in walkers. You baby-proof your house, usually for crawling (covering plugs, making sure there’s no wires to chew on etc…), but when they get into crawlers, babies suddenly have access to a whole new level of ‘toys’ to get their hands on. Bea has already been pulling the diaper bag off the changing table because she could reach the strap.

Main injuries are from falling down the stairs, burning themsleves, tipping over and eating unedible items. Of course, these can all be avoided if you are as vigilant as when they are crawling on the floor.

Saftey tips:

- Make sure the walker is on a smooth surface to avoid tipping over.
- Check that all items that are in their reach are baby-safe to avoid injury and burns (i.e. don’t do something incredibly stupid such as leaving the iron cord in reach!).
- Close all doors and gates that access stairs (even one step can send them crashing!).
- Make sure they don’t have access to a water source.
- ALWAYS, ALWAYS supervise them when being used!!!

Do walkers help with learning how to walk?

NO! This is one of the misconceptions that parents often have about walkers. Read this Q&A by Dr Greene to find out why walkers don’t help babies learn how to walk and can sometimes delay walking.

So why the hell should you still buy one?

Because they are fun and if used safely, kids can have a blast in them. Remember that not every single toy needs to be about pushing those development milestones and all toys should be used in moderation, meaning don’t stick your kid in a walker for three hours a day and then leave the room!

baby walker, activity walker, development, development milestones, infant development, Dr Greene