The choice of baby walkers is a serious matter. The parents have long argued about the benefits and harm of walkers. Some eschew theories about their practical utility, others consider them useless and even harmful. The arguments of both parties contradicting each other are convincing enough. Discussions and debates about the purchase of walkers have been going on for a long time, and you can be sure that they have on their account an equal number of positive and negative reviews. The presented article will provide an opportunity to learn more about baby walkers, the pros and cons of using them. But when studying it is worth remembering that the information presented here is just information of a general plan. Before deciding to purchase baby walkers, you should consult a pediatrician.
Go-carts: pluses
- Each young mother is familiar with the state when the baby is constantly sitting on his hands and it is impossible to do any other business, and there are usually a lot of them. A woman should be able to cook, clean, wash, in general, monitor the order and coziness in the house. It is hard when taking care of the baby all the time. To facilitate the life of a young mother and free time for household chores will help the purchase of walkers.
- Age 6- 8 months is the period when the child wakes up interest in everything that surrounds him. He wants to get rid of the arena and see the full picture of the world, to participate in the life of adults. In the walker the baby will not feel separated from others, his horizon will become much wider.
- In addition, the child's development in the walker is faster than that of his peers. Emotional, social and intellectual development is faster. Children, whose development occurs with the help of walkers, are more loyal to strangers, more sociable, prepared for emotional contact.
Go-carts: cons
It's not so innocuous as it seems and in the use of baby walkers have their negative manifestations. Otherwise, there would be no controversy over the topic of their use. To a number of disadvantages of using walkers in the development of the baby are listed:
Delayed process of development of motor skills.
It is established quite reliably that walkers to a considerable extent slow the development of motor skills in the child. This process is caused by insufficient psychological stimulation of the baby's need for movement. What is the use of making efforts and learning how to walk independently, if walking in a walker does not require any difficulty.
Danger of deformation of the skeleton.
In the case of a long stay in the walker, there is a risk of occurrence and development of deformity of the spine and curvature of the legs. Therefore, if you use a walker, you should not leave a baby in them for more than 30 minutes, otherwise the risk of developing health problems increases.
Influence on the development of the cerebellum.
The opinion of pediatrician pediatricians about the use of walkers is not the best. The fact of their negative influence on development of functions of the cerebellum is proved. This is because when a child is in a walker for a long time, the child gets used to evenly maintaining on all sides and to the fact that there is no need to balance when walking. The result is a deviation of the development of the cerebellum, the child falls when trying to start walking alone.
The ability to fall correctly is a skill that is one of the most important for a baby. This ability saves repeatedly the head and nose of the child. Being always in baby walkers, the baby will not learn to fall properly and with each fall will acquire new bruises and cones.
Remember, you can not spend all your life in a baby walker. He will have to learn to fall, and it is easier to do it at a small age, until the risk of serious injury is small. When the baby falls, he acquires the skills of grouping muscles and protecting vital organs. In adult life, such skills will be useful to the child more than once.
A sense of danger and caution.
Every living being has a sense of danger. It is one of the components of the instinct of self-preservation. When walking in baby walkers, the baby is protected from all sides. When colliding with a wall, a stool and any other object, he will not experience any particular discomfort. The child will never learn to avoid collisions, and the risk of serious injury is further increased.
Possibility of knowledge of the world around us.
Children most actively learn the surrounding world in tactile way, that is, with the help of hands and mouth. A toddler in a walker is deprived of the possibility of such a method of cognition. Walkers prevent the opportunity to pick up an item. This reduces the risk of falling into the hands of the baby objects that carry danger, but at the same time, he will not be able to reach even his own toy.
Danger of injury.
If there are positive reviews about the safety of using baby walkers, they are still quite traumatic. Walkers tend to turn and hit hard on jambs, doorways and walls. The speed of movement of the baby in the walker is about 10 km / h, which is quite unsafe, at this speed, the reasons for the rollover of the walkers may be joints of carpet coverings, laminate. A fall from a walker is much more dangerous than a child's fall from the height of his own growth.
Problems with the development of the feet.
The correct development of the foot can only take place in the case of a gradual transition to standing on the full plane of the sole when walking. This opportunity will not be presented when moving in a walker, where the baby pushes from the floor with his fingertips.
Tension in the muscles of the back.
When the baby is in the baby for a long time, there is a risk of excessive overstrain of the back muscles. The child experiences at the same time a feeling of discomfort, the consequence may be the curvature of the spinal column. This is due to the forced presence for a long time in the vertical position and the lack of possibility to change it.
To all that has already been said, it can be added that walkers can be useful in the field of organizing a child's leisure, and can also help to free up some time for mothers. But with all this, in any case, do not leave the child alone without adult supervision, in order to avoid the risk of falling from them and the occurrence of injuries. And, finally, if you still decide to get a walker for your child, first of all, talk to your doctor.