Buying a Baby Walker - Momandmeshop

Baby walkers, also known as push toys, are getting to be very popular, despite some fears that they cause injuries and accidents. When chosen with care keeping in mind some important criteria, these can be fun and a safe way to support baby just as she begins to show signs of standing up and walking.

Baby walkers help to develop muscles in children and at the same time help baby to gain balance and coordination of limbs as she pushes around with the walker.

There are various kinds of baby walkers one can choose from. The sit-in walkers are safe to use as soon as baby has learn to sit by himself. Sometimes these walkers have some extensions with toys and gizmos attached. which then makes the walker an activity center.

Traditionally, the wooden push trucks have been used to make the child comfortable with walking.  The electronic ones have a whole of lights flashing on them, music playing, with lots of things to pull at and to wiggle.

All walkers come with wheels attached on a mostly circular base and the whole idea is to get the baby to push the walker and as the wheels increase the momentum, the baby moves with it, holding on to the walker. The movement induced by the wheels makes the baby place one leg in front of the other in order to keep with the walker.  This action can strengthen leg muscles and help the child to balance.

Choosing the Right Walker

Keep the child’s age, weight and height in mind when choosing a walker. Take the baby with you when you buy the walker as then you can ensure that it is suitable in every way.  There may be manufacturer’s guidelines about weight that you may need to check out. Check to see if the baby’s feet touches the ground if it is a sit-in kind of a walker.

Another important factor is to choose one with a wide base and a smaller frame on top as this kind of design keeps the walker more balanced. Walkers with larger wheel sizes are good as it gives stability to the walker.  All wheels should be level and flush to the surface. Walkers with wheels with friction tape or those that have locking wheels are useful as the walker stops moving when they reach uneven ground, thereby saving baby and walker from toppling over.

Some walkers, which are adjustable, can be a great buy as then it can be used for a longer time by your growing baby. Sharp edges and hinges are a no-no.

If you can find walkers with a base width of more than 36 inches, go for it. This width will mean that the walker cannot pass through doorways and so you don’t have to worry about baby wandering into a dangerous area like the kitchen or a staircase.

A walker with a removable tray is helpful as the tray can be used for putting food and toys for baby as he moves around.

Precautions

Babies should never be left alone without supervision and this applies to one in a walker too. Many parents hold the opinion that a baby is totally safe in a walker and that therefore they can be left alone for a few minutes. This is incorrect as baby’s accessibility within and without the house is now suddenly much more, and a jutting rod or a sharp corner can cause injury to baby. For this reason, it is important to child-proof your house, especially when intending to use a baby walker.

Paediatricians also advise that the walker should not be used more than 30 minutes at a stretch and no more than an hour in a day, which will ensure that there is yet plenty of tummy time and that baby is getting enough practice rolling and crawling.