Baby walkers from what age Komarovsky. Are walkers harmful to children - expert opinion; walkers - for and against. When should you buy a walker?
- in walkers, the baby learns to walk in a walker, and not independently, because the technique of independent walking and in walkers is different. When moving in a walker, the child leans on his toes, which prevents him from developing the correct position of the feet while walking. To move forward, the child leans his chest against the edges of the walker, and for independent walking, he needs to learn to find balance. Thanks to training, the ability to keep balance is formed and you should not think that with age everything happens by itself;
- any fitness trainer will tell you that the best way to train the muscles of the legs and buttocks is crawling and squatting. The child masters crawling, lifting, learning to get up, squat and this happens many times a day. In walkers, the child is deprived of such an opportunity, he can only rearrange his legs;
- it is clear that every parent wants to protect their child as much as possible from the slightest pain, falls and bruises. But, if the baby does not fall at all, he will not be able to learn to group himself when falling from a still small height of his height, to protect his head from a blow, which can subsequently lead to serious injuries.
Among other things, in a walker, the child is protected by bumpers and does not learn caution! Of course, no one talks about extremes and does not offer to “let” the baby fall headlong on the tile, but falling on the floor or the carpet with his booty can be very instructive and useful!
There is a myth that walkers prevent the baby from reaching dangerous objects. Practice shows that babies even in walkers manage to injure themselves. Therefore, you should not leave a child in a walker unattended, and besides, it is worth preparing for the active period of a baby’s life by removing dangerous objects in inaccessible places, putting plugs on sockets, removing the tablecloth from the table, etc.
The benefits of baby walkers
- not infrequently, a mother is torn between a child and household chores, which leads to fatigue, stress, and worsening lactation. Walkers can help mom by freeing her hands and giving her the opportunity to do household chores. But do not leave the child unattended. Talk to him and watch his actions;
- in a walker, a child opens up new views, he can look around, see what was previously hidden from his eyes.
In addition, I would like to note that a child moving in a walker later learns to walk independently. If you use a walker for a long time and constantly, you can "get" the deformation of the feet and the curvature of the child's spine.
Let's see what Dr. Komarovsky says about this.
The blessings of civilization undoubtedly simplify our life. But often their use raises many questions. Take at least such a device for babies in the first year of life, like a walker. At what age can a child be put in them and is it necessary to do this at all? This problem worries every parent, because opinions on this matter differ.
Note that this device has both its advantages and disadvantages. Let's name some of them.
Pros:
- Muscle strengthening. A baby can be much more active in a walker. It turns 360 degrees, stands and walks.
- Some freedom for mom. While the baby is in the walker, she can cook dinner or clean the apartment, without being distracted each time by pulling the baby out of the next closet or dragging her away from her favorite flowers.
- The peanut enjoys exploring the world around him, and walkers allow him to expand the contemplated space on his own. At what age will this opportunity be available to the child? We will talk about this a little later.
- If the baby likes to move in a walker, then he will be satisfied himself and will delight his parents with his smiles and cheerful laughter.
And now for the cons. Doctors unanimously declare that walkers, no matter what age parents start using them, only harm the child. The child's body must be ready for the baby to start walking. The later this happens, the better the ligaments and muscles will get stronger. Excessive use of walkers is fraught with huge loads on the child's spine. In the future, this can provoke the formation of incorrect posture. Significant problems with the spine are possible.
Many mothers watch programs and read the advice of Dr. Komarovsky. In his opinion, the child should take his first steps only when blisters are visible on his knees from the fact that he is actively and for a long time crawling. This well-known pediatrician is supported by many other specialists.
And yet, is it possible to use baby walkers? At what age can a baby be taught to the "vertical world"? Of course, much depends on the individual pace of development of the child. Some at 7 months still do not even try to crawl, while others already walk independently, at least with support.
Walker manufacturers assure that a baby who is already sitting well without support will not be harmed by such a device. According to them, the optimal age for its acquisition is 5-6 months, a maximum of 7. But pediatricians, including Komarovsky, have a completely different opinion. They do not recommend that parents of babies think about it until the baby is 9 months old.
Please note that there are cases when it is strictly forbidden to use a walker. From what age pediatricians are allowed to do this, it doesn’t matter anymore. So, refuse to buy such a device if:
- the baby does not sit on his own without the support of an adult;
- observed;
- there are inflammations or diaper rash on the places in contact with the seat;
- there is an increase or decrease in the tone of the leg muscles;
- impaired musculoskeletal system.
Now it's up to you to decide whether or not to use a walker. From what age you put your baby in them is also your choice. However, in any case, do not forget to ensure the safety of the crumbs by covering the outlets, preventing collisions with furniture and the child from falling over thresholds.
A special device called a walker was invented to help a child aged six months and older to move independently and learn the world. This product has a seat and wheels with which the baby easily overcomes the distance, pushing off the floor with his feet. Some mothers ask the question of when it is possible to put the child in a walker. Consider this question in details.
Most parents rejoice at the opportunities that walkers give, they allow you to unload your mother's hands and get a small amount of free time for household chores. In addition, the baby acquires great opportunities for its movement. Such mobility allows to accelerate its development in many directions.
If you ask experts about when you can put a child in a walker, then most of them believe that it is not recommended to do this before six months. Although for many babies, the desire to get up and sit down often occurs at an earlier age.
However, the nervous system and the musculoskeletal system are not yet prepared for this. And parents should not force things so that the child does not have a curvature of the spine, which will lead to big health problems in the future.
Contraindications
Despite the huge advantage of this device, in some cases, experts do not recommend their use. Contraindications to planting a child in a walker are:
- increased or decreased muscle tone of the legs;
- violation of the integrity of the skin and the appearance of diaper rash, rashes in the area of contact with the seat of the walker;
- signs of rickets in a baby;
- deviations in the structure and functions of the musculoskeletal system.
For parents who want to use a walker, here are some guidelines:
- Do not use this device on a child under 6 months old;
- the legs of the baby in the walker should be straight;
- Be sure to wear comfortable shoes on your feet;
- before using the devices, you should adjust it depending on the height of the baby;
- while in a walker, you should not leave the baby unattended.
At what age to use
When asked how many months you can walkers, modern scientists and pediatricians find it difficult to give a very precise time frame for the start of their use. The fact is that every child is an individual and develops at its own pace. Therefore, in order to understand the readiness of the baby's body for planting in a walker, a number of factors should be taken into account:
- In any case, this cannot be done before 6 months. The most optimal age is called 7-8 months. It is at this time that the muscles are already physically ready to support the baby in the correct vertical position. holding hands of adults
- Revolver of the fact that the back muscles are ready to use the device for moving is the ability of the child to sit up on his own and stay in this position for some time does not fall sideways all this can happen at the age of 6 to 8 months approximately
- In addition, the child must be psychologically ready to use the walker. The kid should show physical activity, the desire to crawl quickly, walk with the help and support of adults and in every possible way, and signal that he wants to expand the horizons of knowledge with the help of a new way of movement. However, if the baby does not even show a desire to crawl, then when using a walker, he can completely skip this stage of development, which is completely undesirable and negatively affects the development of muscles.
Features of the use of walkers in boys
Since it is necessary to take into account the gender of the baby when using walkers, some parents are of the opinion that this is undesirable for boys. Many mothers and fathers say that walkers can negatively affect the development of the genitourinary system of a future man, since when walking in them, friction occurs in the perineum, and even in this device, the genitals are subjected to pressure.
If you ask the experts, they believe that it is not necessary to completely exclude the use of baby walkers in boys, but at the same time, recommendations for their use should be followed. They say that regardless of gender, a baby should stay in a walker for about forty minutes a day, and no more
What about girls?
If we talk about such a device as a walker, from how many months can they be used by girls, then this question is also quite acute. The fact is that it is in infancy that they are prone to dysplasia of the pelvic bones and joints. This deviation can be greatly exacerbated by early sitting, getting up and using a walker. It is especially dangerous if the deviation in the musculoskeletal system of the pelvic bones was not noticed and diagnosed in time.
Therefore, before finally deciding at what age girls can use walkers, it is necessary to go with the baby to the doctor and undergo a thorough examination, as well as pay attention to her physical fitness. Pelvic bone health is especially important for girls as they are expectant mothers. When can I put my baby in a girls walker? Only after the attending physician allows it.
How to choose the right products
In order to choose a device, it is necessary to study the instructions and the device of this device. Since there are a lot of manufacturers now, you should be careful about the choice, and remember the following:
- Walkers should be equipped with a rigid and high back. This will provide proper fit baby, and we should not forget that even at the age of 7-8 months, the child's musculoskeletal system is not yet fully developed.
- They should have a triangular base that is stable.
- The fabric from which the seats are made should be waterproof, at the same time not too soft or hard.
- The product must have a sufficient number of wheels, it is believed that the more the better.
- Height must be adjustable.
- It is best if they have a tabletop on which to place toys.
Walkers: pros and cons
The use of walkers has many positive aspects:
- the child can get new emotions of sensation, and this is very useful for his psycho-emotional development;
- the baby feels greater freedom, independently exploring the environment, and has the opportunity to take the right toy;
- staying in an upright position allows the baby to perceive the world around them differently;
- increase motor activity intensively forms new neural connections in the central nervous system and develops muscles;
- in walkers, the baby has the opportunity to play, since various balls, rings and rattles are usually attached there, and their use develops fine motor skills;
- the design features of the walkers provide a certain safety for the child, and enable parents to get some respite.
However, many experts oppose walkers, arguing this with the following factors:
- they inhibit the development of motor skills, since children who use walkers begin to walk later than their peers;
- they allow the child to keep himself upright with less effort, in addition, the baby walks on tiptoe in them, which leads to abnormal development of the ankle;
- the child cannot squat, pull up or squat in a walker.
- prolonged stay in a walker leads to a curvature of the spine, as the spinal muscles are overstrained;
- the more the baby uses walkers, the less he crawls, and this negatively affects development (crawling strengthens the muscles and prepares the child for independent vertical walking);
- walkers do not allow the child to fully develop the correct sense of space, and the ability to maintain a confident balance;
- the device reduces the feeling of danger in the baby, and he does not learn to fall correctly, which later, when walking without a walker, can lead to serious injuries;
- sensations of cold hot and other tactile feelings do not develop with the help of walkers, since the baby in this state cannot touch most objects;
- although traumatization in walkers is reduced to a minimum, nevertheless, when moving quickly, the child can hit directly on this device, and in some cases the walker rolls over or stumbles upon some obstacles.
findings
Summing up, it should be noted that although walkers, on the one hand, help to improve the psycho-emotional and physical development baby, but at the same time they have many negative aspects when using them:
- In infants, normal physical development is inextricably linked with psycho-emotional. Child psychologists and doctors say that the period in which the child is actively crawling is very important for the formation of his psyche for the whole later life. The use of the device leads to the fact that the child practically does not crawl or crawls less than would be possible without them. For this reason, many experts are inclined to believe that the comprehensive development thus slows down.
- Relative freedom of movement, which is provided to a child in a walker, as well as the opportunity for active study environment, items and the whole world is a positive thing. But the psycho-emotional development of the child, as has already been proven, suffers. Children often in walkers begin to walk much later, they have a poorly developed instinct for self-preservation and a sense of danger. And when they try to walk on their own, they experience great uncertainty, and more often than other kids look for opportunities to lean on the wall or the hands of their parents.
Regarding whether the child needs a walker, Komarovsky argues that such a device is more necessary for parents to sometimes rest, and not for the baby. He believes that the baby should be planted no earlier than 7-8 months.
Video of Dr. Komarovsky about walkers and sitting down children
When asked at what age baby walkers can be used, many pediatricians believe that it is more appropriate for normal development use of the arena. It somewhat expands the possibilities of movement, protects the baby from traumatic situations, but does not hinder movement and allows him to develop physically. The child in the arena sits down on his own, gets up, steps over with his legs, using the sides as a support. And most importantly, he can actively crawl in it.
Walkers are the most common gift for a young family, which is made immediately after the birth of a child in all countries of the world. This device is a frame on wheels, inside of which there is a special saddle for the baby.
Disputes do not subside: what is the best way to teach a child to walk - with or without a walker?
With the help of this device, the baby can easily move around the house, and at this time the parents will be calm for their child, knowing that he is safe. In addition, an extra minute that you can devote to yourself or other activities is a nice bonus, which is sometimes very lacking for young mothers. But at the same time, you should weigh all the pros and cons of walkers, figure it out and make a priority conclusion whether it is worth capturing a child in a “frame on wheels” or not. In the 70s, the production of this device for babies was stopped in the USSR due to the fact that doctors concluded that walkers are extremely harmful for children who have not yet learned to walk. The same situation happened in Canada, where, in addition to production, the import of walkers into the country was banned.
Pros of using a walker
While the baby is in a walker, mom can devote her time to other worries
If we talk about the positive features of this thing, then rather it will apply not to the child, but to his parents. The use of such tools for children's movement is not at all a developmental thing for the baby - it is a way for parents to take a break from constantly tracking a child who is always crawling somewhere. But, based on the topic, we can distinguish such aspects in favor of walkers as:
- parents really have some free time, which is so lacking with a small child. This is a great chance to take time for yourself, household chores, etc.;
- the child is relatively safe, because the frame fixes him well enough, ensuring safety and the inability to reach those objects that are located outside the frame, since children's arms are much shorter;
- the emotional and intellectual development of an infant occurs many times faster because the transition to another plane (namely, from horizontal to vertical) significantly expands the vector of possibilities for a small researcher, and also opens up a new vertical perception of the world and events;
- walkers in general satisfy the baby's need to move around the house at a time when he has not yet learned to walk on his own.
Some walkers believe that this unique invention not only prevents the child from harming himself, but also significantly speeds up the process of getting the baby on his feet and encourages him to walk early.
Arguments against
It should start with the fact that walkers actually do not allow the baby to get on his feet earlier, they slow down the process of the child’s transition from a horizontal to a vertical position - the baby does not need this himself, but gets this opportunity without much difficulty, taking a familiar place in the middle of the frame. Also, this method of fixing a child threatens with serious disorders of the musculoskeletal system, etc.
Walkers prematurely transfer the baby from a horizontal to a vertical position at a time when the muscular corset of the back and neck is not yet strong, which can lead to serious disorders in the structure of the spine. Such activities cause serious harm to the child's body, and this cannot be justified by convenience and comfort.
If you use a walker correctly, there will be more benefits than harm.
In order to describe the whole picture, one must consider all possible consequences and opinions regarding the harm of walkers:
- the skill of independent movement is leveled, since there is no need for this, because there are walkers;
- loads on the back at a young age through sitting can lead to spinal deformity, hernias and other skeletal disorders;
- frequent use of this device leads to disruption of the cerebellum. The cerebellum is responsible for the function of coordinating and orienting the body in space, and the feeling of complete control over the body in a vertical position with unformed cerebellar structures leads to pathological development of individual parts of the brain. As a result, when walking skills begin to form, distorted signals about the coordination of the body in space will begin to enter the brain, the baby will fall and fall in different directions;
- the child will also be protected from falls, as it is quite well fixed in the “frame corset”. The ability to fall is just as important as the ability to walk, because this process reinforces the coordination of the body and forms the skill of correctly grouping when losing balance. In the future, the lack of such a skill can lead to serious injuries;
- walkers will not allow the little explorer of the world to learn how to overcome obstacles, protecting them from collisions with various objects, walls and other things. Under these conditions, in the future, the child may expose himself to serious danger, colliding with furniture and other interior items;
- up to the age of three, a child learns the world through direct contact with it, touching the things around him with his hands, tastes, studies the smell, shape and possibilities, and limited activity and the inability to touch what is interesting simply make the process of getting to know the environment impossible;
- in addition, walkers can be quite traumatic, since there is no guarantee that the baby will not find an opportunity to turn over the object holding it, or simply will not fall out of it, since small children are extremely active and persistent in their aspirations;
- a long stay of a baby in walkers can lead to such a disease as flat feet, since during movement they do not make full contact of the foot with the floor.
Harm from using walkers (photo)
It is difficult for a child to get acquainted with the outside world in a walker. Unusual foot position when moving in a walker - the path to flat feet Loads on the spine can lead to problems in the future Walkers do not develop coordination in space Walkers limit the child from obstacles, so he may not learn to overcome them
Walkers are undesirable for use, since in the process of walking on them the child uses the wrong position of the foot. Also, the muscles of the arch of the foot can be overstressed, which will affect the occurrence of developmental pathology and the formation of a firm and confident gait.
Given all of the above, it is impossible to firmly state that this device cannot be used, or to say that it is completely safe. In any case, the decision is made by the parents.
Proper use of walkers according to the recommendations of a specialist (no more than half an hour a day) and taking into account age restrictions makes their operation relatively safe, and also gives considerable pleasure to the baby himself.
Video about the benefits and harms of walkers
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