Choosing and Using an Baby Walker

There’s no doubt that baby walkers are dangerous. A walker gives increased mobility and added height that can put a baby in dangerous situations. In Canada, the sale of baby walkers has been banned since 2004. But elsewhere around the world, including the United States and Australia, baby walkers are still sold. Fortunately, both the US and Australian governments have taken great pains to make sure that the manufacture of new generations of baby walkers meet certain safety standards.

Parents who insist on getting a baby walker should know what to look out for when buying one and how to make the home baby walker-safe.

New Safety Measures

In the United States, the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) worked with the industry to develop a new standard – the ASTM F-977 Standard Consumer Safety Specification for Infant Walkers – to make baby walkers much safer. Baby walkers using this safety standard and certified by the Juvenile Products Manufacturers Association (JPMA) must meet the following requirements:

• Too wide to fit through a standard doorway
• Has gripping mechanism to stop the walker at the edge of a step

The Australian Competition & Consumer Commission also urges consumers Down Under to check that baby walkers comply with the US ASTM F-977 safety standard.

Choosing a Baby Walker

Here are useful tips before buying a baby walker:

• Buy a brand new walker that complies with the mandatory safety standard. The safety warning label or sticker should be clearly displayed. If there is none, do not buy it.
• Look for an automatic braking or gripping mechanism that prevents the walker from being ridden over a step.
• Check that there are no sharp edges or places that can trap little fingers.
• Make sure the baby fits into the walker properly and that it supports her weight.
• Make sure the baby’s feet touch the floor when seated in the walker.
• Choose a walker with a wide, stable base and wheels at least 50mm wide in diameter.
• Avoid buying a used or second hand baby walker as it may not comply with the new safety standard.

Baby Walker Safety

Parents should ensure safety at home when the walker is being used.

• Never let a baby use a walker unsupervised.
• Do not leave the baby in the walker for more than 15 minutes as prolonged use can cause developmental delays when the baby learns to walk.
• Use baby walkers only on flat and level surfaces.
• Block off access to staircases, fireplaces or heaters, kitchens, bathrooms, laundry rooms, swimming pools and sliding doors with aluminum tracks that can cause the walker to topple over.
• Beware of dangling cords.
• Remove loose edges or rugs or carpets or better still, do not use them at all.
• Do not carry a walker while the baby is in it.
• Read and follow the manufacturer’s instructions carefully.

Because of their potential dangers, parents must choose baby walkers that meet all the new safety standards as well as ensure home safety at all times. To be even safer, opt for a stationary play center instead. It has all the fun elements, minus the perils.

Will Baby Walkers work for your baby ?

According to the American Academy of Pediatrics

, baby walkers aren't safe for a baby's use. In fact, they all encourage parents to throw their infant walkers away! Such a waste, if you must say. Good for you if you have not bought any one of these for your kid. But if you already did, these statistics might alarm you:

Fact #1: Around 14,000 children were injured due to baby walkers annually.

Fact #2: Since 1973, 34 children have already died because of baby walkers.

Baby walkers are deemed unsafe because it gives children too much mobility than they need. The wheels in the baby walker get them to dangerous spots around the house faster than you can stop them. This is especially true if you have stairs or steps in your home. Worse, baby walkers can cause drowning if you kid strayed too far away from you and towards the outdoor pool.

Also, pinch injuries can be initiated by infant walkers. It's easy for the toes and the fingers of the baby to catch onto something. In a baby walker, kids sit in an upright position. That gives them the ability to reach on to objects, which in turn, could fall on them and hurt them.

But then, all of these accidents and injuries can be prevented. First, you have to childproof your home. This means that anything that could harm your baby should be kept away from him. Buy childproofing devices and install them around the house to keep your baby safe. These are all required regardless if your child is using a baby walker or not.

Secondly, don't treat the infant walker as your child's baby sitter. Parents tend to leave their kids unattended in the baby walker. This is dangerous practice. Even if your child seems to be playing happily alone in the walker, that's not an excuse for you to watch TV or do some other chores. Keep your eyes glued to the kid all the time. If you can't do that, better take your child from the walker and put him in the crib where he's safer.