training my baby to walk
By kayedanda
@kayedanda (1850)
Philippines
August 10, 2008 11:34am CST
i know it's too early for this since svetlana is only three months old but i was already considering buying her a walker when i stumbled upon this Time magazine article written by Rebecca Winters which documented a study made by the American Academy of Pediatrics who recommended banning the manufacture and sale of walkers.
according to the study, and i quote: "there is no evidence that the devices help infants learn to walk independently; on the contrary, doctors say, they can delay normal motor development and cause serious injury and even death."
the articles adds that in fact, "in 1999, 8,800 children under age 15 months were treated in U.S. emergency rooms for injuries associated with walkers."
now, i am having second thoughts about buying svet a walker. maybe i'll stick to the manual method and personally assist her when she is already learning to walk instead. which would take up extra amount of time, but she's my daughter, and i LOVE every moment i spend time with her.
how do you feel about walkers? have you used them to train your child/children to walk?
3 responses
@subha12 (18441)
• India
11 Aug 08
it is what i never knew. we have given our niece the walker from 6 months. thanks god she was not injured . i have also a 5 month old nephew. we were thinking of giving him a walker next month. i think your discussion will help many and we will think before we buy.
@pehpot (4762)
• Philippines
11 Aug 08
I have three kids now, two are toddlers. and I never used any walker. My first born walked at the age of 1 year and 2 months. my second child when he was 10 months. I also heard that before that there is no evidence that walkers do assist the kids in learning to walk. there were actually suggestions that it may hinder the baby's ability to learn to walk because it encourage the child to be dependent to the walker. and also they said that 50 to 70 % of accidents in infants actually involves a walker. What i did is I bought a crib made of wood (you know what i mean. the cheap one, cost aroun 500 to 700 or maybe cheaper on your place)and i just leave the kids there. They learned how to walk inside the crib.
@spalladino (17891)
• United States
10 Aug 08
Slow down girl! Before you know it Svetlana will be starting college and you'll be wondering where the time went?
As for walkers, I used them with my four children, not to train them to walk, but to give them an alternative means of moving around when they were old enough to crawl. By that time they had the leg strength to use it and the found it to be lots of fun when they were finally able to go forwards instead of backwards. If you put a baby who is too young into a walker, not much is going to happen because the baby's legs will most likely be too short to reach the ground and it does make sense that injuries can occur when a baby's weight is displaced.
Let Svetlana develop at her own pace and enjoy each stage. It doesn't matter how soon she learns to crawl, walk, talk or at what age she is potty trained or is off the bottle. I promise you that she will be walking, talking, going potty and the bottle will be gone by the time she starts school.
As for walkers, I used them with my four children, not to train them to walk, but to give them an alternative means of moving around when they were old enough to crawl. By that time they had the leg strength to use it and the found it to be lots of fun when they were finally able to go forwards instead of backwards. If you put a baby who is too young into a walker, not much is going to happen because the baby's legs will most likely be too short to reach the ground and it does make sense that injuries can occur when a baby's weight is displaced.
Let Svetlana develop at her own pace and enjoy each stage. It doesn't matter how soon she learns to crawl, walk, talk or at what age she is potty trained or is off the bottle. I promise you that she will be walking, talking, going potty and the bottle will be gone by the time she starts school.