Share
Baby walkers send thousands of children to hospitals every year, pushing the AAP to call for a ban on the sale of baby walkers with certain features.
Read about why they are not safe and what you can do.
Children in baby walkers can:
- Roll down the stairs, which often causes broken bones and severe head injuries. This is how most children get hurt in baby walkers.
- Get burned. A child can reach higher in a walker, making it easier to pull a tablecloth off a table and spill hot coffee, grab pot handles off the stove, and reach radiators, fireplaces, or space heaters.
- Drown. A child can fall into a pool or bathtub while in a walker.
- Be poisoned. Reaching high objects is easier in a walker.
There are no benefits to baby walkers
What parents can do
- Throw out your baby walkers! Also, be sure that there are no walkers wherever your child is being cared for, such as child care centers or in someone else’s home.
- Try alternatives to baby that are just as enjoyable but safer, such as:
- Stationary activity centers — they look like walkers but have no wheels. They usually have seats that rotate, tip, and bounce.
- Play yards or playpens — these are great safety zones for children as they learn to sit, crawl, or walk.
- High chairs — older children often enjoy sitting up in a high chair and playing with toys on the tray.
____
by Steph Lee, MD, MPH, American Academy of Pediatrics (TNS)
Steph Lee, MD, MPH, FAAP, is a double board-certified pediatrician and preventive medicine specialist. She is a spokesperson for the American Academy of Pediatrics and has been featured on Mom.com, Parents Magazine, and Doctor Radio on SiriusXM. Her passion is advocating for public policies that improve children’s health.
©2024 Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
