After the baby turns one year old, parents should consider teaching them how to walk. Many parents use a walker as an auxiliary tool, which can help babies who cannot walk learn to use leg strength to walk on their own. It is a very good auxiliary tool, but it can also cause harm to the baby. So, what are the hazards of using a walker for babies?
1. Learning to walk with a walker makes babies dependent and love to walk
During the stage when children are practicing walking, they can use a walker to help them learn. However, use should be moderate and not overly dependent. Because babies move around in strollers, they lose the opportunity to engage in vigorous physical activity and exercise their bodies. Sports exercises such as crawling, bending down to pick up things, free standing, squatting, and walking can all enhance the coordination of a baby's body. Learning to walk for children also requires a lot of strength, and on a walker, the sliding of the wheels allows children to move effortlessly, thus lacking true independent exercise.
2. A walker helps babies' learn 'to walk on their feet
At each stage, the growth and development of babies follow their own growth laws, closely related to the maturity of muscle development, nervous system, and visual system development. So, don't use the walker too early or too much. It is best not to give infants and young children under 7 months old a walker because they are too small. If their feet cannot touch the ground, they can only slide forward by touching the ground with their toes. Over time, the baby develops an underfoot walking posture where the forefoot touches the ground.
3. Learning to walk may affect children's intellectual development
Children generally learn to recognize objects and communicate with the outside world through actions such as touching, throwing, tapping, grabbing, and throwing things. As parents, it is important to encourage children to explore freely and provide appropriate assistance. Using a walker deprives children of the opportunity to learn and exercise independently due to excessive dependence on the vehicle, which affects their physical and intellectual development.
